Brake Fluid Replacement - Subaru Forester 2003 Service Manual

PERIODIC MAINTENANCE SERVICES
19.Brake Fluid
A: REPLACEMENT
1) Either jack-up the vehicle and place a safety
stand under it, or lift-up the vehicle.
2) Remove both front and rear wheels.
3) Draw out the brake fluid from master cylinder
with syringe.
4) Refill the reservoir tank with recommended
brake fluid.
Recommended brake fluid:
FMVSS No. 116, fresh DOT3 or 4 brake fluid
NOTE:
• Avoid mixing different brands of brake fluid to
prevent degrading the quality of the fluid.
• Be careful not to allow dirt or dust to get into the
reservoir tank.
Bleeding sequence (1) → (2) → (3) → (4)
(1) Front right
(2) Rear left
(3) Front left
(4) Rear right
(5) Secondary
(6) Primary
5) Install one end of a vinyl tube onto the air bleeder
and insert the other end of the tube into a container
to collect the brake fluid.
NOTE:
• Cover the bleeder with waste cloth, when loosen-
ing it, to prevent brake fluid from being splashed
over surrounding parts.
BRAKE FLUID
• During the bleeding operation, keep the brake
reservoir tank filled with brake fluid to eliminate en-
try of air.
• The brake pedal operating must be very slow.
• For convenience and safety, two people should
do the work.
• The amount of brake fluid required is approx. 500
m2 (16.9 US fl oz, 17.6 Imp fl oz) for total brake
system.
6) Instruct your co-worker to depress the brake
pedal slowly two or three times and then hold it de-
pressed.
7) Loosen the bleeder screw approx. 1/4 turn until a
small amount of brake fluid drains into container,
and then quickly tighten the screw.
8) Repeat steps 6) and 7) above until there are no
air bubbles in the drained brake fluid and new fluid
flows through vinyl tube.
NOTE:
Add brake fluid as necessary while performing the
air bleed operation, in order to prevent the tank
from running short of brake fluid.
9) After completing the bleeding operation, hold
brake pedal depressed and tighten the screw and
install bleeder cap.
Tightening torque:
8 N·m (0.8 kgf-m, 5.8 ft-lb)
10) Bleed air from each wheel cylinder by following
PM-00047
the previous 5 steps.
11) Depress the brake pedal with a force of approx.
294 N (30 kgf, 66 lb) and hold it there for approx. 20
seconds. At this time check the pedal to see if it
makes any unusual movement. Visually inspect the
bleeder screws and brake pipe joints to make sure
that there is no fluid leakage.
12) Install the wheels, and drive the vehicle for a
short distance between 2 to 3 km (1 to 2 miles) to
make sure that brakes are operating properly.
PM-00048
PM-30