BenT07891

Hey guys, new member here. So I decided to replace my brake fluid and clean my brakes today. I followed Hayne's manual, but only bled the front two brakes. I simply had my brother depress the brake pedal while I unscrewed the bleeder screw, then rescrewed it, then had him release the pedal. Then I repeated that a few times for both front brakes. On the rear brakes, I couldn't get the bleeder screw off because it was stripped and rusted. So I decided it might be ok if I skipped bleeding the rear. I topped off the brake fluid resevoir with new brake fluid. But now the pedals depress very easily, and they are very weak in slowing the car. Help please.

MelJ

There's still dirty fluid and most likely air in the system. How often did you check the reservoir during the bleed process? Only bleeding the front 2 seems like a half *** job IMO. I'd blast that rusty screw with some PB blaster and let it soak for maybe 30 minutes or half an hour. Tap it with a soft hammer, and see if you can get it to budge. I know you said it's stripped, but you might be able to get it loose. If so, tighten and loosen it to break free any rust keeping it stuck.

BenT07891

Is the bleeder screw, on the rear brakes, the same bolt that the little rubber cap is attached to, or is it the thing right below it?

BenT07891

If someone can post a pic locating the front and rear bleeder screws that would be extremely helpful.

MelJ

They look like hexagon nipples. They stick off the calipers. You can't miss them. And yes. The piece covered by the little black cap is the screw.
Generic picture, but the design and location is essentially the same

pjb3

I agree that you have air in the system. The two possible ways this could have happened is by letting the master cylinder run out of fluid or leaving the bleeder valve open too long. If I am flushing the brake system I usually start by using a turkey baster to suck as much fluid out of the master cylinder as possible and filling with clean fluid. While bleeding the brakes I don't let the fluid level in the master cylinder drop below a half or quarter. At each wheel attach a hose and place in a container with a little brake fluid. I usually don't open the bleeder valve more than a quarter turn and I open it when the person starts pushing down on the brake pedal and close it before they hit the bottom. The idea is that all the while the bleeder is open there is pressure in the system pushing the fluid out. If the bleeder is still open when the pedal starts to be released it can pull air from around the threads of the bleeder valve.
If I am flushing the system I usually use at least a quart of fluid. You should be able to get the brakes working again by just bleeding the front but to do the job correctly you need to bleed all four wheels. I agree about using PB blaster or another penetrating oil (not WD 40) to loosen the back bleeder valves. If they are really bad I would give them a shot of penetrating oil each day and try after a week.
One last thing to be aware of, brake fluid is bad for paint. If you spill fluid or get it on a painted surface, wipe it off. If you think you might have spilled but aren't sure it's a good idea to flush with water when you are done. The brake fluid will not harm the paint immediately but you don't want to leave it on there.