Brake Bleed

[greenlightracer]

I'm redoing my brakes, front and rear rotors and pads, lines and fluid. I don't think I can replace the brake lines by myself, so I"m going to take it to a mechanic. I was wondering if I should just let him do the brakes while he is at it or should I do it myself? Is there a paticular order I should take?

[mdaitc]

what makes you want to change the lines? if they ain't leaking, don't change them? My 84 318i still has good lines (apart from when you drill thru them adding a floorboard in...). Ironically, the brake and fuel lines were fine, just the floorboard was rusty under the drivers feet, so i had to change that, and drilled thru a fuel line when rivetting.... sigh.

[greenlightracer]

nothing is wrong with them, I"m just upgrading to stainless steel lines,

[MrM3]

the rear lines can be tricky. i decided to get SS lines when i did my brakes just for the heck of it and found one of my passenger rear lines was comlpetely clogged. i couldnt really tell that much of a difference with SS lines, but i was glad to get the clogged line out as it couldve seized that pass. rear brake.

[schneider252]

while were at it can anyone explain the basic components for the brakes and what not? What is bleeding the brakes, roters, catipillers, sizes of brakes. I know nothing about this stuff.

[greenlightracer]

rotors are the disc it self. calipers are those things on the edges of the disc that "grab" the disc, and the brake pads ae in there, they get squeezed against the rotor to make your car stop. the brake lines are hydraulic lines that provide the pressure needed for the calipers to squeeze when u depress the brake pedel. the lines go back to the "master cylinder" which (correct me if I'm wrong) goes behind the brake pedel, and when u press the brake pedel it moves a cylinder which compresses the hydraulic fluid in the lines, which squeezes the calipers. Bleeding the brakes would be like getting the fluid out and changing it.