2006 Dodge Grand Caravan v6 3.8L

32oz dot 3 brake fluid
Long funnel to reach Master cylinder
some 1/4" interior diameter plastic tubing, 1-2 feet
3/8" box end wrench
empty plastic bottle
turkey baster or I used my homemade suction pump
rags

bleeding order for My vehicle is Drivers rear, Passenger Front, Passenger Rear, and Drivers Front, Per Tizzy1

this method does not touch the brake pedal at all, is slow but works and low risk, brake fluid can take paint off so be careful

step 1. drain most of the fluid from master cylinder using turkey baster or pump
refill to top, then drain again and refill to help clean master cylinder fluid, can repeat again if fluid is very dark, end with the master cylinder filled to the top and cap on, I had to add some plastic tubing to the bottom of my funnel because the location of the Master cylinder would not allow my funnel to sit and be filled with out a risk of spilling

step 2 I found it easier to remove the rear tires to access the bleeder valves, the front tires I could access by turning the wheel all the way to the side I was working on,
wipe off around rubber cover, then pull to remove, get your 3/8" box end wrench and try to loosen it 1/4 turn, Make sure you are turning it the right way, if it doesn't move try some Pb blaster and let sit a few mins, once you know you can open it, then turn it closed but not tight, attach your plastic tubbing to your valve, place a rag under the valve, then using either your finger or a pair of pliers loosen the bleeder valve 1/4 to 1/2 turn, and fluid will slowly start to drip out, you may have to open the cap of the master cylinder and put it back on or leave it off, mine worked with the cap on, but every now and then I had to pull the cap off, and keep an eye on the master cylinder so it doesn't run out of fluid

step 3, once the color changes to the new fluid, you will then turn the valve closed and pull off your tubbing, and go to the next wheel, I let my first valve bleed for about 1hr, didn't need to do it that long, but my fluid was not that dirty so it was hard to tell when it changed color, they do sell some Blue and red brake fluid, may be a better choice

total time to do all 4 wheels and rotated tires was 2hrs,

Note, after done, pump the brake pedal several times to build up pressure

refillingmasterclyinder.jpg?t=1269647389
refilling the Master cylinder after draining
rearbrakesbleedervalvewithcoveron2.jpg?t=1269647389
bleed valve with rubber cover on
rearbrakesbleedervalvewithcoveron.jpg?t=1269647391
bleed valve with rubber cover on
rubbercover.jpg?t=1269647397
rubber bleed valve cover, Don't lose it
rearbrakesbleedvalverubbercoverremo.jpg?t=1269647423
bleed valve with rubber cover removed
rearbrakesgravitybleedingonly.jpg?t=1269647429
plastic tubbing with rag under it in case of drips, going into a jug, or in my case my homemade suction pump that I hook up to a shop vac to suck fluid out, example the master cylinder
fontbrakesoldfluiddraining.jpg?t=1269647433
old fluid in from front wheels, don't have to remove the tires on the front

 

Good job. Do you mind if i move this to the DIY section?

 

nope feel free too

 

Looks like you had fun, nice job

 

recommend like doing it like every 40km. they recommen dot3 but can use dot 4 think dot4 a better brake fluid?

 

Dot 4 is synthetic, you don't want to mix the two. If it has 3, use 3.

 

yup, wasn't hard, took some time but was able to do other things while it drained, and there is very little risk at getting the Master cylinder to run out of fluid at the speed it goes,

i even had my 2 1/2 year old son helping be rotate the tires, he would sit there and hand me the lug nuts, but mainly he just hit some wrenches together

 

Sry posted in wrong thread

 

Horror! How much time did not change the brake fluid in this car? It is dangerous to drive with a liquid!

 

Sorry for such a lengthy post but details will explain why.

I'm in the middle of replacing my master cylinder ('03 GCV 3.3L ABS). I should be done but crushed MC end of a brake line. Got replacement line yesterday at a pull-a-part yard.

Ready to finish connecting brake lines and flushing/bleeding the system.

Here's my dilemna. I've seen at least two variations on the order of bleeding the brakes. (In pre-ABS days I always went RR, LR, RF, LF i.e. start at furthest point from MC and work forward) Now I understand it's necessary to do both segments of Primary and Secondary circuits.

Question 1. On my GCV, which MC reservoir chamber is Primary, which secondary?

Question 2. Is the bleeding order LR, RF, RR, LF? or should I start with RR (furthest away from MC) LF, LR, RF?

Question 3. Does the sequence vary according to year, make, model?

In the thread started by Trophyslayer he states: "bleeding order for My vehicle is Drivers rear, Passenger Front, Passenger Rear, and Drivers Front, Per Tizzy1" or LR, RF, RR, LF for his '06 GCV.

EBSCO Host Auto Repair Reference Center recommends starting at RR and proceeding LF, LR, LF for NON ABS systems, but for ABS systems indicates using this same procedure unless 'proper brake pedal height and firmness is not achieved using manual procedure'. Then they describe the procedure using a scan tool.

They also describe using and assistant to pump pedal rather than gravity bleeding.

I have been taking my time with this because I hope to avoid buying a scan tool for ABS or taking it to a repair shop just to have brakes bled.

Autozone says start with LR...end at LF I guess I'll go with that order.