Air in brake lines after flush

So I screwed up a bit. I had the rear wheels off for shock replacements and figured it was a good time to also do a flush of my brake fluid since I have never done that on this truck. I got a bottle and some line and started pumping the brakes. When I started doing the second one I managed to pump all of the fluid out so that my brake pedal got VERY soft. I put in more fluid and kept pumping until it felt stiffer. I kept bleeding for a while and went on a test drive. not much braking power at all! I got home and bled all the brakes (including fronts) to 20 pumps of the pedal. I went for another drive and things are a lot better, but not as firm as it was before I started. There must still be air in the system somewhere. What else can I do?

 

You most likely have air in the ABS unit, you're going to need a shop to bleed it via scantool.

 

There are DIY scan tools that now are capable of doing this. The Xtool line has several offerings, some that come with monitors and some that you use with your phone or tablet. I went with the latter because it was cheaper and has lifetime updates. I use it with an iPad Mini and can confirm that this one definitely will cycle the Tacoma ABS, at least in my 2009 Sport V6. It will prompt you through the whole bleeding process and tell you when to cycle the ABS... then you have to bleed again, etc.

I came across this from watching the Toyota tech "carcarenut" on youtube. In the lower link he covers all these options.

$169 Wireless OBD2 Scanner for Android & iPhone, XTOOL Anyscan A30M 2024 Newest Bidirectional Scan Tool with Free Updates, All System Diagnostics, 21 Resets, ABS Bleed, Oil Reset, Upgraded Ver. of A30

Amazon.com: XTOOL Anyscan A30M Wireless OBD2 Scanner for Android & iOS(2022 Newest), Bi-Directional Scan Tool with All Systems Diagnostics, 21 Services, ABS Bleeding, Injector Coding, Upgrade Ver. of A30, A30D : Automotive

THIS is the ULTIMATE Scan Tool's better version but is it BETTER? D8 Review - YouTube

 

Great info

 

I had been looking for a tool to do this for a long time and all the Autel ads said they did ABS but in the fine print they said to contact them to see if it works for "your vehicle". And when I did they said sorry, no it won't work. So, I was skeptical, and asked these Xtool guys to be sure. And it really does work. IMO, that Toyota tech carcarenut is worth following on youtube. He posts some good tips for a lot of Toyota repairs. He was spot on about these scan tools.

 

I am sure I will get a scan tool like that at some point, but right now I am hesitant with the price tag. I just re did my all my shocks along with upper control arms and lower ball joints. I have heard about driving and slamming on the brakes so that ABS kicks in as a way to dislodge the bubbles and then bleeding the brakes again. Any thoughts on this technique?

 

That's how I used to do it but it is difficult. You really need a wet, gravel, or better yet snowy surface. And even then it is hard to know if the ABS circuits for all wheels were activated. I believe it would be especially hard to get any wheels that might have air in the lines to lock up, which you need to do to get ABS to activate for that wheel. The price tag for A30M is only about $220. Cheaper than going to a shop.

 

I am also finding info on bleeding my master cylinder. Is that a concern as well?

 

Not sure what you mean... are you talking about bench bleeding? Only need to do that with a new one or maybe if yours has been taken out of the system and the internals were drained somehow.

 

Yes, that is what I mean, and I am glad to hear that it is not needed.

 

I just ordered the scan tool, I will keep you updated on my results.

 

Sounds good. I don't have a lot of practice with mine yet but I might be able to get you past any easy initial snags. Mine dropped bluetooth once, had to unplug it and restart the app. And to get the thing set up for ABS the "auto detect" didn't work, I had to enter my vehicle manually from menus. No big deal. You have to know whether you have the vacuum brake booster or hydraulic brake booster. That is pretty obvious from looking at it.

 

Is there a thread for flushing brakes? I aim to get my new SS lines installed Tomorow.

