Brake bleeder suggestions

They appear to be model specific to me and rather expensive too. Mother Nature's gravity always does the job for me.

SidecarFlip wrote:
They appear to be model specific to me and rather expensive too.

Not cheap. You get one A-Dapter with the Bleeder, then in my case I'd need two more to do Jap Car, Jap Truck, Ford Minivan, Ford E450, Surge Braked Boat Trailer. Three would do all those.

An OP here uses one as a pressure source only, takes it off and fills the master cylinder as needed during the process.

I heard this tip that I consider Very Good for MityVac Bleeding: Remove and Clean the Bleeder Screws. Then apply Permatex to the threads and re-install. Keeps air from being drawn past Bleeder back in to Caliper/Cylinder. Might also make it a little less likely for Bleeder to rust in place.

I use the motive pressure bleeder.

gtwo person bleeding works fine on older vehicles. However some of the newer vehicles call out pressure bleeding in the service procedure to make sure the ABS system is properly bleed.

Even on vehicles that don't require pressure bleeding I've found the motive pressure bleeder is faster and more consistent than the old two man bleeding. Even compared to using the miti vac.

Two of my 1997 model vehices are very specific in specifying pressure bleeding with 2 bar (28psi) pressure to properly change fluid and make sure the ABS system is flushed with no air.

So...... check your vehicle service procedure and see what they call out.

And regarding a previous post mentioning DOT 5 fluid. DO NOT use DOT 5 unless the veyhicle came with DOT 5. you can use DOT 5.1 which is compatible with DOT3, 4 4+ etc. but do NOT use DOT 5 as a replacement for any other DOT fluid.

lots of info and videos here brake bleeding tool

That gOOgle search is good. It also indicates that some of the HF items are available from sources like Amazon at still lower prices. I think that for the reputation and apparent quality of the product, as well as ease of use, I'll go Motive Products.
Typing this I just came up with a possible hack: Use purpose-made A-Dapters (like Motive Products for specific Fords), BUT "Power" the thing with a pump-up garden sprayer. This isn't a big deal, but it seems to me that using the pressure bleeder do both dispense fluid and provide pressure, the disconnect process will always be messy and the master cylinder will always be over-full. Using simply a "pressure tank" sounds like a good idea that gets better with more thought. Am I missing something?

This is a strange time in my life. Of the vehicles on the property, they are from four manufactures, five countries and three continents. I have done some work on all of them. This is just one reason I gave up on pressure bleeding brakes so long ago that I do not remember.

Now, before I go on, I must share a piece of important knowledge with all of you. If you plan (hope) to keep a hydraulic brake vehicle more than four years, read this and take it to heart. Unless you live in the desert and never leave it, your bleed screws will corrode and seize in place. This makes servicing the system a much bigger problem. To prevent this, do just two very simple things:
1 - Get and keep on the rubber covers that are now common on bleed screws. For what a package costs, this is a stupid to miss. Zero Work.
2 - When servicing brakes, remove the bleed screw, clean it and wrap the threads with teflon tape (I don't care what color). This will keep the fluid that is not actully corrosive, but is hydroscopic (it collects water and so allows corrosion) from getting into the threads. Ever after, those screws will loosen and tighten easily when required.

A second advantage to the thread tape on the threads is that if you vacuum bleed, there will be less bubbles to keep track of during the process.

If you started reading at the top, you know why I gave up pressure bleeding. First I did gravity bleeding, but I was impatient. Then, I modified the cap of the catch bottle and have been vacuum bleeding for the last four or five decades (I'm just not sure). Before your next brake job, grab something like a pickle jar (pint is nice), some brass tubing from the hobby shop and some aquarium air tubing or similar. Car vacuum hose is not clear and it needs to be.

Put two pieces of tubing though the lid, one long and one short. Connect the bleed screw to the long one.

To gravity bleed, open the bleed screw and wait for the bubbles to stop.

If you are impatient, get a vacuum pump. If you get a Mighty Vac or the Hazard Fright version, by the time you are done you might be able to get both first and third in a jack-off contest. Alternately, look for a vacuum source. Anything that sucks will do, but if you suck too hard, you may well draw air through the seals in the wheel cylinders.

This spring, I will be flushing the brakes of my coach for the forth time. My wife will keep and eye on the master cylinder because I lent my auto-filler to a "friend" that has since left town without returning it. Just to note, that system will consume two quart bottles and I think it is a great way to spend money and time.

Matt

Matt, I enjoy Repurposing. Thinking the "Oil Boy" I use to suck the crankcase oil out of the boat engine could do this. The kind that looks like a 2.5 gallon gas can with a bicycle pump sticking out of it.

j-d wrote:
Matt, I enjoy Repurposing. Thinking the "Oil Boy" I use to suck the crankcase oil out of the boat engine could do this. The kind that looks like a 2.5 gallon gas can with a bicycle pump sticking out of it.

Well, that sure would do it.

Would be easy to empty - too. And you could do your whole fleet and the rest of the neighborhood.

Just remember the tape on the bleed screws so you aren't watching bubbles forever.

Matt

Matt_Colie wrote:
Well, that sure would do it. Matt

More related to RV's... Wanted to change the differential lube in the E450 and Aerostar. Didn't want to take the covers off and thought about a slurp gun or "fluid extractor." Forget what it's called but Motive has one. Then...Epiphany!!! The Oil Boy!!! All I had to do was adapt the Boy's connection to appropriate diameter, length, and material. I wanted hose stiff enough to reach the very bottom. Measured what I got out, and it matched the rated capacity of the axles. With the Motive unit, you can pump the new lube in, but I did OK with a hose on the tapered nozzle of the bottles. Got it draining the bottles downward, then punched a vent hole in the top end (actually the bottom of the bottle) and it flowed right in.

My Oil Boy is actually a blue HF knockoff.

So I decided on and ordered the "Capri tools vacuum brake bleeder, I'll let you know how it goes.