Hey, recently put a new driver’s side front caliper on my '98 Ford Contour. After doing the job, got an assistant to help me bleed the brakes.
We got the driver’s side front done first (it was the replacement caliper), then the driver’s side rear…THEN we ran out of time!
My understanding is that bleeding is best done by distance from the master cylinder (meaning RR, LR, RF, LF). Obv (?) the new, “dry” caliper required doing that first. Both of the brakes done were done until clean fluid came out the bleeder.
Assuming I get to the other side in a day or two, do I really need to duplicate my work up to this point? (Perhaps I should point out that the motive for bleeding is to prevent corrosion/sticking parts…the “pedal feel” is perfectly acceptable).
If the only thing that you pulled was that LF caliper then that is the only wheel you really needed to bleed to begin with. So you’re probably done bleeding unless there is some other reason to suspect a problem.
But…there is surely no harm in flushing out the other lines - in fact you should if it hasn’t been done in a while.
Good advice, I will second that.
Just make sure you use a box end wrench and maybe some penetrant oil like PB Blaster on the threads of the bleed screw. It not fun snapping off one of those.
Agree also, but the old pattern was for single master cylinders and drum brakes. It does not apply to dual master cylinders. You still do the rears first, then the fronts, but it doesn’t matter which side first. The brakes are cross connected, each chamber of the master cylinder serves one front and the opposite rear wheel.
It’s a good idea to bleed all 4 to remove water laden fluid (brake fluid absorbs water). Otherwise, in due time the metal brake lines can rust through.