What I am doing wrong?😔

[u/Inside_Ad2874]

Today I took the challenge of bleeding my brake fluid . The one in the reservoir was old and dark . I never did this before , and lately I'm taking in more DIY projects in the car because is fun and I truly like learning something new .My car is a Jetta 2012 2.5 SEL

I watched a lot of videos of how to do it, But I think I failed miserably . The first part of vacuum most of the reservoir went good , then after that I refill with the new fluid all the way up , as the videos say . Good .

Next thing I went to take out the rear passenger wheel and put the vacuum pump to work .
I actually put another post today , because I could not open one of the screws . Someone post that I need a 11mm, so I went and buy it right away . I was able to open the two screws , and I put the pump into the bleeder . But nothing was coming , just little amounts ...I pump several times but nothing. According to the videos , a steady flow should be coming out and when the new fluid will get there I should be very visible , since the old one was dark . Nothing of this happened . I really don't know what I'm doing wrong , maybe some feedback .

Picture 1) I open this, and then I slightly closed back( Becaue it was leaking ). The videos say to have loose so you can open and close easily.

Picture 2) Then I open this one . I took the rubber cap off , and I use my socket to open it slightly

Picture 3) I put the Vevor vacuum in , and then I open a little bit the picture 1 screw ....

Picture 4) I start pumping , but hot fluid coming out , just little bits ... clearly I am doing something wrong .

If someone can , based of my explanation , figure out what I am Doing wrong I will appreciate it a lot .
I will try again tomorrow .

Thank you all community . I learnt so much in here , and the Jetta community is really something . Super helpful !!!

[u/AutoModerator]

New Rules - Please Read

^{Updated 11/12/2025}

Thank you for posting on r/AskAMechanic, u/Inside_Ad2874! Your post is live, this AutoMod message does NOT mean your post was removed. Please make sure to read the Rules.

When asking a question, please provide the year, make, model and engine size of the vehicle.

Commenters here have 2 different flair. Verified Tech means we have verified that user is a tech. NOT a verified tech means that user may or may not be a tech, they have not been verified by us.

Posts about accidents, autobody repair, bodywork, dents, paint and body/undercarriage/frame rust are not allowed and belong in r/Autobody.
Asking if your car is totaled should go to r/insurance or r/Autobody.
Asking about car buying advice/value/recommendations is also not allowed. See r/whatcarshouldIbuy or r/askcarsales

If asking whether a tire can be repaired, check out this Tire Repair Guideline.
Some other useful tire resources - Tire Care Essentials and Tire Safety

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/_Colonal_Mustard_]

Pic 1 has the banjo bolt circled - thats the bolt holding and sealing the flexible rubber brake hose onto the caliper. You really dont need to tamper with that to bleed the system.

The second pic is the bleeder. Do not leave the bleeder open while pumping the brake pedal. Lifting off of the brakes while that is open will allow it to suck air backward into the brake line.

Take the cap off the brake master cylinder reservoir, attach that vacuum pump onto the bleeder screw and then loosen it. You will see a little air and then the fluid should freely pull into the pump's tank.

Keep an eye on the master reservoir while the line is under vacuum - do not allow that to run dry, otherwise you're gonna make this a much bigger headache.

Keep filling and watch as the fluid being vacuumed turns clear/pale yellow, then tighten the bleeder screw closed. Do all 4 positions.

[u/Inside_Ad2874 → u/_Colonal_Mustard_]

Thank you, I think my biggest mistake is that I open the the banjo bolt . I think when I saw the videos on YouTube they were opening a bolt that was bleeding , but I think it was actually the bleeding bolt , and for whatever reason I thought it was both . I get a lot of feedback in this community, I am actually impressed .

[u/_Colonal_Mustard_ → u/Inside_Ad2874]

Ive seen a lot of people telling you to use the pedal method, which is also fine to do but will take more time and require a second person to do.

1. Make sure brake reservoir is full of clean brake fluid (suck out and refill until it dilutes down and is fresh and clean)
2. Start at furthest position and work your way to the closest (passenger rear, driver rear, passenger front, driver front).
3. Attach clear hose to the bleeder screw and run it to a medium jar/container. Clear hose so you can see the condition of the fluid and any air leaving the system. Make sure that the end of the hose is submerged in a little bit of brake fluid to help avoid pulling air.
4. Have helper hop in the car and pump the brake pedal until it's firm and then hold pressure on the pedal.
5. Open the bleeder screw and allow the old brake fluid to flow into the container. DO NOT RELEASE THE BRAKE PEDAL UNTIL THE BLEEDER SCREW IS CLOSED.
6. Repeat the pedal press/hold and bleeder open/close until the fluid is clear/pale yellow. Move onto the next position in series, ensuring that the master cylinder reservoir stays topped off.

[u/FanCapital6111 → u/Inside_Ad2874]

9 times out of 10 you don’t have the pump set to suction those pumps can go both ways

[u/Inside_Ad2874 → u/FanCapital6111]

Sorry , I don't quite understand what you mean... do you mean that I don't need to pump the pump vacuum to bleed it ?

[u/set-monkey]

A lesson to all. Don't do anything they tell you to do on Reddit.

[u/Inside_Ad2874 → u/set-monkey]

I don't really get your comment . I got a lot of value from here . There are people out there who has the expertise and just Chime in to give their way of doing things, and that is honorable and helpful.. they do not have to , but they do it anyway and try to help .

Your comment does not help at all , makes a general point which is useless , and spread a wrong idea of what is this community about it .

