Can’t get through brake bleed procedure on Techstream after replacing ABS assembly

I've heard technicians say that dealers have trouble getting this to work and I have their exact machine on the same portable computer that the dealer would buy or have at their place a Panasonic CF-13 toughbook with tech stream
loaded

 

I've got a solar roof 2010 that's going to be having this exact same problem any minute The lights are on I'm ready to buy the part I'll get it all installed and then this will be the problem I guarantee it I'm hoping the rest of the car will fall apart before I actually have to do this which is highly probable given this car's history

 

Yep the mechanics I've talked to don't use Techstream for brake fluid changes....just disconnect the negative 12-volt battery terminal and bleed them the old-fashioned way. You can even do it solo (no brake peddle pumping) if you get a sunction device. I've tried a number of them and my favorite is on Amazon (the brake fluid does bad things to the plastic so I usually only get a couple of uses out of it before I need a new one...but well worth the $40)
Mityvac MV8000 Professional Single Person Manual Brake and Clutch Bleeding Tune-up Kit

 

I have the craftsman version that's made in brass gold medal with Buena n type rubber seals mine is like 23 years old but I think they still make it today I saw it a few years ago in a Sears store still It's completely metal The handles are red rubber over stamped steel and the body is gold medal I also have a cheap $30 plastic one but apparently the cylinder where the fluid goes is metal inside of this plastic housing so it looks like the fluid other than touching the hose goes through a piece of plastic into a metal tube with a rubber seal It looks like.

 

As long as everybody remembers that there are passages in the brake actuator that are valved off and will never get bled that way. Only the scan-tool-initiated procedure opens them. No vacuum or pressure bleeder or other technique moves fluid or bubbles past closed valves.

That's mostly an issue if work has been done on the underhood components (like replacing the actuator), where there'll be known to be air in there.

The various folk brake bleeding approaches, you can usually get away with if the only work has been out at a wheel, and the only air is locally there in the brake line.

 

There are multiple valves in the brake actuator that may have air trapped behind them, and they will not open unless commanded to by the Techstream bleed procedure. For regular brake fluid replacements (not after a brake actuator replacement), a non-Techstream method using the chicken dance is available.

Issues bleeding with Techstream can usually be traced back to a knock-off cable. A MongoosePro/Mongoose-Plus or Tactrix OpenPort cable will work flawlessly without dropping the connection. The original xHorse Mini-VCI cable may work too, but the market is currently flooded with xHorse clones which are known to frequently lose connection to the vehicle.

 

I've got an Openport and it does work pretty well—it gets through a brake bleed on my Gen 3 far more reliably than my Mini VCI does—but I maybe wouldn't go as far as saying flawless. I've run into some things (smart key programming on a Gen 2, I seem to remember) where I even went back to the Mini VCI and it worked better.

The Mongoose dongles are the ones Toyota tests with and recommends. Pricey for my purposes so I don't have one, but a person looking for 'flawless' is probably looking for those.

 

Thanks for the correction, I'll keep that in mind when providing recommendations. I have a MongoosePro and it has indeed worked flawlessly.

 

I had no problems setting the car in Invalid Mode, leaving the battery connected. This allows you to pump a goodly amount of fluid out the rear bleeders very quickly. It's a non-Techstream method, explained in the Repair Manual, and it works.

There's a link in my signature with more details; on a phone turn it landscape to see signature.

 

I did mine on my Autel 908, worked flawlessly.. it even talked me through the procedure

 

looks like mini VCI has issues with certain tasks, I ordered an tactrix openport 2.0 since chap wrote up a good review..

 

nope I have a 908 as well, works great for 90% of everything, I just can't see certain subcodes without going into the OBD protocols which is a PITA..

 

Tactrix Openport 2.0: a USA-made, non-flaky, onboard diag dongle works with Techstream | PriusChat

 

'Long about post 20 in that review thread, I did follow up after having the Openport long enough to discover a few things where it wasn't flawless. Works pretty well on my Gen 3, but had problems with smart key registration in a Gen 2 (where, ironically, my cheap Mini VCI worked better). Also, even on my Gen 3, the Openport has some difficulties with the TPMS ECU—mostly works, but some operations don't go quite right—where, again, the Mini VCI doesn't.

Weird.

 

Is the brake fluid level above the MIN reservoir mark at all times?