My favorite brake bleeder- this worked in 5 minutes

I didn't do a search, I just wanted to share this for the lunkheads like me that absolutely hated bleeding brakes!

 

Thank you for the posting looks great. Off I go now to hunt one down. I have check valves in my lines will it work with them?

 

Well that doesn't make any sense, since Pressure Bleeding puts the brake fluid in Compression, just like stepping on the pedal!

 

Does this work by only doing it on one bleeder?.....or do you have to connect it to each of the four bleeders one at a time?

Thanks,

CB

 

I'm not sure that this is going to get all the air out of the system. It'll likely clear the lines of any air, but it's not going to get the air out of the brake cylinders/calipers. Take a good look at your drum cylinders or disk calipers. If the hose going to the master cylinder is lower than the bleeder on the caliper or drum cylinder, you WILL NOT get all of the air out of the cylinder/caliper. In any correctly installed system, the bleeder valve is at the highest spot. Even though you're pushing fluid into the bleeder, this goofy thing from WalMart or wherever he got it, will not cause the laws of physics to pause, nor will it cause gravity to sleep. Any air in the cylinder/caliper will do it's damndest to stay above the level of the fluid. Try it if you want, but I think you'll still have some air in 'yer wheels.

 

Not a "Goofy Thing from Wal Mart" but a serious tool that I have seen many Pro Race Car builders use as well as Performance Machine's (Harley Brake manufacturers) R&D dept use.
http://www.phoenixsystem.com/products_by_type/brake_bleeders/v12_brake_bleeder.htm

 

Just fire up the engine, hook up a long clear vacuum hose up to manifold vacuum and the bleeder nipple, crack a bleeder, and let the engine suck the air bubbles out!

 

Wife,kid,neighbor,,,,,,pump it,1,2,3,,,hold it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,pump it ad infinitum

 

I have a trigger pull oil can with a goose neck that I use to reverse bleed the clutch cylinder on my BMW. The cylinder is at a strange angle, that traps air, making it just about impossible to bleed any other way!

 

OK, maybe not a goofy thing, but I can't see any way that it is going to get all of the air out of a caliper that has the inlet below the bleeder valve. On my Road King front brakes the inlet to the calipers sit a couple inches lower than the bleeder valves, which are at the very top bleeder. I'd like an explanation of the magic that happens which will cause the air to be removed from the caliper using this suckie/blowie thing. Like I said earlier, I can see it getting all of the air out of the lines, but I highly suspect that you still have to bleed the last bit of air out of the cylinder/caliper using a conventional method.

 

What's that I hear? Dueling banjo's and a little Red Neck Engineering!!! I thought I was cheap!

 

X2 Been using that method for 30 years. I also use the Phoenix bleeder to pull a vacuum when I don't want to start the engine in the shop.

 

I just purchased some speed bleeder valves. I am hoping they make the process easier and a one man job.

 

May not work for everything, but I'm going to find out. Worked the first time on this. I've been using a vacuum puller (pistol grip) and it worked on a few other projects, but not everytime.

For now, I just go to the furthest bleeder from the master cylinder and work my way back to the master cylinder.

For years I wondered about 'reverse bleeding', and EVERYONE told me it was a stupid idea. Now who is laughing? I do!

I'll take this cheap wally world thingy everytime now.

 

Next is the car in my avatar.

 

Reverse bleeding brakes certainly isn't new. On small general aviation airplanes the master cylinder is in the cockpit and the wheel cylinders are a fair distance away and at least a couple of feet (often more) lower than the master cylinder with a couple of "u" shaped bends in the brake line just to make things interesting. Bleeding brakes on these airplanes is often done by reverse bleeding. Most of the guys I know use a new squirt style oil can filled with brake fluid and a clear plastic hose on the end. Obviously the hose needs to be air tight on both the squirt can and the bleeder screws. Crack the bleed screw open, pump fluid until bubbles stop appearing in the fluid in the master cylinder (The master cylinder should have enough fluid in it to cover the inlet port before you start). It works great although you do have to watch the fluid level in the master cylinder so it doesn't overfill.

