Flush your lines!

So i just got a 97 VFR, me being a stickler for preventative maintenance i decided to start by flushing all the hydraulic lines (clutch, Brakes) and then change the clutch and chain/sprockets. I started with the front brakes, got the GF to help me and just as i suspected there was lots of brown thick residue in the reservoir but just on the walls, the fluid itself was kinda clear. One of the bleed nipples was clogged so i removed it and ran a wire through it. Next i did the rear, the reservoir was clean and the fluid was clear....so i flushed it anyways, again i had to clean the nipple. And then the clutch...OMFG all the so called fluid in the reservoir was actually brown mud (sludge) no wonder the clutch didn't seem to full disengage from the engine (duh!) so i cleaned all the sludge out and pumped 3/4 of a bottle of Honda DOT through the system, works like brand new now. moral of the story FLUSH YOUR LINES! lol i cant believe how many people dint do this regularly.

 

I need to flush my clutch and brakes.... im a little intimidated though. I know how much of a PITA it is to flush a mountainbikes hydraulic brake lines, one little air bubble and your brakes work like hell. I am afraid these will be the same!
Any words of wisdom here? I am an engineer and a pretty good mechanic, is this something with a difficulty of 5 on the 1-10 scale or are we talking an 8. (anything more than 7 and the dealership is doing it!).

 

Get yourself a MityVac and it's not too bad. If you haven't bled/flushed brakes before do a bit of searching - there are a couple of good howto's on this site. On a scale from 1 to 10, one being adjusting your chain and 10 being rebuilding your motor, I'd rate the brakes as a 3 or 4...

 

Welcome to the club, mofoco!

NeverlosT, as long as everything stays "wet", it is pretty straightforward. It gets problematic when air is allowed to enter the lines, because air bubbles like to migrate to high places like the banjo bolts, and they can be a minor pain to extricate.

The issue you will have is all of the brake lines are supposed to be bled in a particular sequence on the linked brakes, and there are multiple bleeders to deal with. The manual also mentions removing the rear caliper and remounting it it a slightly rotated fashion... None of it is difficult, just complex for a normal maintenance job. I haven't had to do it yet (still new/low miles), but I have to say I am not looking forward to it due to the pain-in-the-ass factor. Again, it is not difficult; just a bit tedious.

Oh, if you do stay on top of it and replace fluids at least every three to five years, depending on use, the systems stay in good shape, work well, and never really need much repair. If the fluid gets old enough to where it starts to discolor badly, that's when it can get to the point of having to disassemble calipers to clean the sludge out.

 

Learning how to flush the hydrolics, flush the radiator, and change brake pads are on my list of things I want to learn. What model mityvac do your recommend RustBucket?

 

Seems all u need is a twosix of jagermeister some red bull pack of smokes a clean clear beer bottle some plastic line a wrench a buddy to help and about an hour to do all the lines ...im a bumbling idiot and my brakes and clutch are working like a charm now. But the dealer is your safest plan.

 

I have the 'MV6820 Brake Bleeding Kit' - they make a bunch of different kits to fit different price points, but the most basic is all you need if you don't plan to use it for anything else. I think I paid $30 or so for the kit. It works nicely on car brakes and hydraulic clutches too, if you wrench on your own car.

With the kit bleeding or flushing brake is dead easy. I'm usually flushing, so the procedure is:
1.) Take the cover off the master cylinder, use Mityvac to suck out almost all the old fluid - leave just enough that the hole in the bottom is still submerged. If there's gunk in the MC you may need to syphon it completely. That's okay - starting with it dry is the same procedure, it just takes a bit longer
2.) Use whatever adapter works to hook up the Mityvac to the first bleed screw (see manual or howto's on this site for the order).
3.) Top up the master cylinder with fresh fluid
4.) Pump up the Mityvac to get a good vaccum, crack the bleed screw open. It should start filling with old, nasty fluid. Keep pumping it up to keep constant pressure. Top up the master cylinder as necesssary. Gently pumping the lever will speed things up a bit.
5.) When the fluid coming out the bleed screw is fresh instead of old, close it and move on to the next one. Pump the lever to make sure it's firm after each step.
6.) Repeat for all bleed points.

The trick is keeping the MC topped up and constant vacuum on the Mityvac. It's actually easier to do than describe. If things start going wrong just close the bleed screw you're working on and fix whatever the problem is - there's no rush.

 

as an ancient greek philosopher said : "all flows...life is a flush" i think that this is the right Philosophy to mantain our beloved VFR !
lamps to all vfr owners.
carmine

 

Thanks, Rustbucket (your name does not instill confidence :smile, will the same mityvac work for the clutch. As MelloDude said, I'm not ready to do this on my '07, but it is something I would like to learn to do.

 

Here's my set up (on an old bike of mine):

A pickle jar and some clear tubing

Bleeding is pretty easy. Lucky we don't have linked brakes here!

 

I must admit--as an aside--I can't believe how many spotless garage floors I have seen on this site! Mine looks like my soul (sigh).

 

Hehehehe - the screen name is left over from when I was into VW's and drove a succession of stripped down fast cars that were genuine junkers. I used to say that rust == weight reduction. My bikes stay unrusty, although I my preference is still riding > wrenching > washing! :tongue:

Yup - the bleed valve is the same as for the brakes. :smile: