Let's talk one man brake bleeder

[Gpaw44]

In searching for 1 man brake bleeding instructions I found the replly below undera thread tiled, How to do a Buba Brake bleeding. Checking to see if my thinking is on the right track!

As long as the end of hose from the Wheel Cylinder going into the bottle is submersed in fluid air will not be sucked back into the Wheel Cylinder before you can tighten the WC valve. Is this correct? Thanks in advance!

"I use a plastic water bottle with a clear plastic tube and that is it.
One end of the tube goes onto the bleeder and one end goes inside the bottle.
Remove the master cylinder lid, and top off the brake fluid. Open the first bleeder and once you see it gravity bleeding, just pump the pedal a half dozen times.
Check the levels in the MC and repeat as necessary."

 

[Gpaw44]

I found the answer I was looking for. The clear tubing should arc higher than the bleeder valve so the fluid stays in the line near the valve and air can't be sucked back in when the brake pedal is released. Here is a very good video on showing a one man brake bleeding procedure.

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[WebMonkey]

In searching for 1 man brake bleeding instructions I found the replly below undera thread tiled, How to do a Buba Brake bleeding. Checking to see if my thinking is on the right track!

As long as the end of hose from the Wheel Cylinder going into the bottle is submersed in fluid air will not be sucked back into the Wheel Cylinder before you can tighten the WC valve. Is this correct? Thanks in advance!

"I use a plastic water bottle with a clear plastic tube and that is it.
One end of the tube goes onto the bleeder and one end goes inside the bottle.
Remove the master cylinder lid, and top off the brake fluid. Open the first bleeder and once you see it gravity bleeding, just pump the pedal a half dozen times.
Check the levels in the MC and repeat as necessary."

i use a peanut butter jar with a hole drilled in the lid.
the hole in the lid is tight enough on the hose to keep it from moving.
1 'coil' of hose is submerged in fluid in the jar.

when brakes, with air in the line, are applied the air bubbles up and 'out' of the fluid.
fluid, sans air, is drawn back into the hose.

works well for a one man show.

'monkey

 

[YakkoWarner]

I've never been able to get a solo bleed system to work - I can keep air from being drawn back in through the hose, but short of gooping up all around the bleeder threads theres no way to keep air from just getting sucked in past the threads.

I spent DAYS trying to get the air out of hydraulic clutch once fighting with that - eventually just removed the slave cylinder and let it hang with the bleeder pointing straight up, just dumping fluid in thru the top until it dripped out the bottom clean/clear. Messy and wasteful but it was the only thing that worked.

I'd love to try once of those aircraft-style brake servicing systems that pumps fluid in through the bleed valve and reverse-feeds the whole system forcing air to surface out thru the master. Only problem is anything made for aircraft is not affordable to any actual human being.

 

[Frankenchevy]

I’ve had success using a vacuum pump on the brake bleeder to pull fluid through the circuit.

You do need to put a small amount of grease or otherwise on the outside of the threads almost like you are finger tooling a caulked joint. See very professionally drawn image below. Yellow is the bleeder, blue is the grease shoulder wiped around the circumference of the bleeder to bridge the bleeder to the wheel cylinder/caliper.

You must be registered for see images attach

This keeps the air from being drawn in, but won’t introduce grease into the brake fluid (at least it hasn’t ever been a problem in my experience). Added benefit is that it may help the bleeder from seizing a little bit.

You keep the bleeder closed, build pressure with the vacuum pump, crack the bleeder open, watch the fluid/bubbles flow, then retighten the bleeder. So, basically the same process as a two man job, but you are replacing building pressure by pumping the brake pedal with building pressure by pumping the vacuum pump.

 

[straydog371]

I use a "Motive Power Bleeder"

Brake Bleeder Kits

Shop the original one-person power brake bleeder kits, trusted by pros and DIYers since 1998. Kits for domestic, European, import, classic & racing vehicles — bleed brakes solo in minutes.

www.motiveproducts.com

Picked it up on Amazon for around $80.
Plenty of YouTube videos showing how to use it.

 

[idahovette]

@Frankenchevy keep the day job ........lol....actually not a bad rendition............now, go wash 1 of your trucks

 

[Ricko1966]

I've never been able to get a solo bleed system to work - I can keep air from being drawn back in through the hose, but short of gooping up all around the bleeder threads theres no way to keep air from just getting sucked in past the threads.

