Pressure bleeding brake fluid
 

I'm planning to pressure bleed my brake fluid soon and thinking of purchasing the following items from Pelican Parts for this job;

- Black Label European Power Bleeder Kit ($69.95)
- ATE Gold Brake Fluid x3 liters ($15/liter)

Questions:
1) In addition to the instructions from PelicanParts do you offer any other tip for this job? Pelican Technical Article: Bleeding Boxster Brakes - 986 / 987

2) Is "ATE Gold Brake Fluid" a good fluid to use? What color is this fluid? Any other good alternatives?

3) I thought I had read somewhere that it only takes 1 liter of the brake fluid to bleed the system but Pelican Parts states a minimum of 3 liters, which is correct?

One liter is more than enough, I have no idea why Pelican thinks you need that much. ATE Gold (also known as ATE 200) is an amber yellow color.

I wish I had gotten the "black label"; I got the regular one, which has a plastic cap, which works well, but the black label has a metal cap, and also a swivel which makes it much easier when you thread the cap on and off. And I think it has a longer hose too.

At first I would put the fluid in the Motive bleeder and do it that way, but lately I have been using something like the following to suction as much of the old fluid out of the reservoir:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C37BB1A/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Then I put in fresh fluid, and just use the bleeder to provide the pressure to push the fluid through. Since it is a screw adapter (unlike the Toyota ones where you have to use a chain) it is easy to open and add new fluid. In my opinion less messy that way.

I bought some silicone tubing from lowe's that fits over the bleed nipples just right. I used to have a little bleed kit like this:

One Man Brake Bleeder Kit

With little pointy pieces that you stuck inside the bleed nipple, which worked ok, but the bigger tube that slips over the bleeder works better for me.

If no fluid comes out of your bleed nipple (if some debris or something got stuck in there, less likely if the cap has been on) you can have someone press the brake pedal when you open the bleed screw, or you can shoot a little brake cleaner in there.

You also need an 11mm wrench, the closed end of a box wrench will work if you don't have an 11mm flare wrench. I have heard that it is very bad to use pliers or an adjustable wrench and the open end of a box wrench because it is very easy to round the corners of the bleed screw and ruin it.

Steve

Good luck!!

I second this, I have never used more than 1 liter even when doing a full flush on the brakes and clutch. I think I even had enough left over to do the clutch on my son's Miata too (separate system on the Miata, not shared like clutch and brakes on the boxster)

Another interesting thing, the first time I used super blue, I had a mechanic bleed only the brakes. The next time had the car up and the panels etc. off I bled the clutch and it came out totally blue, no trace of amber. But I get an inch or two of amber out of the inner bleed screw on each caliper. Apparently my mechanic bled only the outer screw, and the amber remained there. But the clutch fluid somehow circulated and mixed with the fresh brake fluid. Interesting. I wonder if others have seen that same thing? Getting to the clutch bleed screw is a !@#$%$ and if it gets fresh fluid by mixing with the rest of the fluid then maybe I don't have to do it every time :)

Over time, and with enough usage, the fluids will mix, but you should flush both the inner and outer bleeders every time you flush. You really don't want any trace of the old fluid in the system.

Thanks guys, so there are 2 bleed screws per caliper? doesn't matter if it's front or rear brake? base vs S model?
Mine is tiptronic so I guess I don't have to worry about bleeding the clutch.

The Brembo calipers on these cars have both and inner and outer bleed valve.

Pelican thinks you need that much because they're selling it. :) I bought 3 liters and used 1.

My '02 and PSM
 

Hi,

I guess I am out of luck as my 2002 has the PSM button and thus I cannot bleed the brakes without the special tool Pelican mentions. Apparently it is a very expensive device since they just point you right to the dealer/indi to perform the job.

With all this talk of bleeding brakes, is that on older models or is the PSM a 'special' option that was added?

thanks

PSM uses the ABS system in help control yaw angles in certain situations. That said, you do not need to cycle the ABS/PSM systems while doing a flush unless you have gotten air into the ABS/PSM control network, or have had to replace components of the control network. Dealers do not activate these systems during a flush unless they encounter one of the situations mentioned.

Pentosin SuperDot4
 

Any feedback on using this product on a 986 that never sees any track time. Car is not a daily driver and only used as a toy.

I'm replacing the brake lines with Goodridge SS lines and thought I should flush out the entire brake system while I am at it. Is Pentosin the right product for me? I like that it comes in a bright yellow color so it will be pretty obvious when I have flushed out all the old fluid.

Comments welcomed.

Thanks

An alternate brand pressure bleeder that I've used for several years
Brake Bleeding Made Easier With Speedi-Bleed Brake Bleeder Tool

Anyone anyone, Buehler?

I just bought one yesterday, the black label version with the aluminum cap.

My clutch was suspect from my first test drive of the car and I knew it needed a bleed at the very least (and, hey who is ever lucky all the time?) probably a slave cylinder.

This was my first repair task on the car since bringing it home the other day.

I'm here to tell you the pressure bleeder is the shiz. I got a ton of air out of the clutch line and it now works great.

