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Changing caliper without having to bleed brakes?

127K views 29 replies 12 participants last post by  Admiral Ackbar 
#1 ·
Is it possible to change a caliper and not have to bleed the system? Not only do I not have the time to bleed the calipers but I am also afraid of opening the bleeders on my front calipers because they look rusty as hell and will probably snap on me. I need to replace the rear calipers because one is sticking and the other one looks like it might do the same thing soon.

A couple of suggestions was to wrap duct tape around the teeth of a vice grip and clamp the brake line shut to keep air from getting into the system while quickly swapping over the line to the new caliper. Has anyone ever heard or that working? Someone else added that once the line is connected to the new caliper, open the bleeder screw and have someone pump the pedal to the floor, release the vise grip and tighten the bleeder once the fluids runs out.

Worse case senario I will have to end up bleeding the whole system but I would rather not have to replace the front calipers because of a broken bleeder.
 
#3 ·
A couple of suggestions was to wrap duct tape around the teeth of a vice grip and clamp the brake line shut to keep air from getting into the system while quickly swapping over the line to the new caliper. Has anyone ever heard or that working?
Yes, it will work. However, you will notice a very soft, spongy brake pedal and very poor stopping power after the repair due to the air you have introduced to the brake system. However, you do not need to bleed the whole system out when replacing one caliper so long as you use some form of pinch clamp to keep the fluid from running out of the master cylinder via the open brake hose. If you still have fluid in your master cylinder after you've finished changing the caliper, you just need to bleed that one caliper.
 
#7 ·
clamp the line, then attach a hose and syringe to the new caliper bleeder. After installation pull up on the syringe with the beeder open and release the clamp. In theory you should be able to pull the air out of the new caliper and pull the brake fluid into the caliper.

I never tried this but always thought about it and in my mind it works.
 
#8 ·
All bs above.
Before you start push the pedal down to where you feel good pressure and block it there with a stick/board/extension/whatever, that blocks off the ports in the master cylinder and won't allow any fluid from leaving the reservoir. Change out the offending caliper completely, take the pedal block off, top off the reservoir, open that bleeder and watch for the solid stream of fluid to happen. Make sure you don't let the reservoir run empty and refill to the proper level. Put the master cylinder cover back on, pump the pedal up to seat the caliper piston and recheck the fill level. End.
 
#15 ·
HAHA you said the same thing Coheed said on the dash. Sounds like a plan. I have no issues bleeding the new calipers, I'm just trying to have to bleed the front ones due to the rusty bleeders.

Don't clamp the lines. Throw a phone book onto the brake pedal before you disconnect the line. When you unbolt the hose you will have a little bit of fluid come out, but it won't keep dripping as long as the brake pedal is slightly applied.

Once you have the old one off. Hook up the new one and open the bleeder. Then bring the brake pedal back up to the very top. This will allow fluid to flow into the caliper. Give it ten minutes or so and keep the brake reservoir filled up with fluid. When you get a good steady flow of brake fluid out of the bleeder, lock it down.

Done.

This is gravity bleeding. No pumping required. Maybe it will save you some time.
 
#13 ·
"Change out the offending caliper completely, take the pedal block off, top off the reservoir, open that bleeder and watch for the solid stream of fluid to happen." The fluid will just drain out through the bleeder without any pressure?
 
#16 ·
Hey all:cheeky:, I posted the "YOUTUBE" 3 part rear rotor replacement video because the mechanic and instructor uses this pinch method everyone here is referencing. If you've watch the video's the mechanic uses a set of needle nose grip pliers with rubber hose on the tips to keep from damaging the brake lines. This seems to be a short cut method even for the mechanic pros. As I came across a few DIY brakes service video instructed by so-called professional mechanics who reference or used this pinch the brake line method. I plan on changing my rotors soon and had been sourcing the net for video how to's when I came across this video. Personally , I say it's a little risky as you could permanently damage your brakes lines as a novice.