I spent DAYS trying to get the air out of hydraulic clutch once fighting with that - eventually just removed the slave cylinder and let it hang with the bleeder pointing straight up, just dumping fluid in thru the top until it dripped out the bottom clean/clear. Messy and wasteful but it was the only thing that worked.

I'd love to try once of those aircraft-style brake servicing systems that pumps fluid in through the bleed valve and reverse-feeds the whole system forcing air to surface out thru the master. Only problem is anything made for aircraft is not affordable to any actual human being.

Those aren't just for aircraft,you can buy them at NAPA we had one at the shop I worked at,we got it late 80s. It was for shop use I never used it. Not because it doesn't work,because I'm a hard head and did things the way I'd always done them. Twice on clutches I've put a piece of vacuum hose on the bleeder hook it to manifold vacuum started the vehicle and cracked the bleeder,when the idle changed I tightened my bleeder. I think it would work fine on calipers and wheel cylinders too,but you'd need 900ft of vacuum tubing.

 

[Frankenchevy]

@Frankenchevy keep the day job ........lol....actually not a bad rendition............now, go wash 1 of your trucks

I didn’t think it was half bad for a fat finger in the notepad app on my phone. You get what you pay for I guess.

 

[Camar068]

I used the gravity method.

 

[Grit dog]

Those aren't just for aircraft,you can buy them at NAPA we had one at the shop I worked at,we got it late 80s. It was for shop use I never used it. Not because it doesn't work,because I'm a hard head and did things the way I'd always done them. Twice on clutches I've put a piece of vacuum hose on the bleeder hook it to manifold vacuum started the vehicle and cracked the bleeder,when the idle changed I tightened my bleeder. I think it would work fine on calipers and wheel cylinders too,but you'd need 900ft of vacuum tubing.

Dammit Rick, that is the most resourceful and creative auto repair (the kids today call it a hack…lol) procedure I’ve heard of in a while!

 

[bucket]

Those aren't just for aircraft,you can buy them at NAPA we had one at the shop I worked at,we got it late 80s. It was for shop use I never used it. Not because it doesn't work,because I'm a hard head and did things the way I'd always done them. Twice on clutches I've put a piece of vacuum hose on the bleeder hook it to manifold vacuum started the vehicle and cracked the bleeder,when the idle changed I tightened my bleeder. I think it would work fine on calipers and wheel cylinders too,but you'd need 900ft of vacuum tubing.

That manifold vacuum idea is pure genius!

We had a power bleeder at the shop. The kind that would pressurize the reservoir. I hated that thing with a passion. Way too much potential for a BIG mess. I never used it. My coworker loved it though... and he often made a BIG mess, lol.

 

[bucket]

I've never been able to get a solo bleed system to work - I can keep air from being drawn back in through the hose, but short of gooping up all around the bleeder threads theres no way to keep air from just getting sucked in past the threads.

I spent DAYS trying to get the air out of hydraulic clutch once fighting with that - eventually just removed the slave cylinder and let it hang with the bleeder pointing straight up, just dumping fluid in thru the top until it dripped out the bottom clean/clear. Messy and wasteful but it was the only thing that worked.

I'd love to try once of those aircraft-style brake servicing systems that pumps fluid in through the bleed valve and reverse-feeds the whole system forcing air to surface out thru the master. Only problem is anything made for aircraft is not affordable to any actual human being.

With the clutch slave removed and positioned with the line inlet at the highest point, simply manually push in the pushrod. It will force all the air up and out of the master cylinder reservoir.

 

[CalSgt]

Dammit Rick, that is the most resourceful and creative auto repair (the kids today call it a hack…lol) procedure I’ve heard of in a while!

Kinda funny term, when I was younger “Hack” is how we referred to lazy or incompetent tradesmen.

 

[Trucksareforwork]

At this point I have tried them all. Right now my favorite is a compressor driven vacuum bleeder. I have one from harbor freight. As long as you have good air supply to it, you can set it and let it suck for a while… it pulls all the fluid through and I’ve had good results on pedal feel.

I have a power bleeder but always make a mess with it. It is no longer my go to method.