How do you bleed the brakes of a 98 Ford Escort?

G

gary t

New member
I have a 98 Ford Escort SE 4-Door. Just this morning my father and I replaced the rear drum brakes, and after we put everything back together and tried the brake pedal we found that it sank to the floor. While replacing the brakes on the left rear side we ran into some problems and long story short the wheel cylinder burst. A good bit of brake fluid was lost-the fluid remaining in the reservoir was well below the fill line. We put the cylinder back together and replaced the brake fluid. There is no further leakage, but the brake pedal still depresses entirely to the floor. Our experience ends at the brakes. We know nothing about the wheel cylinder, or any other components of the brake system. We suspect that there may be air in the system, hence we want to bleed it. So my question is, can anyone tell me the proper way of bleeding the brake system on this car? Also, I've bought a new set of wheel cylinders, because we don't know if the cylinder that burst can be left as it is even though there is no leakage. Should it be replaced?

I also have one other question. The whole reason for replacing the rear brakes to begin with was because we heard a noise best described as a metal-to-metal "grinding" type of sound, such as you would hear when your brakes need replacing. It can be heard while the vehicle is in motion, but is far more noticeable when the brakes are applied. However, the brakes we replaced looked brand new, certainly not in need of replacement. We're not very confident that these new brakes are going to alleviate the noise. Any ideas what could be making this noise?

Thanks for your help!
We've done many brake jobs on past cars, so we felt we could handle this one. And money's tight right now, so we also did it ourselves to save some money.

As for whether we're sure the sound is coming from the back..yes, we're both fairly sure that's where its coming from.
 
There should be a bleeder screw on each cylinder. I am assuming that someone pushed the brake pedal when the shoes were either not on or the drum was not on. If you do that then the cylinder will Pop apart because there is no limit to the stroke. Usually the brake shoes will stop the cylinder when the touch the drum. Don't worry...lots of people have made that messy mistake. If you got brake fluid on the new shoe, best replace it. Use a brake cleaner spray to clean the mess off the backplate etc. When you put the piston back into the cylinder and the boot cover back on...the fill the master cylindar full... put the shoes on then the drum over the shoes... have someone push the brake pedal down. Open the bleeder nozzle that is located ON the wheel cylinder you worked on. Important: Make sure you use a 6 point socket or box end wrench or you may damage the bleeder valve becase it is small and the hex can be easily rounded over. When the brake pedal is to the floor, close the valve, and repeat until all the air is out. Should take a few times if it was empty. Tighten snug the bleeder port. You may have air in the other back cylinder too so best do both rear cylinders. Starting with the right rear then the left rear. Here is a photo of a bleeder screw:
http://images.marketplaceadvisor.channeladvisor.com/hi/62/61923/brake.caliper.bleeder.screw.jpg

Are you sure the noise is in the rear? Also
 
look at the new wheel cylinder and you'll see what looks like a grease fitting..that's the bleeder screw. you fill the master cylinder, have someone pump the brake pedal several times, then while holding down the pedal, you open the bleeder screw..let the air come out, close the screw , let the pedal up, and repeat until no more air comes out. do it to both rear wheels. yes put on 2 new wheel cylinders. you probably have a worn disc pad on the front wheels, look at both front brake rotors inside and out. good luck and if you're still not sure GO TO A PRO , it would have been cheaper. sorry but true.
 
look at the new wheel cylinder and you'll see what looks like a grease fitting..that's the bleeder screw. you fill the master cylinder, have someone pump the brake pedal several times, then while holding down the pedal, you open the bleeder screw..let the air come out, close the screw , let the pedal up, and repeat until no more air comes out. do it to both rear wheels. yes put on 2 new wheel cylinders. you probably have a worn disc pad on the front wheels, look at both front brake rotors inside and out. good luck and if you're still not sure GO TO A PRO , it would have been cheaper. sorry but true.
 
look at the new wheel cylinder and you'll see what looks like a grease fitting..that's the bleeder screw. you fill the master cylinder, have someone pump the brake pedal several times, then while holding down the pedal, you open the bleeder screw..let the air come out, close the screw , let the pedal up, and repeat until no more air comes out. do it to both rear wheels. yes put on 2 new wheel cylinders. you probably have a worn disc pad on the front wheels, look at both front brake rotors inside and out. good luck and if you're still not sure GO TO A PRO , it would have been cheaper. sorry but true.
 
look at the new wheel cylinder and you'll see what looks like a grease fitting..that's the bleeder screw. you fill the master cylinder, have someone pump the brake pedal several times, then while holding down the pedal, you open the bleeder screw..let the air come out, close the screw , let the pedal up, and repeat until no more air comes out. do it to both rear wheels. yes put on 2 new wheel cylinders. you probably have a worn disc pad on the front wheels, look at both front brake rotors inside and out. good luck and if you're still not sure GO TO A PRO , it would have been cheaper. sorry but true.
 
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