So it’s come the time to break the pads on my car which is a Kia Rio. I’ve looked up a few things and the job seems doable by myself which saves a lot of money.
The only thing that I can’t seem to find a concrete answer is if they actually need to be bled once the new pads are installed?
Thank you
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You don’t normally have to bleed the brakes after changing pads.
You WILL have to pump the brakes a few times before you start to get pedal feeling back, because you’ll have pushed the pistons back in the calipers and they need to reset, so don’t drive off until it feels good.
No. If the brake line is not disconnected, no bleeding is needed.
And FYI you can rent brake spreaders from most auto parts stores which you need for the job.
And you can easily hurt yourself with crappy C clamps instead, but it does work 😅
This. You will need some way to push the caliper piston back. I’m not familiar with the way KIA does it (push back in or some sort of twist to push in) since different manufacturers do different things.
If it’s simple push piston back in, It will help to unscrew the cap from the brake reservoir to prevent pressure from undoing it. Make sure you don’t overflow the reservoir since brake fluid does nasty stuff to paint.
You only will need to bleed, if you open the system, e.g. to replace the cylinder.
When you only change the brake pads, you are pushing the pistons back and thus, should keep an eye on the reservoir tank near themotorengine so that the brake liquid doesn’t spill over.
However, every one or two years, you should also exchange the brake liquid. The liquid it is hygroscopic to avoid corosion in the system, but the water bounded by the liquid can create vapor bubbles if the liquid gets hot yielding to fading effectiveness of braking.A brake is a device to stop or slow a vehicle, and braking is what you do when you apply the brakes. Brake pads are what OP is talking about replacing.
Breaking something is separating it into pieces or interrupting a sequence of events, like taking a break from work.
Thanks. I must have had a blackout and blindly followed OPs spelling.
First of all, Learn to spell “Brake”.
No
Don’t forget to check the slide pins and maybe grease them
No you won’t need to bleed your brakes unless you happen to take off the calipers which you shouldn’t need to do.
It’s a very easy job that shouldn’t take you too long.
Your biggest worry is probably going to be stripping bolts if they’re a bit rusted. Can get some PB blaster and spray down all your bolts ahead of time so that they’ll come off easy.
Don’t forget to check out a break-in procedure after you have the new pads installed.
I don’t know Jack about Kias, but this is how I change my pads.
I use a large C clamp to compress the brake cylinder into the caliper, which releases the pressure on the existing pads and gives room for the new pads going on. I take it slow, and have never had issues using this method
For bound bolts/nuts I use a 50/50 mix of acetone and transmission fluid on any offending parts. I wait a few minutes for it to soak in, and voila! Don’t waste time with WD40, go straight to the good stuff
Since you haven’t opened anything within the brake fluid system, there’s no need to bleed. Except your knuckles. Wear gloves
To push the pistons of the rear brakes back, you probably need a special mechanical device that rotates the piston while simultaneously applying pressure to push it back.
My Transit van will probably be the first vehicle I don’t do my own brakes on. I’ve heard the rear brakes are a chore. Sounds like Kia rear brakes are similarly annoying
I only know from the Kia Picanto and Ford Focus, both about 20 years old. It isn’t overcomplicated and the “special” device isn’t that expensive, a set that will work on (almost) any car costs about 20 €.
*brake
If you’re only changing pads, there’s no need to bleed the system. Only time that needs to be done is when fixing a fluid leak or replacing a hydraulic component such as a caliper, hose, or master cylinder.
You should bleed the brakes, because brake fluid absorbs water over time and goes bad.
There are a few ways to do it by yourself, but the first step is making sure all 4 bleeders open and aren’t seized.
Edit: Brake fluid should be replaced every 2 years or 20,000 miles. Brake pads need replacement every 20,000 to 40,000 miles. Average driver in the US goes 14k miles a year. Bleed your brakes until the fluid is clear when you replace brakes, even if the caliper wasn’t replaced.
You don’t need to bleed brakes for a pad change. Change the fluid if it’s time to be changed, which also happens to be convenient to do while the wheels are off. Brake pad wear might coincide with fluid change timing, but not always.
Then, you should not only bleed, but actually replace the brake fluid, i.e. keep bleeding it until the fresh brake fluid, you have been filling into the reservoir, comes out of each bleeder.
