GENERAL
Brake bleeding
Q I was hoping for some guidance regarding change of brake fluid that I carry out on my cars every two years. I know that all manufacturers recommend a specific pattern for bleeding brakes, usually starting with the furthest wheel, and finishing with the closest to the master cylinder. An example of one pattern would be back left, front right then back right and finishing off left front.
When I change the fluid, I am not technically bleeding the brakes but just flushing through fresh fluid and I start with sucking all the old fluid out of the brake fluid container, filling it with fresh fluid then using a pressure bleeder at about 10psi and, to save time, I jack the car up at the rear and do both sides then move to the front and do both, finishing at the wheel next to the master cylinder. I’m very likely not sticking to the manufacturer’s recommended sequence and wanted your advice if what I’m doing is wrong. Also, I’ve worked out that the brake pipe has an internal diameter of about 3.34mm so it should contain about 9ml of brake fluid per meter and I tend to drain about 100ml of fluid for each back wheel and 50ml for each front one. What do you think about the amounts?
Your advice is much appreciated.
Min
A You are following a perfectly acceptable procedure and one that will effectively change the brake fluid efficiently. As you are not disturbing the brake system, or opening any of the connections that may allow air to enter. Under these circumstances and as there should be no air in the system to flush, then I would be happy for you to continue following the system you use. For a complete brake fluid change I would normally expect to use around 1 litre of fluid, as this would then ensure that the system is thoroughly flushed through. Remembering that the calipers will contain an amount of fluid in the cylinder and it should also be noted that the ABS pump will contain a quantity of fluid and whilst all the valves in the ABS pump do not need to be operated during a standard brake fluid change, it is worth ensuring that sufficient new fluid is flushed through the system.
GENERAL
Bluetooth code readers
Q I am thinking about purchasing a Bluetooth OBDeleven code reader, but my January 2024 copy of CM never turned up. Hopefully I can get a replacement if in stock.
GENERAL
Could you recommend any? OBDeleven seems to be the one that is getting a lot of coverage by YouTubers – it is supposed to be recommended for VAG cars, but they are all sponsored by the company so could be a bit bias.
I would much appreciate your views on it or the ones that were in your product test.
Paul Finnegan
A The OBDeleven costing £69.95 is one that was covered in the test carried out in the January 2024 edition of CM and scored 8 out of 10. The top score in the test and the one labelled Car Mechanics Best Buy was the VLINKER
MC+ available from gendan.co.uk for £59.95.
The article did of course go into more depth, but all the code readers did perform well for the small cost. The OBDeleven unit is more directed towards VAG owners, and this may be the reason you have seen the recommendation.
It is of course also important to point out that a suitable smartphone will be required to connect the adapter to – and this must be capable of downloading the required apps.
FORD FOCUS
Automatic transmission
Q I’ve recently bought a 2010 Ford Focus 2.0 petrol Titanium estate automatic with 79,000 miles. It’s my first automatic car and I have a couple of questions if I may…
Sometimes when driving along the transmission indicator on the dashboard is flashing ‘P’ instead of showing ‘D’, it seems to still drive fine and continues flashing ‘P’ until you stop and put it back in Park. The Focus is still under a 3-month warranty from the garage I bought it from but I’m not sure if this would be covered. Is this likely to be causing any damage to the car and is it something that can be fixed at home?
Also, the Haynes manual doesn’t give a change interval for the automatic transmission fluid. I presume the gearbox oil is able to be changed, at what mileage would it be a good idea?
Neil Chapman
A The service schedule I have from Autodata indicates that the automatic transmission fluid should be replaced every 75,000 miles or every six years, whichever comes first. The book time given for this is 0.6 hours. The capacity of the automatic transmission is 6.7 litres but as this cannot all be drained down, the service change will take around three litres of WSS-M2C938-A.
The oil can be filled from the dipstick tube but must be drained by pumping out via the oil cooler return hose. This will need to be disconnected, with the engine running at tick-over speed, and with the hose placed in a suitable catchment vessel, the gearbox fluid will be evacuated. The engine must be stopped as soon as the fluid stops flowing.
The flashing ‘P’ is very likely due to a faulty transmission range switch. The wiring and connector plug should be checked first, but a new switch may need fitting. This should not have a major effect on the operation of the transmission, but would be good to remedy the problem – this should be covered under the warranty.
The transmission range sensor is fixed to the outside of the gearbox behind the selector lever and is prone to failure due to its exposure from the elements.
FORD TRANSIT
Timing chain
Q Can you help with a timing chain issue on my 2006 Ford Transit Mk7 2.4 Puma TDCi engine? I have just replaced the timing chain using FAI kit. All timed up correctly, using 6mm drill bits for cams and proper locking tool for crankshaft. Turned engine over twice by hand, checked timing all OK. Replaced old cover, run for five minutes then checked again. Could not get drill bits back into camshaft holes when crankshaft locked – they are about 1 to 2 millimetres out. Is this OK?
In the workshop manual it says to leave fixed guides off before pulling pin on tensioner but on some YouTube videos it shows fixed guides installed before pin is removed. I fitted with fixed guides off, they were a bit awkward to get
