Bleeding 05 Prius brakes the old fashion way

Yes, I'm flushing out the old fluid and pumping in new.

 

I am not trying to discredit this procedure, but this will not flush out all of the old fluid in the system. It will only flush out the fluid in the container, the direct lines to the calipers/cylinders, and of course the calipers and cylinders. This is by no means the complete system, perhaps only 60/70% of the fluid.

John (Britprius)

 

I agree with John, that some of the solenoids, and the lines that go to them, will not get any new fluid through them with this procedure. Whether or not that is a problem, I don't know. But it seems like a good idea to do it all, if you are going to the trouble. The mini VCI device can do the brakes completely, far more cheaply than a trip to the dealer.

 

Hello and thank you for such an informative post. I had recently replace my Bearings, brakes, rotors and bled the brake lines. All this and when I was finished the ABS, ((!)), and brake lights were on. I drove it like this for two weeks. I did have brakes but only the hydraulic brakes. My Abs wasn't working and the electric brake system wasn't working. My first assumption was that when I was bleeding the brakes I didn't get all the air out of one side (I only worked on the front brake system). So the other day I bled the brakes again hoping I would get all the air out. I did get more air and the brakes worked a little better but this did not fix the overlying problem with the lights so thus began my research and how I came upon this thread and I am glad I did. I didn't need to re-bleed the brake so I only did the reset. Sadly I wasn't clear as the what was the top and what was the bottom of the obd port (sometimes a visual representation helps so i did a search for a video and found this one;

). For those not interested in the video I will just add this description. When looking at the port the top side of the port is the widest side of the port and the bottom is the narrowest. Again thank you for all the help.

 

How much would the dealership charge?


Just seems like one DIY venture that can leave you in a world of hurt. If it's $100~ or a bit over, and involves you sitting around for an hour or two in their waiting area...

 

Thank for the information brother,OBD port is trapezoidal, Which is the top row? The short one or the longer. I make a mistake, I bleed my 2004 prius use method like other car, it not work and now the abs warning light is on and the brake not as good as before.

 

I took my 2006 Toyota Prius into the dealership in Hanford, CA to have the oil changed while traveling across the country. After the oil change they recommended that I have the braking system flushed. I told them I couldn't afford it because I've heard that to bleed the brakes costs in excess of $300. The guy laughed and said they had a machine they hooked up to all the bleeder bolts and to the reservoir at the same time that introduces new fluid into the system and sucks the old fluid out all at the same time. The cost $99. I agreed to have the service done, and I can honestly say I'm glad I did.

I'm not sure which dealerships are charging so much for brake bleeds, perhaps they don't have the equipment that the Hanford, CA dealership does?

Mylar

 

$100 is about the norm.

Be careful immediately following a brake fluid flush. If they're not conscientious, test drive it, you might have a surprise. Test the brakes yourself, and if you notice any reduction in braking performance, bring it back.

 

Be aware this method does not do the job correctly on the Prius as it does not change the fluid in all of the lines. It works well on most other cars but not on the Toyota/Lexus range of hybrids.

John (Britprius)

 

Thank you dmphilli for all of your hard work and research regarding the jumper between pin 4 and 13 on the OBD II port. I had to replace a bad wheel cylinder, shoes and drum on the driver's side brake on my 2005 Prius and the jumper cleared the codes and got the pump going again!

 

dmphilli, please clarify on the obdii 16-pin receptacle...when you're looking up at it, are you kneeling down beside driver seat looking forward (towards front of car) and counting pin arrangement, or are you laying on your back on driver's floorboard looking up towards back of car? I don't want to mistakingly place the jumper in wrong pins.

 

Notice the shape of the OBD connector its shaped so you can't plug the plug in any way but correct. Its wider at the top than at the bottom. Use the shape to orientate yourself using the picture in post #64

 

Thanks I found a pic someone posted making it clear and simple...all 3 lights reset and speedometer, mpg and odometer working...but test drive brought all lights back on and removed power from readouts. I replaced front right wheel bearing and ended up replacing brake caliper too. I bled brakes here but at only the right front unit. Should I have bled entire brake system starting at rear brakes?

 

Hello all - sorry for reviving an old post. Im new to the prius world (2005 GEN II) and noticed that the car has very little brake pads left in front. I suspec that the shoes in the back are probably gone too. Ill feel better doing all 4 corners and start fresh.

I wanted to bleed the brakes with the process outlined above, but I noticed that the 12V battery is not disconnected. Can you leave the battery connected and just remove the ABS relays (step 2 above)?

Thanks again guys!

TJ

 

TJ - prior posts seem to suggest you can.

In response to the discussion on "crud" potentially being pushed backwards into the HCU during brake pad replacement...

YES, that is a HUGE concern. In point of fact, most OEMs had a policy to NEVER compress brake pistons (caliper or wheel cylinder) without first opening the appropriate brake bleeder to avoid the risk of such an event.

Now, I have changed hundreds of calipers and cylinders in my time and bled brakes maybe a 1,000 times as well. Unless brake fluid is changed regularly (every 3-5 years, depending on humidity levels) you do get dirty, nasty, moisture laden fluid out of the bleeders. Why? Gravity! Any debris in the system will settle to the lowest point, in almost every vehicle this will be the brake caliper/cylinder. The OEM's removed this procedure from their publications to reduce warranty spend, it's not needed on new vehicles with factory fluid in good condition. On older vehicles subject to the influences of mother nature and Kaputy Garage, it is a very wise precaution, if not an actual necessity.

 

Honda Canada, starting with Prius model year 2014 (I believe that's the first year), is saying change the brake fluid every 3 years or 48,000 kms.

Honda Canada has been saying, for as long as I can remember: every 3 years, regardless of mileage.

 

Likewise, Volvo has suggested brake fluid replacement every 2-3 years since the 60's. That does not mean it's in their procedures to open the bleeder screws prior to compressing the associated piston(s).

 

I've always done regular brake fluid replacement, ie: every three years, and don't open bleed valves when pushing in a piston for new pads. Probably doing both would be good, but I'm a little nervous about brake bleeding, prefer it's done only once in a while.

 

Thanks a million dmphilli! Your process worked like a charm and saved me nearly $300. One would think after 6 years and 100k miles I'd read before getting elbow deep in things, but no, sometimes I don't. My brake fluid looked like dehydrated piss and the pedal was spongy so I went to town on it. I'm still laughing about the paperclip. Thanks again!