Any good way to bleed brakes without help?

[Jspafford]

I just took my brakes apart on the B2 and had the front rotors turned to get rid of a shimmy on stopping. The pedal is still spongy so I want to bleed out all the old fluid.

Is there any good way to do this without help.

 

[MAKG]

You can get replacement bleeder screws with a check valve in them. Crack them open, then go to town on the brake pedal.

 

[Hardwareman]

They sell those?

I can count on numerous times those would have been a life saver to me. Where can you get them?




Allen

 

[MAKG]

I've even seen them at Kragen, not generally a place for anything special. I believe Help! sells them, so they are everywhere.

Here's one (a bit pricey for what it is, though):

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=DOR&MfrPartNumber=12707&PartType=909&PTSet=A

 

[Jspafford]

How about these? Any good?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92924

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92474

Other than being harbor freight junk, it is cheap and I don't plan on making a profession out of it.

 

[blue83ranger]

at least on a motorcycle if you just crack the bleeder and keep fluid in the mastercylinder it will bleed itself just using gravity (takes awhile) at least it has worked for me.

 

[MAKG]

Pressure bleeding works with the correct equipment. I don't see why that Harbor Freight stuff won't work, aside from getting tired hands.

Vacuum bleeding does NOT work. You just suck air past the seals, as they were meant to hold off pressure, not vacuum.

 

[WingsOfSaturn]

I use a cut to length 2x4 when my son is too lazy to help or is out chasing girls. Pump up the brakes, place the 2x4 between the seat bottom and the brake pedal. Then open and close the bleeder screw. You can even move the seat back as the pedal gets firmer. This takes a little longer since you dont get that big squirt from the pedal going to the floor but it does work.

 

[sdjr]

at kragen, I bought a plastic tube/collection bottle with attached magnet set up. The magnet hold the bottle above the caliper to the frame rail. open the bleeder, and then just press the pedal until no more air bubble in the tube. Pretty easy, works great. Good luck.

JR

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

You can do just a gravity bleed if you're all alone. Start at the right rear, left rear, right front and then left front letting each bleed till clean fluid comes out.

I like our brake bleeder at work, hook it up the reservoir, attach an air line, set it to about 28-30psi and work your way around bleeding. It tops up the master as you go. Makes quick work of it.

 

[Crash]

El Cheapo

For solo brake bleeding, I use a length of clear tubing about 2' long [or longer] - put it on the bleeder screw, open er up, and start pumping. The length of the tube prevents drawback and since it's clear you can see any of the bubbles.

Works great, and is cheaper than the beer you would have to give your buddy while sits on his ass and pumps the pedal...

 

[nuts&bolts]

GRAVITY! Crack all the bleeders at once, or one at a time. Take the lid off the master cylinder and keep it full. Leave the lid off. I wait for a steady stream of fliud before tightening the bleeder back up. If its being stubburn, usually after replacing all the lines front to back. Jack the front of the vehicle higher in the air or park on a hill. If no fliud comes out the rear bleeders, bleed the proportioning valve. Gravity works for me!

 

[Mark_88]

at kragen, I bought a plastic tube/collection bottle with attached magnet set up. The magnet hold the bottle above the caliper to the frame rail. open the bleeder, and then just press the pedal until no more air bubble in the tube. Pretty easy, works great. Good luck.

JR

I just tried this system from PowerBuilt (bought it at Canadian Tire) and so far I've bled the back brakes in about thirty minutes...just going to do the fronts now...amazing!

I like how the bubbles travel up the tube into the little bottle...progress you can see!

 

[Mark_88]

All done! Only had a few small problems with the Bleed-o-matic system...the hoses provided do not fit the bleeder nipples so I had to improvise with a small chunck of rubber tubing and a connector...

Oh, and the bottle didn't stay on that little screw they provided with the magnet attachment...might write to them to suggest adding the adaptor for larger nipples as well as using a bigger screw to hold the magnet plate onto the bottle...

Otherwise, neat little system...for less than $20...

 

[gnardoom]

I use a cut to length 2x4 when my son is too lazy to help or is out chasing girls. Pump up the brakes, place the 2x4 between the seat bottom and the brake pedal. Then open and close the bleeder screw. You can even move the seat back as the pedal gets firmer. This takes a little longer since you dont get that big squirt from the pedal going to the floor but it does work.

nothing wrong with that method, i move the seat forward and shove a breaker bar in there