My concern over a professional mechanic doing this is, Have you ever had one of those domino repair experiences? I'll explain. A mechanic fixes one thing and shortly there after..something else related to that part goes? Hmmmm and your saying: DAMN! how did this happen i.e. I just had a brake job , pads rotors, and calipers. Now alllllll of the sudden SH*T. I need a brake lines too? If the pro's are pinching brake lines to save time you gotta wonder.
 
#18 ·
The thing you should realize is that mechanics are guys that get paid for doing what they do. Just that. They aren't a God or the Pope's brother. They aren't any different than anyone else in that some want to do high quality work, some don't. Period.
The certification of mechanics only means they know enough to pass the certification, not that they're going to do everything right, or even better than none certified people.
Pinching the lines is a short-cut, nothing more. Yes, there are special tools made for it, as there are for doing other things that aren't in the best interest for your wallet, or car. There are also pedal posts that hold the pedal where you want.
 
#21 ·
And as a ex-professional mechanic of 20 years I can also say that. But as someone with the same logic as you, we both know that means little. Not hearing of issues with damaging the hoses, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Just that the damage hasn't surfaced , been associated with the pinching, or not spoken of. Would you admit it? Most wouldn't.
But the real point is there is no reason to pinch them with the other method available.
 
#22 ·
You're making it sound like one will automatically cause the other. I think the truth lies far, far away from that line of thought. I also would never use a vice-grip to pinch a rubber hose, and if you're trying to pinch a steel braided hose with anything then you should just stop trying to repair automobiles altogether.

As far as admission of mistakes causing damage, I've done it. I think all good mechanics make mistakes and learn from them. I think all great mechanics own up to their mistakes when they make them. I guess that's part of the reason why I only trust four people besides myself to work on my cars.
 
#25 ·
@bender-san, Now that you and DMSentra have cleared up a view misconceptions about brake repair and pinching brake lines, Can I ask what tool you use to do this with (pinching brake hose). Using the proper tools is a great step in applying this method safely with limited mishap. I have a question too, regarding jack stands. Do you guys have a particular place on the under body of your P10 or P11 where you place your jack stands when working on brakes or anything else under your cars? I definitely had not been using jack stands in the past, just my car jack and not realizing the danger I was placing myself in. I was only under the car briefly for oil changes but going forward I won't do so with out a jack stand.:cheeky:
 
#26 ·
we used the tool doing my brembo swap on stock lines and still no problemsa year and half later....i think using the right tool you will have no problems. maybe if you keep doing it in the same spot you will have problems.how many times do you really need to swap out a caliper though?
 
#28 ·
trbobrk said:
I won't even kink a garden hose because it ruins it. I'd never do it to the hose responsible for stopping the car.
I would never put a full kink in a brake hose. This is an extremely bad idea and if it is the way described in the do-it-yourself video, it needs to be known that this WILL cause brake hose damage.

DMSentra said:
You've evidently found more trust in people than I.
Three of them are people I work with/for at my shop (some of the best minds that I know in the business). The fourth is a local fellow who happens to be the foremost Miata expert in the Portland metro area, which is why he's allowed to touch the NB.

paradyme said:
Can I ask what tool you use to do this with (pinching brake hose). Using the proper tools is a great step in applying this method safely with limited mishap. I have a question too, regarding jack stands. Do you guys have a particular place on the under body of your P10 or P11 where you place your jack stands when working on brakes or anything else under your cars?
Here is a link to the exact tool I purchased:

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...&group_ID=1506&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

They are a rounded jaw, non-ratcheting clamp and they work well with any form of soft hose. I actually have 2 of the size linked and one of the next size larger.

As for the use of jack stands, I try to stay towards the corners of the pinch-welds. On G20's, as with most Nissan uni-body vehicles, there are reverence notches in the pinch-welds where the jack/lift stands should be set.
 
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