As for the 1 liter/ 3 liter thing, I used the metal bottle of fluid to catch the discarded fluid from the slave cylinder and filled it completely and was still getting some bubbles. So I need to go buy more and continue the bleeding until I get zero air.

With only one liter in the power bleeder, there is some risk that the pick up tube will start pumping air instead of fluid, which would set you back a ways. Keeping additional fluid in the chamber will preclude that.

was that the K400 ?

Thanks guys, deeply appreciated the help. LOL

If you open the bleed screw too far bubbles can get sucked in through the threads and make it look like you have tons of bubbles which never end. I always open it just a tiny bit by bit until the fluid starts to flow.

Ps that clutch bleed screw is a %$%& to get to :)

Which one ??
 

Which one do you guys use ??

I need to do this with my Boxster and my BMW

Mine is the "109" with the aluminum cap.

Steved,
I considered the possible induction of air at the bleed screw, so I was opening it just enough also. I kept it up until I got zero bubbles.

My clutch functions well, or well enough. Now I'm casting a glance at the shift linkage. Lots of adjustments needed.

Does the pedal return to top on it's own? If not, than you're not done bleeding the system yet.

Yes, it does but good reminder.

I did have a funny occurrence while waiting for the bubbles to subside. I thought, hey I should probably pump the pedal, because you normally do that when bleeding a hydraulic system.

I stuck a leg in the car and touched the pedal and it went "thump!" and hit the floor. I couldn't pull it up with a few pounds of force, so I shut the bleed screw, depressurized the pump bottle and then I was able to pull the pedal up and start the process again.

A bit of a "note to self" moment.

Clearly, using said product, while matching the colour of your car, will mean you are not following others and thereby, 'on your own'.;) Let us know how it works out for you...

Oh, you mean you didn't have an assistant pump the pedal and hold it down before you opened the bleed screw?

My shifter is kind of floppy and imprecise too and sometimes when I go 2nd to 3rd it kind of bogs down. I have order a 997 shifter and when I put that in, hopefully it will improve due to the new bushings and new fasteners in the shifter.

Veering off track
 

I know we started bleeding hydraulics and now were into mechanical linkage so I must pose a question. Is the 997 shifter an improvement ? ? is it a drop in ??, I see no real reason for the short shifter ?? ...if so enlighten me please.

Thanks

Dwight

It is a drop in, and it is supposedly an improvement for a couple of reasons.

It is a 15% shorter throw than the stock 986 shifter.
It will have new bushings, which can help keep the shifter from being sloppy in side to side motion.
It comes with new cable ends and that clip on, and the inside pieces can wear down can cause sloppy shifting, or sometimes even breaks completely.

Note that I said supposedly :) I am getting mine because another guy in town got one on his 1999 996 and he loves it, and it got me sold :) If some of the sloppiness goes away it will be a bonus :)

Sounds like it is in my future
 

Is there a turn key kit ? or a parts list to buy ?

short shifters are not a necessity, just a personal preference. if you decide to get one, the $40 - $50 ones on e-bay are great, and a quarter of the price of anything else. an exact copy of the b&m, and swaps the cogs great. shift effort is increased but the throw is reduced by about half.

This is the one I got/am getting (it has shipped but not yet arrived)

99742401000 - Gearshift Bracket For Manual Transmissions - ES#1499714

There are other kits that include just the inner part and you reuse the outer part from ebay and other places. Do a search on short shifters here and you will learn more than you probably wanted to know about shifters. ��

Thats looks to be just the bracket and not the actual shifter ?

That is the shifter assembly.

That's funny, I got exactly the opposite result.

My kid got a lift put into one of the bays of his garage a couple weeks ago and invited me to use it whenever he wasn't. So, pretty much right off the bat I took him up on it (since my brakes/clutch haven't been flushed in forever).

I used the Motive pressure bleeder (works wonderfully), and as I opened the first valve I got lots of air. "Ok, not that abnormal I guess, it'll stop soon" I thought. A minute later the string of air bubbles continued. My kid tells me to open it wider, that the brake lines in his car pass air bubbles unless he ups the flow. So, I took it from 1/4 turn open to 1/2 turn. Don't exactly understand it, but the bubbles disappeared pretty much immediately.

What size clear tubing do I need for bleeding the brakes on my 02 base? I found 13/16” mentioned in a thread and I wanted to confirm if this is the correct size.. Thanks!

Assuming you're talking about inside diameter, that should be right. I'll put it this way: that size is what worked well in my '01, so I'm reasonably sure it'll work in yours.

13/16 seems pretty big....... maybe 3/16?

-Eric

Yeah, 13/16 is like 3/4 of an in! 3/16 or 1/4 makes more sense.

Great. As always, thank you forum members. I have everything ready to p/up @ Pelican but it looks like a trip to Home Despot is in order for the tubing.

Ha! That's funny. Having just done this, I knew the answer was 3/16". My eye just skipped right over the '1'

Yeah, 13/16" tubing could get pretty messy.. ;)