Brake Bleeding with ABS System
 

Hi there forum land,

I'm in a bit of a conundrum. I recently realized that I have gone 3 years now without replacing the brake fluid, quite a big no-no . In my research into bleeding brake lines to get old fluid out and put new in, I have come across several sources that are very vague about how to go about doing it with a brake system that has ABS :hithead: One clearly states that if you have ABS, you need to get it done by a professional. Others state that you might be able to do it yourself. So, I'm kind of lost.

I'm wondering that with my 8th-gen civic lx, can I still bleed the system myself? Or do I need to take a visit to my mechanic? Many thanks in advance!

(I searched through previous posts but I was unable to find anything)

Re: Brake Bleeding with ABS System
 

try searching harder. there are like 100 threads just on bleeding.

so now that i have said that, here is the answer:

General tip for bleeding all brakes is start at the farthest point from the master cylinder.

but to be honest, as long as you start with one of the rear wheels first, you should be fine.


so this is the general bleeding pattern: rear passenger, rear driver, front passenger, front driver.

bleed that cycle twice. by the second time, you should be completely clear of bubbles.

Re: Brake Bleeding with ABS System
 

According to Honda, you start by bleeding front driver side, front passenger side, rear passenger side and finally rear driver side.

Re: Brake Bleeding with ABS System
 

i just checked the ALLDATA program and it does say to bleed Front Right, Front Left, Rear Right, Rear Left as well.

yet, did u see which civic they specified it for? because the bleeding of the LX/DX/VP civics have NO abs. so bleeding like that would be permissible.

http://www.aa1car.com/library/abs_bleeding.htm

and many many other reliable sites tell you to bleed from furthest. but if u cycle the bleeding process twice, it shouldnt matter too much. the point is to just get air out and fresh fluid in.

Re: Brake Bleeding with ABS System
 

Mine has abs and that's how its supposed to be done.

Re: Brake Bleeding with ABS System
 

My civic has ABS and I started with the rear passanger first ;) I've had no issues.

Re: Brake Bleeding with ABS System
 

thewal is correct, thats what the honda manual states. abs shouldnt matter for bleeding unless you are replacing the unit. there are many methods of bleeding if you search around. the pretty much fool proof way is gravity bleeding which takes most of the day and is a slow process. and every 3 yrs is about the normal change time according to honda.