The new breed of electric brake systems—with sensors and a hydraulic handbrake as standard—have made our cars safer and more reliable. But they are also more complex, with many additional components to watch. However, the complexity is not as daunting as it first appears. Bleeding any hydraulic system is straightforward once you know how it works and which principles apply. Here’s how to bleed Lucas Girling brake system and get everything running smoothly again…
The Importance of Bleeding
As fluid is constantly pumped through the system, there is no opportunity to remove trapped air. So, when bleeding the brake lines, you must remove any trapped air from the system. However, bleeding the entire system is not necessary if you are only experiencing one or two problems. It is better to identify the problem area and fix it alone. This is especially important if there is a fault with the car’s brake sensors. If the fault is not diagnosed and corrected, the sensors could fail partially or entirely, rendering the system inoperative.
How Does a Lucas Girling Brake System Work?
The Lucas Girling system is an electromechanical braking system. As the name suggests, it combines electrical and mechanical components. It is a hybrid system that uses electrical power for most of the braking force, with a ‘back-up’ mechanical system for extreme braking. As fluid is constantly pumped through the system, there is no opportunity to remove trapped air. So, when bleeding the brake lines, you must remove any trapped air from the system. However, bleeding the entire system is not necessary if you are only experiencing one or two problems.
How to Bleed Lucas Tirling Brake System?
Before you start, check that your car is parked on a level piece of ground. If it is not, use wheel chocks to prevent it from rolling. This is particularly important if you have an automatic gearbox. Next, you need to jack up the car and remove the wheel.
This can be done by putting the car into first gear and placing a jack under the axle. Alternatively, you could use a wheel-lift tool. Once the wheel is off, it is time to remove the brake caliper. Use an old rag to catch any fluid that might be inside. It would help if you then used a clear hose to connect the bleed port on the caliper to the bleeder valve on the brake master cylinder. Open the valve and let the trapped air escape.
This will take a few minutes, so be patient. Once all the air is out of the system, close the bleed valve and replace the caliper. Then tighten the wheel bolts to the correct torque setting. Finally, pump the car’s brake pedal five times and check the brake fluid level as soon as it is safe to drive again.