Ford Fiesta 2009 1.4 hatch. - Bleeding Fiesta brakes after fitting pads

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Mon 27 Jun 2016 00:33
Ford Fiesta 2009 1.4 hatch. - Bleeding Fiesta brakes after fitting pads - argybargy

Changing the front brake pads on my son's car today; its a 2009 Fiesta 1.4.

I've done this job before several times and can only imagine that I was distracted due to the fact that it was raining. Instead of removing only the caliper guide bolts on the first wheel I disconnected one caliper guide pin bolt and then unscrewed the brake hose union bolt instead of the second guide pin bolt. I sat there watching the fluid pouring out thinking it was rainwater, and it was at least a minute before I realised what I'd done. Needless to say, the pedal refused to be anything but spongy when I had finished.

I had no suitable rubber hose to hand to bleed the circuit, and being late on Sunday afternoon I couldn't get hold of a bleeding kit, so I'll have to buy one tomorrow.

Question is, with only having disturbed the union on the one wheel, will it be sufficient to bleed at that wheel only? I also changed the pads on the other side, but managed to disturb and refit only the correct bolts.

Cheers

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Mon 27 Jun 2016 08:28
Ford Fiesta 2009 1.4 hatch. - Bleeding Fiesta brakes after fitting pads - elekie&a/c doctor

It is worth a try bleeding one wheel,but if the master cylinder has been run empty,then you will need to bleed from scratch.Rear wheels first.If the brake fluid has not been changed for a while,then this may be a good time to do it.

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Mon 27 Jun 2016 19:18
Ford Fiesta 2009 1.4 hatch. - Bleeding Fiesta brakes after fitting pads - argybargy

Thanks for that. There was plenty of fluid left in the master cylinder, fortunately, and when I bled the brakes at the one wheel it was clear that I hadn't actually lost all that much yesterday.

I did find a clip on Youtube where one US contributor insisted that he never used new copper washers when refitting a brake union nut, but as Haynes recommends it I replaced them anyway.

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