Brake Fluid Changing Question

I'm thinking about buying the Motive brake bleeding tool as recommended by many on this board so I can do my own brake fluid changes to avoid getting my wheels and chrome lug bolts damaged by some careless mechanic. I have a few questions about doing this myself. Does the whole car have to be jacked up, or can I do just one side at a time? I have a good floor jack (which can raise the front and rear simultaneously), but no jack stands -- do I need to put the car on jack stands? Is this a one-man operation or do I need to get my wife to pump the brakes? Thanks.

I have never bleed the brakes on my 996, however, I have done this on virtually every other car in the world, on lifts, on the ground, through wheels, 2 minutes before the start of a race and there is no great mystery. Here are some tips: You can do one corner at a time. Start with the rear pass side, then rear drivers, front pass side and finally front drivers. I have power bleeders, suction bleeders and my favorite is a good friend's right foot. The only problem, and most severe problem, that you can have is if air gets into the system- DON'T LET THE RESEVIOR GO DRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And finally, don't get brake fluid on the paint, it will instantly destroy your finish.

you can do it one by one, but it's far easier of you put on jack stands. and listen to fastmcar, i accidentally let the reservior gone dry.... let's just say it was MAJOR headache to get it back right again.

The procedure is really quite simple. As others have mentioned, do not get air in the system! You can either siphon fluid out of the reservoir or just use positive pressure from the Motive to bleed the reservoir down. Get some jackstands for safety and do one wheel at a time in this order: RR, LR, clutch, RF, LF. At each wheel, bleed the outside nipple first, then the inside nipple last. It's mostly a one person job except for the clutch. You can use something to hold the clutch pedal down while bleeding, or you can just get your wonderful wife to keep the clutch depressed while you bleed it! After bleeding the clutch, the pedal will stay down to the floor. Pull it up very slowly (like over a minute). The feel should return after a few slow pumps. Regarding jacking up the car: 1. Jack up the right side at the rear jack point. 2. Support the car with jackstands. One at the right front jack point and one at the rear under the support crossmember. 3. Let the jack do most of the work. The stands are there for safety and support in case of jack failure. 4. Take off the RR wheel. 5. Bleed outside then inside. 6. Slap the wheel back on. 7. Remove the stands. 8. Let the car down and move on to the next wheel. Remember, safety is of utmost importance... especially when getting at the clutch. See Loren's site for excellent detailed information: Renntech.org Cheers

Thanks guys, for all the info. I know a Mercedes mechanic who makes house calls. I'm going to have him come over to my house and do it while I watch him the first time. Question about brake fluid: I've read other posts mention that Pentosin brake fluid is the same as what Porsche dealers sell (for $30/liter), but I haven't found it anywhere (only Ate Blue and Gold for about $10/liter and Castrol locally). Anyone who where I can buy Pentosin online?

ATE has better specs than what Porsche sells. I happen not to like the blue dye in the racing version but many local owners use it. I would try the type 200. Either version of the ATE is about $10 a liter. We use about 2/3rds of the can for a brake and clutch bleed. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index...hl=brake+fluid