I have an '03 Santa Fe. I had a rusted brake line and had to replace a small section. Once I fixed that, several calipers were leaking (likely increased pressure once the line was fixed, I guess). Now I am having trouble bleeding the brakes. I bleed all the wheels (RR, LF, LR, RF - is this the right sequence?). I get good pressure until I stand on the brakes and activate the ABS, then the pedal goes soft.

The scan tool that I got (rented) from AutoZone gives me a message that it does not support the ABS module for my vehicle.

So - here are my question(s):

Am I bleeding the wheel cylinders in the right sequence? Without ABS, I know you work towards the master cylinder. With ABS, it seems you work towards the ABS pump and the sequence of RR, LF, LR, RF is what Google told me to do

What scan tool (manufacturer/model) will 'talk' to my ABS module so I can activate the ABS pump? Is this available for rent at any of the major chain auto parts stores?

If this requires a special tool that I can't get my hands on, how many times do I need to bleed @ the wheel cylinders, test drive and activate the ABS, rebleed, test drive, etc. to do it 'manually'?

Is there another, easier way to do this?

Thank you in advance for any word of wisdom!

-John

 

Is the engine running while you bleed the brakes?
I have not heard of the ABS system activate while the engine is off and bleeding brakes
Is this something new that manufacturers are doing?

 

No - I bleed the brakes (all 4 wheels) in the sequence I stated - car is not running. Then I road test it...pedal is firm after bleeding the brakes and driving normally. But knowing that I have opened the system to the degree that I have, I know that there is air in the ABS module. So when I'm driving at 15-20 mph, I slam on the brakes to engage the ABS and then the pedal gets soft. I can either find the scan tool that will engage the ABS while it is parked (looking for make and model for that tool) OR bleed the brakes (car not running, all 4 wheels) then road test again (air from the ABS module gets introduced into the lines running to the wheels), bleed again...repeat as many times as necessary until all the air is out. Or maybe there is another way - looking for other options.

I plan to have my newly licensed son driving this car - if it was me, I could probably deal with it (2nd pump of the pedal firms up and operates normally). But it's not right...

Thanks,
John

 

Oh, you need a higher level scan tool that can activate the ABS so you can finish bleeding the brakes.
That is rough considering the prices of some of these scan tools.
Spend all that kind of money for a tool you may only use once or twice??

Some scan tools can read and erase the ABS codes and not be able to activate the ABS
Check Amazon and search for AUTEL scan tool??
Also look for Bi-directional controls and ABS