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[Dylan]

STEP ONE


The first thing to do is get yourself the needed materials: brake fluid, a small bottle, some clear plastic tubing, and some food to bribe one of your buddies to help you out. Next, get the car on jack stands, with the wheels off. This seems like overkill, but it will make the job a lot easier. That being said, you can do this one wheel at a time on the stock jack if you lack jack stands or a floor jack if you so desire. Having the wheels off is a good idea because it allows you to see what you are doing much better, and it gives you a chance to inspect the rotors and brake pads in detail while you are at it. With the wheels off and the car up, it's time to open the hood and go at it.


STEP TWO

Uncap the brake fluid reservoir to allow you to fill the reservoir as the fluid level goes down and also to allow any trapped air to bubble out at this end of the braking system.



STEP THREE


Subaru uses a diagonal system and the bleed order isn't the standard "Start from the furthest point" Deal.

Go to the driver side front corner of the car. On the top of the brake caliper, you will see a small black dust cap over a nipple with a nut at the base- this is the bleeder valve. You want to start here, as this is the farthest point away from the Master Cylinder. Pull the rubber dust cap off the bleeder valve, and attach a 10 to 15cm length of 1/4" clear plastic tubing to the nipple. The clear tubing will allow you to see any air bubbles that rise out of the caliper as you bleed the brake system. Place the other end of the tubing into the bottle or cup you have handy to catch the expelled brake fluid. Whatever fluid you bleed out of the system DO NOT SAVE- it will be contaminated with anything from dirt to water, and you do not want to put this back into the system. Dispose of it in the same way you would used motor oil.



STEP FOUR


Now is the point where you need that good buddy. Have your helper gently pump the brakes. Push the pedal to the floor and hold down the pedal. Now you open the bleeder valve (righty tighty, lefty loosy applies here) to let out the brake fluid. When it stops coming out close the bleeder valve and have your partner gently pump the brakes back up then hold the pedal to the floor again. In any event, you want your friend to continue this process until no more air bubbles, not even very tiny ones, are visible in the clear tubing. It is better to waste 4 ounces of fluid than to leave a bubble in the lines. Check frequently to make sure there is PLENTY of fluid in the reservoir if you are bleeding the system- if it runs too low, you will suck air in at the Master Cylinder, and you will need to start all over again. Keeping the Master Cylinder topped off in the bleeding process is CRITICAL.



STEP FIVE


Once you get no more bubbles in the line, have your friend push the brake pedal to the floor AND HOLD IT THERE. What you need to do is to tighten the bleeder valve back down tight while he or she has the pedal held to the floor. Make certain they do not release the brake pedal until you have the bleeder valve tight again.




STEP SIX


Repeat steps three through five on the other corners of the car, in this order: (see pic below)

• Passenger's Side Rear
• Passenger's Side Front
• Driver's Side rear

 brakebleed.jpg   10.64KB   24 downloads

Doing so will ensure that you are pushing almost all the air out of the system, making each subsequent corner easier to bleed. If you are completely draining and flushing the system, doing so in the same order will ensure almost all of the fluid is out of the system at the first corner, again making each subsequent corner easier to do.



STEP SEVEN


The final step is to top off the Master Cylinder to the top "fill" line and cap off the reservoir. If you completely flush the system and refill it, it is probably best to re-bleed the brakes after a week to ensure you have no trapped air in the system- completely draining the lines introduces a good deal of air into the system, and it is best to make certain it is all removed.


Please also see the PDF attached:
 Subaru_Brake_bleed.pdf   427.84KB   33 downloads

^{Thanks to Peaty for posting this up on Scoobymods.}