Bleeding brakes. What is the proper sequence?

Forum for Infiniti M37, M56 M35h Hybrid and Q70 owners.
mikewill53
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Car: 2011 Infiniti M30d

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Hi
I'm about to bleed the brakes on my M35 2011... I've just been through the service manual hoping it would tell me which order to do it in. But I can't seem to find it, does anyone know if I just do it in order of furthest from master cylinder. Or is it different cause of the ABS?
Thanks for any help
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Last edited by EdBwoy on Sat Apr 11, 2020 9:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Edited title for more visibility


Yoda's Master
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Wrong forum, but step 7 of the bleed procedure tells you rear right --> front left --> rear left --> front right.

Don't do it in any other order or else you might think your booster is broken.

EdBwoy
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The pattern is more of a crisscrossing diagonal. This is the proper sequence:
1. Rear right
2. Front left
3. Rear left
4. Front right

PS: is your car by chance a 2011 M37? Doesn't matter really, it's the same from 2006 onwards.

mikewill53
Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2020 10:39 am
Car: 2011 Infiniti M30d

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Hi
Thanks for the replies, my cars an M30D 2011.. but you don't seem to have them in the US so I never know what forum to use
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mikewill53
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Car: 2011 Infiniti M30d

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Does it matter if it's a UK car and a right hand drive?

Yoda's Master
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looks like a Y51 series.

IDK if it matters, but since your booster is on the other side, you might need to swap the order around and start from rear left, front right , rear right, front left.
IDK for certain. If it doesn't feel right afterwards then just do it per the manual.

mikewill53
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Ok thanks

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Ilya
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Odd. My father and me have been bleeding starting from the farthest caliper moving towards the MC for as long as I can remember, never had a problem.

RR -> RL -> FR -> FL

Yoda's Master
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Ilya wrote:
Fri Apr 10, 2020 5:38 pm
Odd. My father and me have been bleeding starting from the farthest caliper moving towards the MC for as long as I can remember, never had a problem.

RR -> RL -> FR -> FL
That doesn't work on our cars. I did that and the brakes turned to crap afterwards. Booster acts all funky and stiff or super loose when the car is off. Re-bled it per the manual and everything works as it should.

EdBwoy
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mikewill53 wrote:
Fri Apr 10, 2020 11:22 am
Hi
Thanks for the replies, my cars an M30D 2011.. but you don't seem to have them in the US so I never know what forum to use ...
This is the most correct forum then. I think it would be less confusing if you called it a 2011 Infiniti M...or just refer to it as the M30d, we'll figure it out from there, but as you might have noticed, we have more similarities than differences.

EdBwoy
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Theoretically, the sequence of bleeding your brakes shouldn't matter because it is a closed system, as long as:
  1. You haven't fully evacuated a line, like when replacing a caliper.
  2. You kept a level in the master cylinder & air did not get in.
For best results, bleed these pairs together when you have to bleed any one of the individual corners.
Rear Right + Front Left
Rear Left + Front Right

Start from the back.

Their circuits are divided in the ABS pump & master cylinder. If you screwed up, you'd still have 1 front brake & one rear one functional - ideally not on the same side, hence the diagonal pattern.

For your RHD vehicle, I'd still recommend sticking to the factory procedure. RR -> FL -> RL -> FR
Or for more peace of mind, switch the order then do it twice to cover your bases:
RL -> FR -> RR -> FL -> RL -> FR -> RR -> FL

As you'll note from anecdotal evidence, people have gotten away with doing it out of order. Whatever you do, don't let the reservoir run low.

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Ilya
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Yeah I think that's ultimately the key...don't let the fluid get low. I will do it right next time, but I've done the brakes two or three times on this car without issue and bled after each time. Just did the wife's '16 QX60 the same way 2 weeks ago and brakes are perfectly fine. But I never let the fluid get too low.


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