The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk A "must have" luxury tool!

I'm doing a 4 wheel brake job on my '54 6500. I got down to where I needed to bleed the brakes today and talked my boss into letting me bring home our BG Brake Flush machine to do it. It's a fancy power bleeder more or less. It pumps brake fluid into the top of the master under pressure and catches it at the bleeders with a vacuum hose. First attempt and I had perfect pedal without loosing a drop on the floor. For the heck of it, I really put some pressure to the pedal and blew a line where I didn't see that it had rusted. I repaired the line and cleaned up the mess and re-power bled it. In about 15 minutes, perfect pedal again, no mess.

I'm so impressed, I'm taking my other trucks to work to power bleed them in hopes of getting a better pedal. I'll be on the look out for a cheaper DIY'ers model to buy for at home. I'll never go back to the "pump and hold" two man way of bleeding brakes, especially on the PITA AD truck brakes.
Just thought I would pass along a tech tip for anyone who cares,
Scott

I hate using that machine at work. Mainly because the pay is too little. I've done a couple of disc brake conversions on 1966 Mustangs and for bleeding brakes it is a very useful tool. Sure beats pumping and holding. It turns a 2 person job in to one.

A Mighty Vac works almost as well and only costs $30 at Harbor Freight.

I used "Speed Bleeders" on my '50, 3604 Huck brakes and they are as solid as a rock, a one man operation and fast. The only down side is having to see when the fluid runs clear and having to keep an eye on the fluid level Also the set becomes a permanent part of the brake system. Figure on droppin' about $25 for a set, so if it’s a one shot brake job your fine. If on the other hand your doing a bunch of brake work you are no doubt better of with a more professional set up.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Where did you purchase the speed bleeders? Who makes or sells them?

We borrowed a bleeder from our local parts store and I think Jeff spent more time re-building the thing than it would have taken to just do it the old way.

Those Speed Bleeders sound pretty interesting though.

I'll bet a search for a past discussion of speed bleeders will yield some good results. I never heard of them until reading a forum here. I bought mine at O'Reilly's.

Although it is possible to turn brake bleeding into a one person job, I found it more like a "one person and a helping son" job. Like Denny said, you have to watch the reservoir level and when things run clear at the brake.

Brad, I see that Speed Bleeder has a website, but I'm certain I bought mine locally. I went to the FLAPS and found it in their selection of items marked HELP! I'm sure you've seen these items before- things like springs, bumpers, handles, etc. As I recall, mine were HELP! bleeders, sold in pairs.

Bill

You make an excellent point. I've repaired two "blown" brake lines on my 38 that rusted at contact points until they couldn't hold the pressure. We all need to inspect our brake lines, especially where they are in contact with clips or frame components, for rust or wear. It's always better to make a mess in the garage than on the road.

Bah Humbug. All that new fangled stuff takes the fun out of a wonderfully messy job. And if you use those "one man" machines what do you use your wife for? I'll stick with the old time method and put that $$$ to good use on my vintage Air.

I will vouch for the "Speed Bleeders". Not really new fangled much at all. Just bleeder screws with thread sealant and a one-way valve. Been around for a long time.

I have them on my Mazda which runs road courses where I brake from 120mph to 35mph in 100ft etc., 3 to 5 times a lap. Brakes take a beating, much more than any stovebolt could dish out. I use the speedbleeders as you have to keep fresh fluid in the wheel cylinders, so you bleed the brakes about every 500 miles or so. I run 12" vented discs on all four corners with hats, 4 pot Wilwood calipers on the front, RX-7 calipers on the back, with race pads it will just about jerk your front teeth out.

I plan to put a set of speed bleeders on my Silverado next brake job.

I will admit, there is a certain quality to have the wife, girlfriend, or what not out to help bleed the brakes, but for pure functionality, they are better for other stuff and the speedbleeders are good for bleeding brakes.

Oh, and by the way:

http://www.speedbleeder.com/

i've had a motive power bleeder for years. one of the better tools i've owned. works on hyd clutches as well...

they're a very simple and efficient tool. kind of like a pump up weed sprayer..


[img]http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:Q_63plFQnOI66M:http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/ImagesProcedures/PowerMotiveBrakeBleeder.gif[/img]

Here\'s the tool that I used. Works great, but it took some time to configure a master cylinder adapter to seal to an AD master that's still under the floor.
Just so you all know,
Scott

In fact they're so similar that there are plans all over the place to build your own using exactly that:

http://www.bmw-m.net/TechProc/bleeder.htm

Brad, I think your question was answered, but they are at most of the FLAPS on the “HELP” displays. Problem is they might not be the right ones for your truck. R-bo has provided you with a link to their site. They have listings for every model vehicle.
I just drive down and pick them up, they have a shop set up on a farm about 10 miles south of me in Newark IL. It’s a small mom and pop operation but that’s all they do and they have a good distribution system setup.
Looks a might bit expensive for a one time user Scott, tried to get a price but after 10 min. trying to access their site I gave up.

Robin, tks, that’s a nice little set up, easy to make and handy to have around, looks just like the setup that Evette posted.

Big, your absolutely correct, I’ve still gotta bribe my “Big old wife” into watching the catch bottle for clear fluid while I pump and watch the fluid level. I tried using a mirror but the bubbles are to small to see with out binoculars.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

At my house, it won't be a one time use. Besides, I have "free" access to one. I was just stating how nice of a tool it was, wasn't recommending a personal shop to buy one. Maybe one could be rented. With a little inginuity, some one could easily make one,
Scott

I use a glass quart canning jar (ball brand - I think) at the end of a hose connected to my bleeder screw. Just put some brake fluid in the bottom of the jar and keep the master cylinder full. Pump away on the peddle.

Works for me.

I never cared for the power bleeding systems. If you have a leak it makes them a bigger one, and a mess to clean up. Although it would be nice wiuth the small master chevy provided for the big trucks and to use when you have a hydro-vac in the system. We just let gravity do most of the work. We didnt mind the 2 guy thing, but it is hard on the thread of the master having to refill it all the time.

i may look into one it sure would be handy

The BMW guy says 15 - 20psi for bleeding. Does this pressure apply to our brake systems too? I'd hate to over pressure and blow out a cylinder.

Bill

15PSI isn't even enough pressure to overcome the brake return springs holding the shoes back. Brake pressures are hundreds of PSI, this machine won't hurt a thing. BMW's have plastic and aluminum masters and our AD's have cast iron masters, couldn't hurt them if you wanted too, lol,
Scott

I agree with oldbluetruck. Use a jar, hose and pump away. Kinda keeps things in the vintage spirit around the garage.