1990 Riviera Brake Bleeding

[Guest]

I just bought this car and had to replace some brake lines that were rotted out in the rear of the vehicle. I need to bleed the brakes now and need to know if there is a special bleeding procedure so that I get a good pedal (which these cars never seem to have anyway).

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Rich

ATI2D

ati2d1@adelphia.net

richard.zielenski@alcoa.com

[NTX5467]

On the newer GM vehicles, you can use the GM Tech2 scan/diagnostics tool to put the brake system through a bleeding mode. I'm not sure if your year model will do that, though. It takes just a few minutes for the cycle to run each time. Quite interesting to watch and listen to!

Other than that, the normal pressure bleeding or manual "open bleeder valve, press brake pedal, close bleeder valve, release brake pedal" procedure might be all there is. I suspect that a GM service manual for your vehicle would specify how to do it (with the scan tool or manually). The other alternative would be the hand-held vacuum pump system that you can buy at many auto supply stores.

Sometimes, when you're sitting there bleeding the newer systems, the pedal will never seem to come up to where you think it should be regardless of how many quarts/gallons of fluid you put through the system. It'll usually be solid, but low. But for some reason when you drive the car, everything is where it should be.

To avoid the mess and such, it might be worth the money to take the car to a GM dealer that can do the job as GM intended.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467