Hi,
this is the first time I will be doing a brake bleed and fluid replacement all by myself on the accord, and I have a couple of questions -

First of all the brake bleed screw is very tight. I am worried about applying too much force and breaking it. Can I put something (wd40 ? penetrating oil?) and let it soak to loosen it up ?

Depending on whether all four screws open or not I don't know when I will be able to do the fluid replacement, but I can tell for sure that the fluid is in dire need of replacement. Until I get the screws done I am thinking about atleast replacing all fluid thats in the reservoir right now. I will be sucking it out via a turkey baster or one of those siphon pumps you get at the hardware store. What I want to know is - how far low should I let the fluid level go before I stop taking more fluid out ? I don't want to introduce any air while doing this.

Any advise would be highly appreciated!
Thanks!

 

As long as you don't pump the brake pedal, you shouldn't draw any air into the system.
I sometimes used a small oxy/propane torch I'd picked up at Radio Shack to heat the bleed screws b4 I attempted to loosen them. I'd then give them a shot of penetrating oil, let them cool and then twist away.

You don't need much heat, just enough to get the screw to expand and contract.

P

 

so if I don't pump the brake pedal then I can run the reservoir all dry before filling it up with fresh fluid ?

 

I'd drain it almost to the point of uncovering the port.
That will buy you some time by introducing new fluid which will pull any moisture from the remaining old S***t, so that you can address the Wheel Cylinders and Caliper's bleed screws.

P

 

I just finished doing a brake bleed/fluid replacement about a month ago on my '96 Accord LX. I used a hand pump (Mityvac) to do mine. I removed everything I could out of the reservoir then filled it with fresh fluid. A problem I had was getting anything to come out of the rear drum bleeders, but pumping the breaks a few times before the bleeding process seemed to fix the problem. Regarding the bleeder screws, I was also worried about snapping them off because they were quite rusty. I used a little PB Blaster and had that soak in for a few minutes before loosening the bleeder screws. For the front bleeder screws I first used a wire brush to get rid of most of the rust around the base of the screw then sprayed a little PB, then used an 18" breaker bar (with a 10 mm socket) and very gently pushed back and forth a few times which did the trick. For the rear drums, I used an 8mm box-end wrench and a 12" cheater bar to slowly loosen the screws. Anyway, leverage seemed to be the key. Hope this helps.

 

I had a shop do this procedure, when I had them replace my front rotots with Brembo Blanks and stock pads. I should have paid more attention to what they are doing, but they did a two person job.

One mechanic was in the car, while the other mechanic was loosening and tightening the bleeder screw. If I remember correctly, they started with the rear passenger side, and the mechanic with the wrench told the guy sitting in the car up, down, up down, up, down, and a little bit of brake fluid would squirt into the catch pan while he was opening and closing the bleeder. After this tequnique was down at each wheel, the mechanic poured fresh brake fluid into the reservoir to a little less than the maximum. Once all four brakes were bled, they topped off the reservoir to the max.

One thing I noticed is the pedal is a lot firmer with the method this shop used vs. another shop that used a pressure bleeder 3 years ago. Even though I replaced my fronts at 58k, the mechanic said they still had a lot of life left in them and asked if I brake like Fred Flintstone.

 

Helms pages? Pump the pedal 3 times. Have the person hold the pedal down. Loosen it 'til the fluid stops coming, put the screw back on, and tell them to let off the break. Right rear, front left, rear left, front right. Easy as cake.

 

I replaced just the reservoir fluid on both cars yesterday. Could get about 80% of the old fluid out. I am really glad I atleast did this as the fluid was quite dark and turbid. Must be really bad because the pedal feel changed right away. The brakes seem to have more bite now. I am sure the worst of the crud is still near the brakes and in the lines which would get out only by bleeding them.

Hopefully I will get to the screws this weekend.