Brake fluid change

[Zeno]

New to the forum. I am a Volvo man (apparently they are an old persons car !!!!) so have purchased for my son a 2004 Twist 1.2 12v petrol 72,000mls, one owner.

Just one of the jobs is changing the brake fluid, it looks black in the reservoir
Planning to use an easy bleed. Question If I can free the bleed nippples, is their any specific sequence of going round the car

It has a full service history up to 2016, and needs new front discs, engine oil and filter change, gearbox oil change (I believe it should be done at 50,000mls), sparkplugs, air filter, pollen filter and investigate binding rear NS drum brake (probably a cylinder) so that's August gone !!

[RUM4MO]

Gearbox oil changing, if it is a manual gearbox, which I'd expect it to be, then I've never ever changed gearbox oil, VW will have meant it to be able to survive the life of that gearbox - or car.

Brake bleeding order, VW will say front right > front left > rear right > rear left, but I have always started at the longest pipe and worked to the shortest, my logic being that it must be better to replace the fluid in the reservoir and longest lines first before doing the shorter lines, that has always worked for me. VW state 0.3Litre from each of the rears and 0.2Litre from each of the fronts - same figures that Audi uses for the B8 S4, so I tend to pass a bit more than that from each of the rear brakes.

So far, replacing fluid after 3 years and every 2 years after that has allowed me to get all the valves opened okay, even with rear drums, what I do tend to do is, replace at least the front valves when they have corroded down one spanner size!

[Zeno]

Gearbox oil changing, if it is a manual gearbox, which I'd expect it to be, then I've never ever changed gearbox oil, VW will have meant it to be able to survive the life of that gearbox - or car.

Brake bleeding order, VW will say front right > front left > rear right > rear left, but I have always started at the longest pipe and worked to the shortest, my logic being that it must be better to replace the fluid in the reservoir and longest lines first before doing the shorter lines, that has always worked for me. VW state 0.3Litre from each of the rears and 0.2Litre from each of the fronts - same figures that Audi uses for the B8 S4, so I tend to pass a bit more than that from each of the rear brakes.

So far, replacing fluid after 3 years and every 2 years after that has allowed me to get all the valves opened okay, even with rear drums, what I do tend to do is, replace at least the front valves when they have corroded down one spanner size!

Thank you, that saves me doing the manual gearbox oil change . Re bleeding, VW's advice on sequence is the same as Volvo but like you I too always start from the back.

[RUM4MO]

Another member on this forum was talking about changing brake fluid, and he had bought the more expensive version of brake bleeder from Gunsons, stock number 5642, and in the instruction for that one, it mentions "it always is good practise to apply copper grease to the bleed valve threads to avoid them seizing up - I've never done that, but might start doing that or wrapping the threads of new valves with pipe tape - though I'd need to make sure that none of the tape broke up with slackening/tightening these valves in the future, maybe I'll just try copper grease to stop the corrosion on the top of the threads.

I'm onto my third easybleeder now, they start leaking too much after a few years, I could have bought a new set of seals which I think Gunsons do sell - maybe something I should buy soon. I tend to look after three cars, but I can't ever see me buying one of these more expensive bleeder, though the ease with which that one can be separated from the reservoir cap and swivelled does appeal. My easybleeder kit is also now self contained as I have adapted a garden sprayer, bought in an end of season sale, to provide the pressure and extended the air line up to the new fluid tank so that I can leave the garden sprayer sitting on the garage floor.

[Zeno]

All went well with the Eezibleed, no blow outs of fluid over the engine. The old fluid in the master reservoir was green, orange out of o/s rear (rust somewhere), green out of the other 3 pistons. One front caliper renewed when all attempts to persuade the nipple to come out failed, that included hammed on hex rings down to 5mm, shocking in all directions with small hammer, soaking with Plusgas for 3 days, mole grips and then finally 18" stilsons, when it broke off
Discovered both o/s rear shoes cracked across center rivets currently fighting with shoe springs

[Zeno]

Yes green ! Suspect this is something to do with a water and alloy reaction

[RUM4MO]

Is that not just dirty yellow fluid with moisture in it?

Sounds like there could be mileage in wrapping the final section of thread in pipe tape to halt that rusting in, I replace the fluid every 2 years and the nipples when the hex end was "gone down a size"!

Try p/n 6N0 609 589 Glide Piece for these white pads.

Ah well, nothing around it seems, that should be the part to ask for at VW dealership, so phoning it in and paying over the phone should save you one journey?

[Zeno]

Thank you for the part number.

[RUM4MO]

I've spotted the cracked friction material on rear brake shoes in the past, maybe on 6K Ibiza early 2002 model, so previous platform to your Polo, and replaced the shoes.