Rear brake fluid
- Thread starter Leoneroom
- Start date
I ran into the same concern too. Unless you have a leak you shouldn't have to add fluid. The level drops as the pads wear and move in towards the rotor. If you are that low check your pads. If they need replacing then clean the pucks then push them in slowly and your level will go back to normal. If it is over two or three years old then you should replace the fluid.
When you replace or add fluid then yes you have to remove one bolt and pull it out. Couldn't believe how that was designed either. Not hard to do though. I tied mine to the frame to keep it stable with a big rubber covered piece of wire while bleeding the system. I may have a pic of it.
thughes317
Well-Known Member
This and a rubber hose
Exactly what i was telling my wife was my only option
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Dumbest design ever. Bad part is I didn’t even inspect it until i had put my new tires on. Could have done it all at once.
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RCinNC
Well-Known Member
I've reverse bled brakes by pushing brake fluid into the bleeder valve on the caliper using a big syringe. When you do it that way, you open the brake reservoir so any air in the lines can escape through the open master cylinder. You hook up one end of a tube to the bleeder nipple, the other end to a syringe, fill the syringe with brake fluid so it flows all the way down to the nipple, crack open the bleeder, and push new brake fluid into the system. Basically, you're refilling the brake reservoir from the caliper instead of through the reservoir.
What I don't know for sure is what happens when you do this with the lid still on the brake reservoir. My guess is that you'd still be able to push fluid into the system, but since I never tried it, I don't know for sure.
What I don't know for sure is what happens when you do this with the lid still on the brake reservoir. My guess is that you'd still be able to push fluid into the system, but since I never tried it, I don't know for sure.
Eville Rich
Well-Known Member
I just went through this. Not a big deal, if a bit clunky. You'll see the bolt and then a plastic retainer a little lower that connects to the frame. The bolt is a bolt - you'll sort that. The plastic retainer can be removed quite easily by pinching the two sides that expand to hold it. I tied off the reservoir/hose to my pannier rack, IIRC.
You just need to be careful about spilling the fluid, so take a few minutes to get it set. Remove old fluid from the reservoir, add fresh, bleed, add fresh, etc. Then screw the lid back on and reinstall it.
It's not difficult, just a little dumb. I guess they had to put that reservoir somewhere.
Eville Rich
2016 S10
Almost wish it would’ve just gone under the seat.
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I thought a nice latched trap door to get to it would be great. I even thought about doing something like that myself... but that would open up that area to water/mud. So I pulled it.
My easy way is to replace the bleeder with a speed bleeder then pump out the old fluid using the brake pedal into a speed bleeder bag while you hold the reservoir. Then before you suck air in pour in new fluid and pump until clean fluid comes out. If new pads then top off reservoir. Replace cap and bolt it in. Close speed bleeder and remove bag. Empty bag with a mity vac or squeeze it. No mess.
My easy way is to replace the bleeder with a speed bleeder then pump out the old fluid using the brake pedal into a speed bleeder bag while you hold the reservoir. Then before you suck air in pour in new fluid and pump until clean fluid comes out. If new pads then top off reservoir. Replace cap and bolt it in. Close speed bleeder and remove bag. Empty bag with a mity vac or squeeze it. No mess.
Exactly what i told my wife, I should just cut out a window under the seat and just duct tape over it.
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I think, after a couple of bad experiences, we had agreed that “don't push the pads, without open the bleeders”….which probably reverse bleeding (using a big syringe), “could” cause a failure….if between the caliper and the fluid reservoir is the ABS (full of valves and solenoids), it is not a good idea for it to enter the module (air if we empty the reservoir), or (dirt if we push the fluid in the opposite direction)...... and adding to all this that the ss manual clarifies “do not push the pads without loosening the bleeders)……..unless the failure of the rear brakes comes from another side……
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So your saying dont push the pads in like everyone online is doing? And dont reverse bleed. So the only way is open bleeders push pads in and then refill from the top? Which gets me back to square one an empty reservoir in a horrible spot to fill.
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Use the syringe, with a small hose, to fill it up the reservoir
If you push the pads “without opening the bleeders”, all the dirty liquid that is full of sediment that is in the calipers “which is the lowest part of the line”….all of that will end up in the abs module. And the fluid that was in the abs module...will end up in the reservoir...it's that simple...but that simplicity has later generated a chain of events that ends with the failure of the abs module and failure of the rear brake…..
If you push the pads “without opening the bleeders”, all the dirty liquid that is full of sediment that is in the calipers “which is the lowest part of the line”….all of that will end up in the abs module. And the fluid that was in the abs module...will end up in the reservoir...it's that simple...but that simplicity has later generated a chain of events that ends with the failure of the abs module and failure of the rear brake…..
MattR
Well-Known Member
I didn’t know this but it makes sense. Undoing the reservoir is quick and simple.
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It's just that I didn't know either, until started reading about failures in the rear brakes (a failure that was always after a replacement of rear pads)……and why doesn't the front brake fail??…..: it's also simple, “the line is longer than the rear”….the dirt doesn't reach the abs module…and then rushes to the calipers again….Anyway, in the service manual it is written…only sometimes we do not read the fine print of a procedure that is known…...”do not push without opening the bleeders”….it says