How to Bleed/Flush your Rear Brakes

Routine maintenance for your XJ600's engine.
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This how-to describes the process of bleeding and/or flushing the rear brakes on the Yamaha Seca II XJ600.

Tools:
  • 8mm open-end wrench
  • DOT-4 brake fluid (DOT-3 will work if DOT-4 is unavailable)
  • 3' length of 3/16" clear tubing #1/8" will work if 3/16" is unavailable#
  • Clear, sealable container #like an old Coke bottle#
How to Bleed Rear Brakes:
The stock rear caliper has two bleeder screws. I will refer to these as front and rear bleeder screws as shown in the photo below. Note that my bleeder screws have white protective covers on them to keep dirt/debris/water out of them:

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1. Begin by fitting one end of the 3/16" ID clear tubing to the front bleeder screw:

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2. Place the other end of the 3/16" ID clear tubing into the clear container. Note: The clear container should have at-least one inch of brake fluid in the bottom of it. When placing the tubing, its end should be below the surface of the fluid. This is important:

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3. Route the tubing so that it loops upward after leaving the bleeder screw. This is also important. Your setup should look like this when done:

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4. Press down on the rear brake pedal and hold it down:

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5. Using an 8mm wrench, loosen the bleeder screw.

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6. Fluid should push out from the bleeder screw and you should feel the brake pedal move downward. If you've had your caliper removed or there is a lot of air in the system, the pedal may not move and only air may come out of the bleeder. Continue to hold the pedal down while the bleeder screw is open.

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7. Close the bleeder screw and release the brake pedal.

8. Check the brake reservoir level. When the level nears the bottom of the reservoir, top off with fresh DOT-4 fluid. Do not let it get all the way empty or you'll suck air and have to start all over.

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9. Repeat steps 5 through 8, pushing down the pedal, opening and closing the bleeder and letting air/fluid escape until no air is observed in the clear tubing.

10. Repeat the process for the rear bleeder screw until no air is observed in the tubing and the brake pedal feels firm.

11. When done, place the tubing inside the clear bottle, seal it with a lid and save it on your garage shelf for the next time you need to bleed the system.

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How to Flush the Rear Brakes:

The procedure for flushing the rear brakes is the same as the procedure for bleeding the rear brakes as mentioned above. When flushing the system, siphon out as much old fluid from the reservoir as you can and fill with fresh fluid. Then follow the above procedure until clean/clear fluid is observed in the clear tubing.
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