For the life of me, I'm unable to find a video that shows a Prius Gen 2 brake bleed with Techstream. Furthermore, when I search this forum for Techtream brake bleeding, I see multiple posts documenting failures. Can someone with knowledge of how the Techstream brake bleeding process works, please answer any of the following questions: After brake actuator replacement, when I connect the 12v, I'm assuming actuator pump will immediately run to build up pressure. Or will this only happen when the front door is opened? If the latter, is it a good strategy to avoid opening the front door until the brake bleed is initiated with Techstream? Or will leaving the front door open before connecting the 12V, not trigger the pump? What about bleeding (gravity?) before connecting the 12v - I saw a youtube video doing this and then after connecting the 12v, using a scantool afterwards. The goal was to get rid of a little air before using the scantool - I'm trying to avoid generating codes so is this a good option? The one Techstream video (not Prius) I found online, gives users the option to select which wheel to start with - if I am presented with the same options, what wheel sequence should I follow. Lastly, is it possible for one person to complete the bleed procedure with Techstream - I have a pedal depressor. Any help/advice is greatly appreciated!
I've not done a brake booster yet but my understanding is that you can bleed the brake lines without techstream and the 12v disconnected from the furthest wheel first by pumping with hose in a jar of brake fluid, or other similar methods. But when it comes to break booster pump replacement you need to use the testing and bleeding programs in Techstream. Have you tried a google search that looks this and read all these links:
Yeah, I just can't find good step by step instructions. I'm hoping someone here can outline the procedure and answer some of my questions. If I can't get clarification, I think I'll just risk the non-Techstream method. I've got one more question too - I removed the cowl and wipers/wiper motor assembly. Will a code be generated if I do not reconnect the wiper motors?
All you want to do right now is forget about all the funny business if you've replaced the actuator and that's already done if you were careful about how you connected your lines and you noticed how the fluid was backing up out of the fittings on the actuator but I don't know your setup and I don't know how you do it so there's always that usually you have the relays out already and you pump and bleed the fronts they're connected to the reservoir and all of that business You're pedal is actually stroking something. You get the fronts bled then you put the relays in someone sits in the car and you do the furthest one which would be the right rear first and have your buddy they don't have to pump up the brakes for the rear they can just step on them then you open the fitting watch your face the stuff's going to come roaring out of there when it does If it takes a second then close the fitting have your friend get off the pedal for a second listen for the brake pump to stop then have him stand on it again and you crack the fitting you'll see air bubbles and squirt noises and what have you close it again Wait for the thing to stop pumping have your friend stand on it again now you should see clear fluid coming out of the right rear fitting If so close it up do the left. At the car is on turn it off boot it back up and you should have some sort of a pedal. Now if you want to use tech to bleed the actuator connect tech up bring up the menu for the bleed skip skip skip skip skip skip until you get to the menu where it talks about this is going to bleed the actuator and you have to do 30 pumps and 30 seconds and a red line is going to go across the screen hit start and do that and then after that ends exit out of the business the bleed menu restart the car see if you have no lights and nothing going on If you do you may need to do the linear valve offset If you don't don't do anything except go for a drive
Tom, It's difficult to read your instructions but I think you're saying the following: 1: Connect the 12V. Remove the relays. Turn the car on? 2: With relays removed, pump the front brakes a few times with bleed valve open. 3: Replace the relays. Then with pedal depressed, open the passenger right rear bleed valve to bleed. Repeat this on the passenger left rear. I should see clear fluid exiting the bleed valves. Then turn the car off. 4: Turn the car on, connect Techstream, and go direct to the menu that references bleeding the actuator which requires 30 pumps/30 seconds. 5: Exit Techstream and restart the car. Perform linear offset if I get warning lights.
Also, as mentioned in my other post, I connected the front brake lines and left the top line loose. But when I added fluid, I didn't see anything come out of the top.
Tom, I read a thread where you said you purchased an AP200 Scanner. Can that scanner do a full brake bleed?
