Maintenance: Brake Fluid Bleeding

So I had all my brake pads and rotors changed and the last thing on the list was to bleed the brakes. I remember when I first bled my brakes on my 2008 Xterra at 80,000 miles the initial brake fluid that came out was a rusty brown. I wonder if the Explorer will have similar issue at 55k miles.

What I used:
Bleeding sequence:

The bleeding sequence on the Ford Explorer is simple. Bleed the furthest brake first.

  • 1st Rear Passenger
  • 2nd Rear Driver
  • 3rd Front Passenger
  • 4th Front Driver
Bleeding Rear

Step 1: Locate brake bleeder screw

Step 2: Use a 11mm wrench to loosen and insert the 1/4″ hose

Step 3: Bleed the brakes and monitor brake fluid reservoir.

For me, there were no issues with the fluid on the rear brakes so I only performed 5 pumps on the brakes. Typically a contaminated brake fluid is brown, rusty and murky in color but as you can see in this picture it’s clear. I monitored and refilled the brake fluid reservoir with DOT 4 brake fluid.

Bleeding Front:

Step 1: Locate brake bleeder screw

Step 2: Use 10″ wrench and insert 1/4″ hose

I prefer to use the box end of the wrench. I can simply leave it on the bleeder and turn when needed. Since the front bleeder screw is 1mm smaller compared to the rear, you might need a mini zip tie to keep the hose secure.

Step 3: Bleed the brakes and monitor brake fluid reservoir.

The brake fluid that came out of my Explorer looked clean, so I only performed 5 pumps on the brakes. Monitor and refill the brake fluid reservoir with DOT 4 brake fluid.

Overall, changing brake fluid on a 2017 Ford Explorer Platinum was simple. I was pretty happy to know the fluid that that came out from all the brake caliper was clean and not contaminated.

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