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Automotive vocabulary · Brakes, Suspension, Steering and Tires

Bleed

Meaning in automotive, with examples

/bliːd/verbCommon term

In automotive, bleed means: To remove trapped air from a hydraulic or cooling system, for example the brake lines, by letting fluid flow out through a bleed screw until no bubbles remain.

In Turkish: havasını almak, hava almak

How it is used

Most often heard as bleed the brakes. Air in the brake lines gives a soft or spongy pedal. Technicians bleed the brakes after replacing a caliper or hose and when changing the brake fluid, often with a pressure bleeder or a scan tool for the ABS unit.

Example sentences

  1. The pedal still feels spongy, so bleed the brakes again, starting with the rear right wheel.

  2. You must bleed the cooling system after changing the water pump.

Common collocations

  • bleed the brakes
  • bleed screw
  • spongy pedal
  • brake fluid
  • brakeA device that slows or stops a vehicle by pressing a friction material against a rotating disc or drum. Most cars have hydraulic disc brakes at the front.
  • brake caliperThe housing with one or more hydraulic pistons that sits over the brake disc and squeezes the brake pads against it when the driver presses the pedal.
  • ABSShort for anti-lock braking system: it stops the wheels from locking under hard braking, so the driver can still steer. Wheel speed sensors tell the ABS unit when a wheel is about to lock.
  • coolantThe liquid, usually water mixed with antifreeze, that flows through the engine and radiator to carry heat away. It also protects against freezing and corrosion.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Brakes, Suspension, Steering and Tires

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