 

You would use a motive power bleeder set up to use a

$74 power probe ba10 small adapter for toyota

power probe ba10 attachment.

or do the “pedal method” as some do if you want issues

 

There’s a couple ways that might work. One I’ve never tried, if you slightly depress the pedal, supposedly the fluid won’t flow out and empty. I’m guessing the caliper side of the line attaches with a banjo bolt. Maybe there’s a way to block the banjo to keep fluid from flowing out after the bolt is removed. Then once you remove the flare nut end, they do make tiny plugs to shove in the hole you can get.

A common issue, sometimes the line was over tightened which causes mushrooming. So then the new line won’t go on. I’ve heard of others cutting some of the pipe and adding a little extension on. When I did mine years ago on a car, I went at it with a little jewelers file. It took a really long time and plenty of patience to get it perfectly shaped. File the diameter down to a perfect circle, test fit, too big. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, now it goes in. Now file it to a perfect sphere shape exactly like the old line. Install and cross fingers hoping it doesn’t leak. I got lucky and had no leaks. The result was a definitely firmer pedal feel. Good luck.

 

Ok, so I got the xtool today, and I am already regretting the purchase. I went to bleed the ABS and it sent to "air bleeding" I followed the onscreen instructions as best as possible: basically I bled the brakes until no air, got to the "inhalation purging" or whatever it is called exactly, and when I would activate it a stream of fluid would come out of the bleeder that was open. Hmm, ok, did not know that the truck could do that itself. Then onto the next stage, not sure what it was called. Basically: crack bleeder, press pedal, press button on phone, and wait 4 sec. Close bleeder and let go of brake. Ok, no real air to speak of in the whole process. I then give it a go and there is NO braking response until pedal is almost to the floor, and then it is slight. I went over and over with this, and at times I was able to get air out of the system with both automated features, but I am wondering if they have somehow introduced air into the system or messed up some valves. HELP!

 

I received my Motive power bleeder today. Ba10 attachment is on its way. Looks like my rear drum drivers side brake cylinder is leaking. Sucks cause everyone at after work in Lake Placid was heading out wheeling. We are working for a large publishing family (Think college bookstore). I think they have over 1000 acres. I need to get this done. Then bippity boppity wheeling on private property.

 

Ok, whew. So here is what I did. I found that many people were using techstream to bleed, and since I have a version on my laptop I gave it a try. The process is the same down to the exact wording of each step. Almost like Xtool got the phrasing from somewhere... There were a few times I was running the program where it said "Failed, do you want to try again?" Xtool did not have this. I went through it all, and bled a bit afterwards. I did not do a SUPER thorough job since it is late and I have work in the morning. Result? Much firmer pedal feel. Basically what it was before I did the stuff with the scanner. When I step on the brakes and am moving they still feel a bit "mushy" but at least the truck stops now! The pedal is rock solid if the ignition is on but engine off. I presume this means that there is now no air in the ABS unit? The slightly mushy feeling makes me think that there is still air in the lines, but I will wait to deal with that until a have a helper to do the brakes while I turn the bleeders. And baby will that master cylinder be full the whole time!

 

I also may bleed the MC for good measure. Some say I need to, some say I don't. My only real question is this: would disconnecting the brake lines to do this introduce air to the system upstream of the ABS and cause issues again?

 

Another way to cycle ABS is by using ABS.
Such as braking over loose gravel making it kick in

please let us know what you come up with to link/attach the Motive + BA10 together.
When I borrowed a co-workers he had I believe air line fitting couplers attaching it with an O-ring seal inside.

I've used my BA10 with success many times but always hooked up to a different tool with fitting.
Just picked up a Motive again; had one a while ago for a different car that came with reservoir adapter.
Which is why I like it. It worked. Much better than making your own from a garden sprayer.
The principle of a pressure bleeder is the same between all of them.
Only difference is some can cost more if they have the convenience of not needing hand pumps. Such as electric or pneumatic.