Bleeding 355 brakes

Turn the key on to allow the abs to work.....

 

If memory serves me(old man here...), if after mid 1997, the brakes cannot properly be bled with out the use of my SD-1(a v2.0 may do this, depending on the software and model, I just haven't used our SD-2 in several years)..
However, I do remember when this became a question...I seem to remember that it is a mid year model run issue, either 97 or 98, but not later...
"Normal bleeding" will always leave a crappy pedal....the ABS's pumping valves MUST be cycled in order that all stray gas is purged...
TO THE BEST OF MY MEMORY....fwiw...

 

As I understand it, in order to do a 100% job you do need the SD to "cycle" the ABS valves - some fluid is going to be within the system and will not get flushed through without the valves being allowed to open and close. So, if you really want to do a thorough job you need to be able to "talk" to the system.

That said, you should be able to do a pretty satisfactory job of bleeding your brakes without the SD. If there's no flow from the rear caliper I'd say you've got a dodgy bleed nipple or else (less likely) you don't have any pressure going to the caliper at all due to a blockage somewhere else.

Good luck!

 

I just did it on my 95 after installing Stoptech brakes and had the same problem. Turn on the key so the ABS is on and the fluid will come out of the bleeders

 

Bingo!! We learned this little trick bleeding brakes on a friend's 355 up at Watkins Glen a few years ago. We couldn't get the brakes to bleed, was driving us crazy, when someone walked by and said "turn the key on." We did, and brakes bled just fine.

 

I was about to change my brake lines for goodridge Stainless and I was thinking about this. I was thinking about bleeding the system with the car started so the ABS, vaccum and all those things are working. I´ve always done it that way in all my modern and 90`s cars and its worked fine. I guess the F-car wouldn´t be much different.

By the way, doesn´t the ABS distributor block have some bleeding nipples on it?

 

How to know if there is air caught in the ABS pump (Teves)?

 

The Teves system sometimes need a different way of bleeding the brakes than the Bosch system.