Confirmed brake bleeding scan tools

[Schurkey]

Has anyone messed around with the manual and bleed procedure? On the 4WAL there's a pair of 10mms on the side of the module, and the high pressure valves in the front need to be held down (there's a Kent tool # for holddowns) then you can use the bleeder screws on top of the unit. Seems like significantly less cost than most of these scanner

I keep hearing about this but I don’t see any of that on my unit. Can you share a picture of what you’re dealing with?

WHICH ABS UNIT?

The older EBC4 has two manual valves that need to be dicked-with DURING THE SCAN TOOL BLEEDING PROCESS.

The later EBC310 does not, but still needs the scan tool.

See attachment.

 

[Vikingdude]

The Nuts & Bolts of Kelsey-Hayes 4WAL | MOTOR

The Kelsey-Hayes 4WAL ABS system has been used on many GM light trucks through the years. So chances are pretty good you’ll tangle with one real soon. Like all ABS, the 4WAL system is designed to keep the vehicle under control during heavy braking. To meet this challenge, however, there may be...

www.motor.com

Bleeding the BPMV is rather complex on the Kelsey-Hayes 4WAL system. A pressure or vacuum bleeder is preferred over using the brake pedal for this procedure. If the pedal must be used, consider removing the master cylinder to clean the reservoir, then bench bleed it to flush out any debris. If a new master cylinder is being installed, be sure to bleed it before installation. When vacuum or pedal bleeding, don't let the master cylinder reservoir run dry! Once air is bled from the master cylinder, the BPMV can be bled as follows:

1. Open the internal bleed screws a quarter- to a half-turn. These are the cap screws on either side of the BPMV.

2. Attach special tools (Kent-Moore No. J39177) to hold open the high-pressure accumulator bleed valves.

3. Open the two bleeder screws at the BPMV and bleed the unit.

4. Bleed the wheels in the following order: right rear, left rear, right front, left front.

5. Retighten the internal bleed screws and remove the tools from the high-pressure accumulators.

6. Firmly depress the brake pedal and perform three to six functional tests using either a scan tool or the jumper method described earlier. This forces remaining air from the BPMV into the lines running to the wheels.

7. Finally, bleed all four wheels again in the following order: right rear, left rear, right front, left front, to remove any air that was expelled from the BPMV. Note: This procedure should be necessary only if the BPMV is being replaced. During routine service, the system can be bled normally at the wheels.

 

[cdone]

Performance Tool W82010 is the same thing as the J39177, if you can find it. About $15 instead of $50, but I don't think they're making it anymore (I just bought 2 old stock on Amazon - still in package but light rust). While I was waiting for them to arrive I got impatient and used two long Irwin bar clamps (the quick clamps with the squeeze handle), one on either side of the EBC4, and they worked just fine.

That said, if you can't cycle the ABS unit, that bleed procedure won't take care of everything. I couldn't get the jumper method to work, but eventually found my whole EBC4 unit seems to be bad (the whole saga is in a different thread).

Good luck! I have a new (wrecking yard) EBC4 I'm hoping to put in this weekend, will report back if the jumper method actually works to trigger the function test.

Edit: It's worth noting that if you use the bar clamp method, you don't need or want a huge amount of pressure on the little pin sticking out of the valves... really just enough to hold it in place and keep the clamp from slipping off. You really don't want to bend anything...

 

[PM18S4]

I can confirm that the following work will work on a 1999 5.7L k1500 Chevy Suburban LT (JB6 Brakes).
- FOXWELL NT630
- Tech2 Scan Tool Clone

 

[Vikingdude]

I'm an idiot. I failed to recognize that "functional test" is a command made by the scanner. I thought it was just making sure your bleed worked. Sorry to anyone I have misled.

 

[cdone]

I'm an idiot. I failed to recognize that "functional test" is a command made by the scanner. I thought it was just making sure your bleed worked. Sorry to anyone I have misled.

It makes sense the way you read it, too, just sadly not the case. I really wish they would just put bleeders everywhere that needs them.

One idea I read somewhere (don't remember which forum/thread) was to put all 4 corners on jack stands and hit the brakes, to at least get most of the internals going on the abs. In 2wd it should detect the fronts are "slipping" and cycle the FR and FL sections. To get the rear to cycle, I imagine you could either block one wheel to keep it from spinning, or maybe hit the parking brake gently until just one side engages (assuming your parking brake isn't perfectly balanced L-R).

I would want to make sure the rig was pointed in a safe direction first if I was going to try that, and I can't vouch for the method as I've only read about it.

 

[Erik the Awful]

Added the J39177 / Performance Tool W82010, and Foxwell NT630.

Is the NT630 a clone of anything else?

So far the J39177 is the only tool I have listed that will operate the EBC4s. I don't have anything listed for the aluminum RWAL at all.

Brake Bleeding Tool Matrix​	Aluminum RWAL​	EBC4 (92-94)​	EBC310 (‘95-on)​
GM Tech2​	?​	?​	Yes​
Snap-On 14.2 Software​	?​	?​	Yes​
Snap-On 17.2 Software​	?​	?​	Yes​
Snap-On 8.2 Software​	?​	?​	No​
Snap-On 6.2 Software​	?​	?​	No​
Autel MaxiCheck Pro​	?​	?​	No​
TopDon Artidiag 900 Lite​	?​	?​	No​
OTC 3210​	?​	?​	Yes​
J39177 / Performance Tool W82010​	?​	Yes​	?​
Foxwell NT630​	?​	?​	Yes​

 

[cdone]

Added the J39177 / Performance Tool W82010

To be clear, these are the tools to hold the valves on the EBC4 while bleeding (also can be achieved with bar clamps). A scan tool or other method to cycle the pump is still required. I hope by end of this weekend to have some sane method of accomplishing this, but children often crush my hopes so no promises.

 

[Caman96]

Added the J39177 / Performance Tool W82010

To be clear, these are the tools to hold the valves on the EBC4 while bleeding (also can be achieved with bar clamps). A scan tool or other method to cycle the pump is still required. I hope by end of this weekend to have some sane method of accomplishing this, but children often crush my hopes so no promises.

So are you saying that without these tools to hold the valves open, just cycling the valves doesn’t purge the air?

 

[Schurkey]

On the EBC4, yes.

Doesn't apply to the EBC310.

Exactly as specified by GM in the attachment.