I have a 2003 Accord, 161k miles, 4 door, manual xmission. I have seen several youtube videos on brake fluid replacement techniques. It essentially involves removing some old brake fluid from the brake master cylinder and topping it off with new fluid. Next, one is supposed use a suction device to remove old fluid from the brake bleed nipple at each wheel in turn while ensuring that the fluid level in the master cylinder remains topped off. I've looked at several brake bleed kits on Amazon. Many of the comments say that the adapters provided do not fit the nipples on their vehicle. So I'm confused on which kit to order. Can somebody point me to a specific kit that they know fits an Accord?

 

A brake bleeding kit isn't necessary. The kit will make bleeding your brakes faster.

I do gravity bleeding. I use a baster to pull as much of the old fluid out of the reservoir and refill with fresh fluid. Next, I'll open the bleeder and push in the caliper piston to get most of the fluid out of the caliper. You can pinch the feed hose to prevent back-flow into the master cylinder if you choose. I then attach a clear plastic hose that fits over the bleeder and gravity bleed each caliper into a clear container. I watch for the color change in the fluid through the hose then tighten up the bleeder. This way you also check the bleeders aren't clogged and the pistons push in smoothly.

If you go with this method, make sure you pump the brake pedal before you drive (engine started and e-brake on) to push out the pistons, then top off the reservoir.

 

I did get a brake bleeder kit and bled the front brakes. The issue I ran into was that the 3 year old fluid is also clear, indistinguishable from new fluid. When I had half the collection bottle full of the "old" fluid, I stopped draining further. The fluid level in the reservoir had dropped after each bleed and I topped it off each time. Other than the color change, is there another way to tell when the new fluid has started running out of the nipple? I did take the car for a test drive around the block. The brakes behaved normally. I'll bleed the rear brakes on another day.

 

You are probably good with the new fluid and did above and beyond what most shops would do.

For the front brakes, I usually push in the caliper piston with the bleeder open to push out most/all the fluid in the caliper, then bleeding volume would be the volume remaining in the line. Just make sure to pump your brake pedal before driving the car as the pistons will need to be pushed out and contact the brake pads.

I still think you are good to go based on what you already did.

 

PAhonda, thank you for affirming that I'm on the right track. I still haven't gotten to the rear brakes yet, as I'm encountering a more serious situation - hard starting. I'm posting a separate thread on this.