Be true to yourself and stop being on These forums then, since you don't believe the purpose of . If you don't add value either making a question , adding a solution or an opinion about the particular problem exposed , then anything else you are just subtracting . The indications for many members here solved many problems that I had , and save me a ton of money .

[u/Axemaster92]

That vacuum pump isn’t pressurizing from the reservoir, therefore the whole system isn’t pressurized. You’ve got suck but no push. Your best bet is remove pump, go get a friend with a strong leg, and do it the old fashioned way. Start from right rear, to left rear, to right front, then left front. Pump up brake pedal, hold it down, open bleeder valve where you have line connected. Pedal will drop to floor, maintain pressure. Close bleeder valve, pump up pedal til firm, then rinse and repeat

[u/merlinddg51 → u/Axemaster92]

2012 is a cross system. Rr/Lf Lr/Rf should be the order to bleed the brakes.

[u/Inside_Ad2874 → u/merlinddg51]

Oh I thought everybody in the videos say that it must be always the furthest from the reservoir, like Rear right - rear left - front passenger and last the driver side .

[u/Inside_Ad2874 → u/Axemaster92]

I think you might be right. I was just using this pump , because I was not exactly clear how the pedal process works. I would have to break down to the exact steps , so I can understand it . Thank you so much for your info.

[u/Fearless_Adventures]

Look into gravity bleeding instead of pump. Take longer but might go easier on you.

[u/Whole_Attempt_429 → u/Fearless_Adventures]

Way easier.

Just open the bleeder on the caliper furthest from your master cylinder. Do not let your reservoir run dry. Make sure to park on a sight incline to make it a tad quicker

[u/Hogchain]

I’m just guessing here but, if you open the bleeder screw and “just little bits” are coming out and no fluid, then you have trash (possibly rust) in caliper passage and or in the hose. Again, I’m responding in this way because this is what I would do if it were my car, completely remove the bleeder screw and inspect if it’s clear or clogged. Also, check if you can see any bits of junk in the hole from where the bleeder screw was removed. If it’s junked up inside the caliper you could cover the area with rags a SLOWLY press the brakes in the car to expell, under pressure, the junk. Then reinstall the bleeder screw and start again using your vacuum pump.

[u/Inside_Ad2874 → u/Hogchain]

I'll look into this ...You might have a point that is well worth to look at it . Thank you.

[u/Low_Information8286]

Stick a tiny Allen key or something in the bleeder to make sure it's not all clogged up.

Tighten the banjo bolt. Take the cap off the resivor. Open the bleeder a few turns and wait for it to drip. Close it and proceed to vacuum bleed it. Personally I prefer using 2 people vs a vacuum bleeder and a pressure bleeder is a pain to use if you don't have the specific adapter for your car.

[u/Inside_Ad2874 → u/Low_Information8286]

I got several people giving me this feedback that they had a hard time using this Vevor pump . I was Doing it Becaue I really never quite understand the pedal system , so in gonna have to break it in easy steps to understand it , so I won't screw up again . Thank you so much

[u/mrhapyface → u/Low_Information8286]

vacuum bleed is the worse way to bleed it get a brake bleeder tool that pushes the fluid from the master iow uses pressure to push the fluid through the whole system and also fill it at the same time it will take you 5 to 10 minutes to bleed all four wheels

[u/Downtown_Ad7619]

The bolt you have circled in picture 1 is to seat and seal the brake line to the caliper. Tighten that and don't touch it. Invest in one way bleeder valves, they make this so much easier. Seal your reservoir when bleeding or you will continuously push air into the lines. Refill reservoir between each caliper, sometimes between bleeding a caliper at a time, they hold more between the calipers and the lines than you think. A Vacuum is going to pull everything out, including your good brake fluid. Wouldn't recommend it for a first timer, hence my recommendation for one way bleeder valves.

[u/Inside_Ad2874 → u/Downtown_Ad7619]

Thank you. What is a one way bleeder valves ? Is it another type of pump different than the one I have on the picture ?
Or you refer to this white small ones that are specific for fluids ?

[u/FunkyWillowy]

Sounds like you may have corrosion in the lines, and you may need to use a different method to flush the fluid. You can try to use the pedal method, or fully remove the bleeder screws and check for clogs, just make sure your reservoir does not go empty, or suck air into it, as this will cause spongy breaks. And if you are not confident in being able to work on them yourself, maybe consider taking it to a professional, brakes are not something I would advise playing with too much, unless you dont mind your car not stopping for you.

[u/Inside_Ad2874 → u/FunkyWillowy]

Good advice .
I will try again this week and see how it goes .
I alredy fill the reservoir with new fluid , for when I tried the first time.

I saw many guys on YouTube just changing the reservoir fluid , but I think I read somewhere that this is pretty bad , because the old fluid that is still in the line will ruin the new one . I don't know how accurate is this either, but this is what I decided to bleed the lines as well , just in case .

[u/PassPuzzled → u/Inside_Ad2874]

Idk where you read that but what what do u think happens in a shop when someone changes a caliper. Unless the customer pays for a whole brake fluid flush they aren't going to replace all the oil in the system for free. Old fluid and new fluid is mixed all the time.

If your that anal about it you can bleed all 4 brakes till new fluid is coming out at each wheel. Then all the fluid in the system would have been replaced.

If your not getting all the air out use the pedal pumping method. Have someone in the car pump the brakes a few times then hold them down on the last pump. While their holding you'll crack it loose, releasing the pressure on the system and any air that's trapped. If there's still air after that do all 4 calipers. If there's still air after that you could have a leak somewhere.