Xantia front brake bleeding
Moderator: RichardW
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'13 3008 1.6 HDi GripControl - x 983
Xantia front brake bleeding
Anybody got any tips? Looks like the bleed nipple was put in the most inaccesible place possible on the caliper! Taking the handbrake cable out is the best option I have thought of so far...
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by RichardW</i>
Anybody got any tips? Looks like the bleed nipple was put in the most inaccesible place possible on the caliper! Taking the handbrake cable out is the best option I have thought of so far...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Not sure why everybody says the front bleed nipples are so difficult, I didn't have any trouble doing them at all...(in fact it was something of an anti-climax after reading all the comments here saying they were awkward)
I don't actually remember if I took the hand brake cable off or not, (I think I did) but if you do, thats easy too.
Just make sure the handbrake is off (wheels chocked of course) and turn the lever arm that the cable end hooks over with a pair of pliers, unhook it, and then pull the whole cable through the housing by grasping and pulling at the locknuts, which prevents the cable sleeve from pulling out of the locknuts if its a bit loose. (Like it is on one side of my car)
I found having the steering straight ahead was the easiest position to retract the handbrake cable. Don't try to pull it out of the wire guide loop, its not necessary.
Then I just used a small ring spanner and the right size hose. It probably helps if your hose is nice and flexible as a stiff hose will probably hit up against an obstacle.
When refitting the handbrake cable you may have a little bit of difficulty in threading it back through the hole in the housing if the little rubber boot on the cable is worn or damaged, one of mine needs a bit of fiddling and jostling to get it to pass through.
10 minutes work per side at most. I actually find getting the b*#%$^y wheel back on by myself more difficult than the actual job...
Regards,
Simon
Anybody got any tips? Looks like the bleed nipple was put in the most inaccesible place possible on the caliper! Taking the handbrake cable out is the best option I have thought of so far...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Not sure why everybody says the front bleed nipples are so difficult, I didn't have any trouble doing them at all...(in fact it was something of an anti-climax after reading all the comments here saying they were awkward)
I don't actually remember if I took the hand brake cable off or not, (I think I did) but if you do, thats easy too.
Just make sure the handbrake is off (wheels chocked of course) and turn the lever arm that the cable end hooks over with a pair of pliers, unhook it, and then pull the whole cable through the housing by grasping and pulling at the locknuts, which prevents the cable sleeve from pulling out of the locknuts if its a bit loose. (Like it is on one side of my car)
I found having the steering straight ahead was the easiest position to retract the handbrake cable. Don't try to pull it out of the wire guide loop, its not necessary.
Then I just used a small ring spanner and the right size hose. It probably helps if your hose is nice and flexible as a stiff hose will probably hit up against an obstacle.
When refitting the handbrake cable you may have a little bit of difficulty in threading it back through the hole in the housing if the little rubber boot on the cable is worn or damaged, one of mine needs a bit of fiddling and jostling to get it to pass through.
10 minutes work per side at most. I actually find getting the b*#%$^y wheel back on by myself more difficult than the actual job...
Regards,
Simon
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- Forum Treasurer
- Posts: 10812
- Joined: 07 Aug 2002, 17:12
- Location: United Kingdom
- My Cars: MK2 '17 C4GP 1.6 BlueHDi 120
'13 3008 1.6 HDi GripControl - x 983
The nipples sure don't stick out the front! H/B cables out is going to be easiest I think. Thanks for the description Simon, I know about disconnecting the H/B cables, just did the pads and discs this weekend (didn't bleed the brakes, as I was suffering bleeding finger after I hit it with a hammer[:(!]). At least I got the disc screws out easily, the discs weren't rusted to the hubs, and I had no troubles with the caliper bolts. Must mean that bleeding the brakes is going to be a mare[:o)]. Running Hydraflush at the moment, so need to run it through the brakes really.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by RichardW</i>
The nipples sure don't stick out the front! H/B cables out is going to be easiest I think.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Yeah, I wasn't sure what Malcolm was talking about either, perhaps there are several versions of the calipers, as I was reasonably sure (just going by memory) that the bleed nipples on mine face backwards at a 45 degree upward angle and are tucked in behind the hand brake cable, in which case removing the handbrake cable would be the easiest way...
Regards,
Simon
The nipples sure don't stick out the front! H/B cables out is going to be easiest I think.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Yeah, I wasn't sure what Malcolm was talking about either, perhaps there are several versions of the calipers, as I was reasonably sure (just going by memory) that the bleed nipples on mine face backwards at a 45 degree upward angle and are tucked in behind the hand brake cable, in which case removing the handbrake cable would be the easiest way...
Regards,
Simon