 

I was thinking this morning about running a line to the master cylinder to draw the fluid from. It would work IF the brake fluid doesn't aerate I guess.

But drawing from what is getting filled could keep the mess down.
But I did see tiny bubbles going through the clear line, or some small particles that looked like small air bubbles. I waited until I couldn't see them anymore, then pushed the fluid through.

I didn't use it if there was a visible air bubble anywhere. If it is in the clear plastic lines before it goes inside the system, it needs to be taken out or you just put more air in. Just like getting a shot in the arm, all the air needs to be out.

I will admit the tool looks a bit cheap, and wonder how long it will last.

 

I tried that on this car last year. I had brakes after 3 pumps. I changed a brake somewhere, and never got them bled. This time I had it ready to go in 5 minutes, of course on this car I only have 2 brakes to deal with.

 

Check valves may not let this tool work for reverse injection. There's not a whole lot of pressure coming out of the gun. Very good point. I don't see how it could.

 

Yeah. But when I need to do mine , only the family dog hangs around, and he just wants to get in the way.

 

Haha... That's how I bleed em!!

 

I can tell you that I had a Harley that we couldn't get to bleed by gravity, Mity Vac, Pump and Bleed - nothing worked. I borrowed the Phoenix from PM and it worked right away. I believe what happens is when you pressurize the system and force fluid through, the air travels right along with it. And since the air always wants to rise, once you've forced it past the dead spots in the caliper, it heads right on our the master. I can't say for sure that is HOW it happens, but I can say for sure that it has worked for me.

 

i like the idea of pushing clean fluid from the master toward the wheels, two days ago i was bleeding an OT pickup and the crap that came out was pretty nasty, i have a pressure bleeder, a multi-vac bleeder, i have people who are around to help but i just use a stick and a couple bungy cords strung through the steering wheel like a bow and arrow, but having said that the next time i'm in a feed store i'll look for a horse syringe, that should hold enough fluid to do back bleeding.

 

i have back bleed for yrs . especially on small systems as in motorcycles . great way to bleed .............. thanks .. steve

 

I do it by myself by placing the vehical up on jack stands if it sits low to the ground, on my truck i don't do that part. I place a plastic or glass container ,about 1qt. size, next to the right rear wheel. Put clean fluid in the container about 2 inches deep. Summerge one end of the bleeder line in it and the other to the bleeder valve. Using a broom handle i sit by the car and push the pedal down about 4 to 6 times watching the bubbles come in to the container. When the bubbles stop i go to the next wheel. Keep checking the master so it don't run dry as you do it. Close off the bleeder valve as you complete each wheel while the end of the bleeder tube is still summerged in fluid or you may let air back in as you remove it. If you put a strip of masking tape on the container and mark a line on it where the fluid is you can watch it go up as you do the bleeding ,then you know you are moving fluid though the lines. Very easy to do,i had to find a way to do it when my kids left home and my wife gave me that "i don't want to help " look.

 

That's the easiest way to bleed motorcycle brakes. I use a kid's medicine syringe with some clear tubing.

 

Use an ejector. Use air pressure to create a vacuum - works nice.

Remember that pump bleeding will mess up a pressure differential switch.

 

Did you know that you can also use a hand held 1 qt garden sprayer. You can change fittings and push it through the MC or push it up from the wheel cly or calipar.

 

I was trying to bleed the brakes in my Shoebox by myself one night with little sucess. I finally broke down and asked my wife to help. She got in and I got underneath and cracked the bleeder open and yelled at her to start pumping. After about 30 seconds I wasnt getting anything I yelled at her to pump. She yelled back that she was. After about another 30 seconds under the car the smell of gas overwhelmed me. She was pumping the gas pedal. I pointed out her error and she told to shove my brakes and went to bed.

 

That may be a do it yourself answer for systems with a combo valve, like my late model Suburban beater. It's just about impossible to pedal bleed those without tripping the safety cutoff in the combo valve. I've never had great luck with gravity bleeds, either, with exception of my current beater - but it's a Chevy van and the master is like 40 inches off the ground.