The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Brake bleeder kit?

Hi Folks,

Have any of you used the DIY Motive Products Classic Power Bleeder Kit or any of the kits out there? I would like to know if it's worth buying or not? I need to bleed the brakes on my 41, and it's difficult to find someone with the time to help.

Jeff

I've got both the pressure and vacuum bleeder outfits....found it much easier to use some little replacement "speed-bleeders" that replace the stock bleeders in each wheel cylinder.

The beauty of these "speed bleeders" is that you crack them open 1/4 turn, put a hose down into a catch bottle and you (by yourself) can slowly pump the pedal to evacuate all the air. They have a check-ball that keeps them from sucking air back in when you release the pedal.

They can be found in the "HELP" section of most parts suppliers. (AZone, Napa, Discount) priced at $10.00 a pack (2). Take one of your old bleeder screws with you as there are several threads available.

Once you use the "speed bleeders" your pressure and vacuum outfits will gather dust on the shelf.
Hope this helps!

You don't need a kit. Just put a hose on the bleeder screw and stick it into a jar of brake fluid. When the bubbles stop coming out tighten that bleeder and move to the next. I bleed my brakes by myself using this method. With a helper it would be fast.

Tab's procedure is how I do it too.

Though, I don't do it myself. I usually have someone running the pedal while I slide around under the truck.

Tab's procedure works fine, as long as there are no air bubbles in the bleeder line (that might go back into wheel cylinder).

To be sure that air is purged from the bleeder line, the a $4.99 kit from Harbor Freight works great. The diameter of the bleeder line is very small, there are tubing size adapters, and a magnetic collar that allows the bottle to be held near the bleeder. Makes it a cheap, clean, and easy one-person job, wasting very little brake fluid.

Brenden: Yeah, it works like a charm. Since I have nobody to pump the brakes, I push down the peddle several times then wedge a piece of 2x4 between the seat and pedel to keep it down. I then go out and tighten the bleed screw. lol...

tclederman: That's why you put the end of the hose in a jar of brake fluid. Stop pumping when no more bubbles come out. It can't much easier than that.

Jeff, the brakes can be blead without help all you need is a clean coke bottle, a length of tie wire and some vacuum hose that fits the nipple on the bleeder valve.
Use the wire around the top of the bottle so you can hang it under the truck, put about an inch of brake fluid in the bottle,push the vacuum hose into the top of the bottle and into the fluid,put the other end of the hose onto the bleeder nipple.Loosen the valve and pump the brake untill no more bubbles come out the hose tighten the valve and go to the next wheel, top off the master cyl. and do it again.
As long as the hose stays emersed in fluid you should not have to wedge the pedal to the floor as Tab suggested.

I bought the Motive bleeder and I will never go back to the old foot pumping method. Its soooo easy, you can do it your self and instead of all those little bubbles when you pump the pedal the motive kit pushes only fluid. Fill the reserve up and there is no problem with inadvertently running your master cyl. dry because you forgot to check it. Another plus is no wasted fluid. The old way you have to bleed until all the air is out of the fluid, the new system when you get fluid your practically done, no little bubbles.
I used it on a car that pumping would not clear the air but the pressurized system did in a snap.
The cost isn't that much for a tool you will use for a lifetime.
ITS WELL WORTH IT!!!

OK, all you guys that use the coke bottle method- how do you know when there is no more bubbles in a bottle under the truck while you are in the cab pumping? Do you hook your cam-corder up to a monitor?

I use a mity-vac and have had great luck with it. It is especially handy when changing brake fluid. You can pump your master cylinder dry from the top, re-fill with fresh fluid, then suck out the lines until you get clean fluid.

Brake-Bleeders? That's what wives are for.

Well cletis I also use the mighty vac bottle but not the pump, I just look at the level and when I add an inch of fluid to it there aint no bubbles.

Do you pump the brakes first, then wedge it to the floor, then open the bleeder valve, then watch for no more bubbles, then close the valve, then start over again?

Jeff

If you use the new bleeder screws with the check ball in them you won't suck air back into the system. These are avail at most of your neighbor hood FLAPS

Baldbaron: Yes. Pump the pedel several times then wedge the 2x4 (precut to the right length to fit between the front of the seat and the fully depressed brake pedel) between the seat and pedel. Then go back and losen the bleed screw until the fluid comes out. Do this until you see no more bubbles then move to the next wheel. If yer fast you can even do this without the hose and jar. Just make sure that you bleed the farthest wheel from the master cylinder first then work to the nearest wheel.

Oh, if yer worried about the 2x4 hurting yer seat, fold a towel a few times and use that as a cushion.

I guess it's obvious.....there are many different ways to bleed brakes!! And everybody has their favorite method, most that are good and a few that border on dangerous. But the point is....that you're dealing with one of, if not the most critical systems in the automobile. It amazes me how a guy will spend hours trying to get his 2-1 carb setup tuned in, but cut corners when it comes to optimizing his braking. Assuming that the system is free of air is just plain foolhardy.

Without question, the best way to free a system of air is with the pressure can.....push out the old fluid and air and charge it with new fluid. Crack the bleeder and observe the air bubbles being exhausted. Tighten the bleeder valve and you're good to go. Basically, the tried and true method with a twist. My problem with this technique is that for me it's a PIA to get the underfloor lid sealed on the master, make sure it's tight and avoiding the mess of disconnecting and removing the pressure cap from the master. It you're working over the front fender on a fireway mounted master, you've gotta remember that brake fluid is a primo paint destroyer and one missed drop can really screw up any painted surface.

The vacuum bleeder works, but like running a hose to a catch can, opening the bleeder and pumping, AIR IS GOING TO GET SUCKED IN around the bleeder screw threads when you release the pedal. I never really felt like the job was completely done correctly.

With the "speed bleeders" which have a thread sealer already applied to the threads and a check ball and brass seat to keep air from being
sucked back into the system. Attach your catch hose and can, pump down slowly on each wheel in sequence and there will be NO air left in the system. No helper needed but I've used an extra set of eyeballs to verify that all the air was evacuated. Keep it super-simple.

The little women can continue baking her chocolate chip cookies, the sanctity of your shop will be preserved and your brakes will be safe to put on a highway.

Regardless of what system you use, you should take time to educate yourself to the proper methods, and recognize that getting it right the first time....could be a matter of life and death.

You don't need to pump or release the pedal with the mity-vac. You hook the hose to the bleeder then pump a vacuum on the container with a hand pump. On some valves a few tiny bubbles will suck past the valve threads but they are easy to distinguish from air in the lines.

With those speed bleeders,do you have to remove 'em and re-install the regular bleeders,or can you just leave 'em there?
Speed

speed dont get me lyin but i would assume you replace your old bleeder screws with the speed bleeders. if you had to replace them after bleeding you would let air in your system...

Speed bleeders are tightened after the bleeding process and remain in the wheel cylinder.

They can be salvaged from the wheel cylinder and reused. The thread sealant is available should you need it after multiple applications.

As I mentioned earlier, I own both the pressure and vacuum bleeders, have used them both, and find that the speed bleeder let's me bleed the brakes properly without a helper, cuts down on the number of trips under the truck, and creates less potential for problems.

For someone who hasn't ever bled brakes I think that it might be a viable option. But then, that's my own $.02.

This may be a dumb question but when I replace the old bleeders, will all the fluid run out when I put the new speed bleeders in?

Jeff

Not unless yer really slow... But don't worry about it. That fluid should be replaced anyway because it absorbs water which can rust your metal brake lines.