Wilwood is one of the leading manufacturers of high-quality handbrake and caliper brake systems. The Wilwood 6 piston calipers are their most popular product because they offer excellent stopping power, easy bleeding to prevent corrosion, and can be used on either side of the car. It’s helpful to learn a few tips to help you bleed your Wilwoods to perfection.
To bleed Wilwood 6 piston calipers:
- Clean the calipers
- Bleed air bubbles with brake cleaner
- Loosen bleed screws
- Pour fresh brake fluid into one side of the caliper while closing off that bleeder screw
- Open up the other side of the caliper
- Pour fresh brake fluid into it
- Close off both bleeder screws and tighten them
Wilwood 6 piston calipers are among the best on the market and hugely popular. Learning all about the service you can do to them will help you keep your vehicle at its best. Let’s learn more about these quality calipers.
What Are Wilwood 6 Piston Calipers?
Before we can get into how to bleed Wilwood 6 piston calipers, you should first know what they are.
Wilwood 6 piston calipers are high-quality calipers with a robust design and excellent stopping power. These include Wilwood’s one-piece piston construction, which provides superior strength at the rod end for maximum braking performance and improved durability.
The positive stop locking feature in these calipers assures perfect chain line alignment every time to reduce unnecessary wear on sprockets and chains. They also come with self-adjusting hydraulic pressure compensators that ensure consistent brake pad contact regardless of how dirty or wet your pads get during hard use, without compromising braking performance.
These calipers are available for the front or rear of your car, but you will still need a handbrake master cylinder to use them. Wilwood 6 piston calipers can be used on either side of the car.
How Do I Bleed My Wilwood 6 Piston Calipers?
There is a proper way to bleed your Wilwood calipers.
Follow these steps:
- Use a brake cleaner to clean the caliper and remove old fluid or dust particles.
- Loosen the bleed screws on each side of the calipers by turning them clockwise with your fingers.
- Open up the bleeder screw on one side of the caliper and pour fresh brake fluid into it.
- Close off that bleeder screw and open up the other side.
- When both sides are flowing freely, close off all of your bleeder screws and tighten them back down to lock in place.
That’s it! You can now enjoy stopping power from your Wilwoods without worrying about corrosion or fluid leaks.
How Do I Know When My Calipers Are Bleeding?
For someone who has never done this before, you may be wondering how you can tell when your calipers are bleeding.
It’s easy to tell when your calipers are bleeding. There will be a small amount of fluid coming out of the bleed screw at the bottom of the caliper.
If you have any questions about your current system, make sure to contact Wilwood for assistance.
Tips and Tricks for Bleeding Your Wilwood 6 Piston Calipers
Below, we’ll list three tips and tricks for bleeding your brakes calipers so you can get the job done quickly and efficiently.
Let the Calipers Sit In the Open Position Before Bleeding
To bleed the calipers, you should first let them sit in the open position. This helps release any air bubbles inside and opens up a little more space for fluid to come through. Once enough fluid is coming out of the caliper pistons, close it again by releasing one piston at a time until all are closed together with no leaks or air pockets left.
Use a Fresh Batch of Brake Fluid
If you’re bleeding your calipers and you add brake fluid to the system, make sure it is a fresh batch. When adding new brake fluid, always use gloves and eye protection. Never mix old brake fluids with brand-new ones or vice versa, as this can cause damage to both of them when mixed in one container.
Tighten Everything When Finished
If you’re using a manual bleed screw on your Wilwoods, ensure that you tighten it down once you have finished bleeding the caliper. All bleeder screws must be tight so that they don’t leak when someone hits a bump or pothole while driving.
Final Tips For Caliper Work
If you’re bleeding your calipers, make sure you do it on a level surface. If your garage floor is uneven, things can be more difficult for you. Also, if you don’t have a floor drain in your garage, make sure that you have a bucket next to the bleeder screw to catch any excess brake fluid that comes out of the calipers after they are bled.
You must track how much brake fluid is coming out of them. Make sure that no air bubbles are coming through the system, and also make sure there is no excess brake fluid left in the system. If there is too much brake fluid coming out of the system when you’re done bleeding it, take note of this so that you can add more fluid to keep it from leaking again.