As far as I can tell when I bring up the menu in the AP200 connected to my generation 2 it brings up the exact same brake bleed menu that is displayed on my CF-13 toughbook from the Toyota dealer with the real tech software installed on it version 1817 I'll look I don't know exactly what I have It's about 3 years old now the version of tech that I have and when I bleed the front brakes it generally doesn't matter if I have the relays in or out I usually have them out only because I can go to do the backs without having to now stand up and take the relays out or put the relays back in rather to do the backs with the relays in the backs work but we're not messing back there yet so it doesn't really matter so I bleed the fronts manually The relays could be in or out mine are usually out I do believe and usually I'm not having somebody stand up there and pump on the brakes while I open the fitting and then they redo all this over and over I'm really lazy I cracked the fitting the farthest away from the front steering wheel in the front which be the right side and I lay there with a bowl or a mason jar underneath zerk fitting. I see a drip start dropping in the mason jar dink dink dink dink and then I just lay there and watch that and then sometimes you'll see air coming out of that fitting and it'll blow up like somebody blowing a bubble gum bubble then it'll pop and the drips will continue ding dink dank. When the bubble gum stops popping and the dinking is consistent and the same space apart 4 to 8 minutes is gone by. I closed the fitting and roll over to the left side front and repeat the process now the fronts are pretty much good to go The relays need to go in so the pump can work to push fluid through the rears or it makes the fluid move quickly through the rears then you need your friend sitting in the car because the rears won't drip bleed like that they need the pump to push the fluid through the fitting and almost hit you in the face.
When I'm installing the brake actuator I take three little clamps like you buy at home Depot little tiny clamps and I squeeze off the three feeds coming out of the back of the reservoir bottle for the brake fluid if I'm changing the brake fluid at this time I've left the brake fluid run out of the reservoir maybe taking the reservoir off the car cleaned it all of that stuff then put it back on the car put the feed hoses back on put the clamps on each one of the output hoses that go to the three pieces that the brake fluid goes to fill it with new Dot 4 fluid then I install the brake actuator itself run all the ferules on to the new or replacement actuator finger tight All of them then I release the clamp that goes from the reservoir to the metal hose on the firewall out to the rubber hose directly to the side of the actuator now if I crack the bottom fitting on the actuator the first fitting and I wait I'll see fluid and the bubble or two start to run out of the back of that fitting. Then I close that one go up to the next one watch and wait for the same event close that one on up on up on up then the very top one I crack it and I see fluid just forming on top of the flat part of the actuator some is coming out I don't see any bubbles I close that up now I do the fronts like we talked about a minute ago put the relays in have my buddy sit in the car go bleed the backs. Usually after these antics I have a brake pedal and no noise even if the replacement actuator is bad from the other car I still have stopping and if the fluid pressure goes down enough the beep will come even while I'm driving the car The beep will come and then it'll go away when the pressure builds up but the car is stopping regardless whether it has a little bit longer stopping distance or not well that's irrelevant The car still stops very well actually I have not run through any stop signs or finally stopped in the middle of an intersection or none of that and we've tried.
To be honest I never have the 12 volt disconnected doing this never and I have not had the 12 volt rundown while I'm bleeding the brakes either I don't have any cars with old ancient batteries that you can't leave the lights on for longer than 3 seconds or any of that of the cars dead. Generally I have the The brakes bled in about 12 minutes It's usually that quick It's not a big problem doesn't really tax the battery at all I never disconnected it.
Successful bleed! Here's what I did: 1: Without connecting the 12V, I performed a manual brake bleed - got some air/fluid out of the front. 2: I then connected the 12V and attached a battery charger to the terminals up front. 3: With brake pedal depressed, I opened closed bleeder valves, making sure reservoir level was always topped up. Got rid of quite a bit of air. 4: Replaced the orange hybrid plug 5: Opened Techstream - had a bunch of codes. 6: Started the brake bleed procedure (actuator replacement option) which failed at the 30 pumps/30 seconds step. 7: Cleared the codes which I had not done previously. 8: Followed the Techstream prompts and everything seems to be working. I'll take her out for a longer drive later today.
Pretty much there you go I don't usually have the hybrid battery plug out and usually I don't even undo the 12 volt I just keep the remote 20 ft away from the car so nothing squeezes up or goes crazy matter of fact just finish doing one right now I got to go out and bleed the brakes and I'm going to use the AP200 today to bleed the brakes
I used the Autel MaxiAP to bleed the brakes. The fronts doesn't require a scan tool to bleed, it's just ordinary/manual bleeding procedure. It's the rear brakes that requires the bleeding procedure using scan tool. The scan tool has options to bleed the front, rear or all. If it's all then it will instruct you to remove the ABS relays when bleeding the front and instruct you to put it back when bleeding the rears. There's no need to disconnect 12v or orange plug. It's really an easy process..just messy with brake fluid shooting around. It's better to just do the rears using the scan tool and manually do the front.
