Toyota RAV4 Forums banner
1 - 13 of 13 Posts

autopilot

· Registered
Joined
·
126 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hello Everyone,
Doing my brake flush and bleeding work first time. Bought an one man brake bleeder hose (one way valve) kit at NAPA Auto. At first, it seemed to be very simple, but could not make it work to me. Looked at the instructions, but could not get it, little bit confusing. Has anyone of you used this in your brake job? Any help would be highly appreciated. BTW, I have 2015 RAV4 LE AWD. Pics are attached.
164034
164035
164036

Thanks
 
Step6 should be a multi-step approach.
6a) Build pressure by pumping the brakes until no longer able to pump brakes.
6b) Get a piece of scrap wood (2 x 4 x necessary length) to keep brake pedal depressed.
6c) Place 2x4 onto brake pedal than against front face of seat cushion. Front seat may have to be moved forward to keep pressure on brake pedal.
6d) Open bleeder valve. Brake fluid will come out in a squirt then slow. Close bleeder valve before the squirt slows to much, possibly allowing air to reenter via hose.

You should review the exact bleeding procedure for your generation RAV4.
https://techinfo.toyota.com to get a temporary 2day subscription to download the factory service manual.
The content and quality of info is well worth the $20. This PriusChat member converted the CHM file format to PDF.
The Chilton/Haynes manual sucks compared to the factory service manual. But, better than nothing, as they have most of the procedures correct.

At least on the Prius (2004-2009), Techstream was required to direct the valves to the appropriate wheel for the bleeding, then removal of the ABS relay.
 
I use just a longer clear hose, with one end resting on the bottom an empty 0.5L water bottle. Once the fluid fills just a bit on the bottom, there is no air getting sucked in. Plus the fluid column is so heavy that it won't be "sucked" back up.
I don't even put a cap on that bottle. But it needs to be supported, they tend to fall and spill.
 
I used the same hose exactly from NAPA when bleeding my brakes a few months ago.

The instructions on that package are rather poorly written and I was confused when reading them at first, but after starting the job, it was quite simple.

Choose the side of the hose that fits over the nipple, and put the valve on the other side of the hose. Put the hose over the brake bleeder nipple and then open the nipple. Get in the car and slowly press the brake pedal down over and over until bubbles are out of the hose. Make sure there's enough brake fluid in the master cylinder while doing the job.

The little valve at the bottom is a one way valve, it keeps air from coming back in the system when you release the pedal. Do this until there are no more bubles in the hose, then close the valve.

Make sure the hose fits snugly over the brake caliper nipple - you can use a tie wrap to secure it onto the nipple if you want.
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
I used the same hose exactly from NAPA when bleeding my brakes a few months ago.

The instructions on that package are rather poorly written and I was confused when reading them at first, but after starting the job, it was quite simple.

Choose the side of the hose that fits over the nipple, and put the valve on the other side of the hose. Put the hose over the brake bleeder nipple and then open the nipple. Get in the car and slowly press the brake pedal down over and over until bubbles are out of the hose. Make sure there's enough brake fluid in the master cylinder while doing the job.

The little valve at the bottom is a one way valve, it keeps air from coming back in the system when you release the pedal. Do this until there are no more bubles in the hose, then close the valve.

Make sure the hose fits snugly over the brake caliper nipple - you can use a tie wrap to secure it onto the nipple if you want.
Thank you for your inputs. So, you mean the two ends of the hose have different diameters? And you are suggesting to slip on one end onto the bleeder screw and move (or leave) the one way valve thing at the other end of the hose. Please make it clear. Thanks
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
I use just a longer clear hose, with one end resting on the bottom an empty 0.5L water bottle. Once the fluid fills just a bit on the bottom, there is no air getting sucked in. Plus the fluid column is so heavy that it won't be "sucked" back up.
I don't even put a cap on that bottle. But it needs to be supported, they tend to fall and spill.
So, you mean no need to close and open the bleeder screw as you pump the fluid out of the brake line?
 
Yes, look at the hose.

One end has a bigger internal diameter.

Put the valve on the end that's not on the caliper nipple. There are 2 size stems on the valve, choose the right side that fits in the end of the hose that's not on the caliper.

You don't need to open and close the bleeder screw with each brake pump with this tool because of the 1 way valve. That's the whole point. After placing the hose over the caliper nipple and then opening the caliper nipple, get in the car and slowly press the brake pedal down over and over until bubbles are out of the hose.

Make sure there's enough brake fluid in the master cylinder while doing the job.
 
Just saw this. Might be better to post these types of questions in the Mechanical section.
You don’t need any of this fancy stuff, just use the gravity bleed method.
Make sure the bleed bottle and tubing are above the caliper and the end of the tubing is in fluid. Make sure the tubing is on tight, use a zip tie and only open the bleeders a 1/4 turn, no air will get in from there. Bleeding using this method alone takes about 1/2 hr per caliper or you can also pump the brakes by yourself this way since air will not enter through the tubing when you let off the pedal. I usually let it alone until the fluid gets towards the top of the tubing then finish it off with a couple pumps of the pedal.
Image
 
1 - 13 of 13 Posts