Took calipers off to get powder coated...do I need to bleed my brakes?

[Norm Peterson]

SRF is probably overkill unless you're going to start taking your car to HPDE road course sessions. Something like ATE 200 has a much friendlier price, and the 3 year life they claim it's good for is probably all you should expect from any brake fluid.

I've had satisfactory experience with off-the-shelf Castrol and Valvoline DOT4 brake fluids in cars that were not tracked (meaning road course), though none were quite as heavy as a 5th gen Camaro SS. I don't keep the old containers, so I can't give you any more information than that.


I hope no air has found its way into the ABS unit after this length of time with the lines essentially open.


Norm

[Gavros 4 Life]

Originally Posted by Norm Peterson

SRF is probably overkill unless you're going to start taking your car to HPDE road course sessions. Something like ATE 200 has a much friendlier price, and the 3 year life they claim it's good for is probably all you should expect from any brake fluid.

I've had satisfactory experience with off-the-shelf Castrol and Valvoline DOT4 brake fluids in cars that were not tracked (meaning road course), though none were quite as heavy as a 5th gen Camaro SS. I don't keep the old containers, so I can't give you any more information than that.


I hope no air has found its way into the ABS unit after this length of time with the lines essentially open.


Norm

Well the calipers have been off the car since Wednesday of last week and I am supposed to get them back this Wednesday.....how would I deal with air getting into the ASB if it did at all? And furthermore how would I know ?

[Norm Peterson]

Bleeding the ABS typically involves the use of a more advanced scan tool than you're likely to find at the local Pep Boys, probably something along the lines of GM's own Tech II. I don't know how you'd know there was air in the ABS unless you get a sinking pedal under braking that invokes ABS operation or other unexpected behavior.

Bleeding lines and calipers isn't difficult, at least not with two people (one to work the brake pedal, the other to open and close the bleed valves on the calipers so that fluid and air can be pushed out but no air sucked back in when the pedal is released for the next push). You will need to verify the correct sequence.


Norm

[SSMickey]

Originally Posted by Gavros 4 Life

Well the calipers have been off the car since Wednesday of last week and I am supposed to get them back this Wednesday.....how would I deal with air getting into the ASB if it did at all? And furthermore how would I know ?

If the master cylinder has run dry, most likely the ABS will have air in it. If you did a good job of sealing the open brake lines and the master cylinder has not been allowed to get empty, it's very unlikely the ABS module has air in it. Once you get everything back together, go find a straight and lonely road and activate the ABS. If the pedal sinks and/or feels spongy, you have air in the ABS and it will require an advanced scan tool to bleed it out.

[Gavros 4 Life]

Thank you camaro 5! All was a success!