Best one-man brake bleeding product?
- Thread starter Klutch9
- Start date
That’s what I have. Much better than a Mityvac (which I also have).
Better because the Motive pushes the fluid through, and you can see the clear, bubble free fluid and know you’re good, while the Mityvac always has just a few bubbles from air leaking around the bleed screws under vacuum so, unless you wrap Teflon tape around the bleed screws, or some other fiddly step, you don’t get the clear, simple bubble free flow of the Motive.
Better because the Motive can hold one or more liters of fluid, so, you have no chance of running the reservoir dry, while using the Mityvac requires constant checking and topping off the master cylinder reservoir.
The Motive has a hand pump, so no other equipment is required.
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The best one man brake bleed product for me is simply time.
Gravity has been mentioned a couple of times already. For routine fluid changes I fit a short tube, open the bleed screw and let gravity do the work with zero chance of introducing air as long as the reservoir is kept topped up. It's been a little more realistic to use gravity bleeding since the advent of the new low viscosity brake fluids for obvious reasons. Rear brakes are still slow because of the longer fluid path but fronts are not so bad.
On a motorcycle with a greater vertical height between the reservoir and the caliper plus a very short fluid path, gravity bleeding works even better. I wouldn't think of doing it any other way.
Gravity has been mentioned a couple of times already. For routine fluid changes I fit a short tube, open the bleed screw and let gravity do the work with zero chance of introducing air as long as the reservoir is kept topped up. It's been a little more realistic to use gravity bleeding since the advent of the new low viscosity brake fluids for obvious reasons. Rear brakes are still slow because of the longer fluid path but fronts are not so bad.
On a motorcycle with a greater vertical height between the reservoir and the caliper plus a very short fluid path, gravity bleeding works even better. I wouldn't think of doing it any other way.
You guys have no idea how stupid hard it can be to bleed brakes until you have serviced a 65 through 82 Corvette. You have to pressure bleed. Motive Bleeder for the win!
4WD
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The best 1 man method for me is named Donna …
I tried the drilled lid method once, but air leaked out of the cap as quickly as I could get in it. I suspect that this method only works in the older style metal caps.
I've used a vacuum bleeder for years. It requires compressed air to work. My concern with a pressure bleeder is it can run dry and introduce air into the system. Of course, I've accidently intro'd air into the braking system of my current car. Had to have my local indie shop fix it. I now place an LED light behind the reservoir so that I can monitor the brake fluid level.
For DIY'ers - just an empty Gatorade or similar bottle and a lenght of clear tubing that fits tight over bleed nipple.
Just make sure the tubing runs UP a few (6-8) inches from the nipple before it goes down into the bottle to prevent air going back into brake line. Having used a thin reversible ratcheting box wrench makes huge difference too.
Just make sure the tubing runs UP a few (6-8) inches from the nipple before it goes down into the bottle to prevent air going back into brake line. Having used a thin reversible ratcheting box wrench makes huge difference too.
Best? Maybe. YMMV.
Brake Bleeding Made Easier With Speedi-Bleed Brake Bleeder Tool
Save time & hassle with the Speedi-Bleed pressure brake bleeder. Firmer pedal & cleaner fluid. Discover just how easy bleeding brakes can be.www.speedibleed.com
Do you have any experience with these?
I had a Gunson that was based on the same principle, but the execution was poor. The reservoir cap was fussy, and the air chuck/hose leaked. But when it did work, it worked well.
I replaced it with the Motive, and it's fine, but nothing I can get excited about. The repurposed garden sprayer body is too large for a DIYer who's not bleeding a fleet of cars, and like garden sprayers, I expect the pressure pump to eventually fail sooner rather than later.
Wish there was something in between the consumer-grade stuff and profesioonal-grade stuff, like the bleeders that have diaphragm chambers.
It's not rocket science. I'd be willing to pay for something that was made with quality parts all-around, and no signs of finite durability. Rather than an assemblage of cheap parts, many of them repurposed.
Just ordered the Motive bleeder. Thanks for all the input.
Which one did you end up ordering?
I'm looking at the universal one (0101 possibly), but am not sure if it will work with my Hondas.
The 0107 3-tab kit for Fords (and works on many newer Asian vehicles, my Kia included).
This is the same thing I do. Works great.
I use a Motiv and it is OK. I needed to go through it and replumb it so it would actually hold pressure. It's an older model, so maybe the newer versions are better.
The best one-man bleeder I ever used was given to me by the widow of a retired LaSalle mechanic. He had loaned it to me several times before he died, so I had been educated in its use. I still have it and consider rebuilding it and putting it back into service.
It's really simple, being a terne metal plated cylinder about 3 inches in diameter. It has caps soldered on both ends that are tapped for 1/4 inch pipe fittings. The bottom fitting is plugged and there's a curved steel hose adapter that is soldered to the lower part of the cylinder. The hose goes to a special connector that in turn goes to the brake master cylinder reservoir. He had adapters for LaSalle, Nash and Cadillac, all single cylinder type. I bought an adapter for Delco double master cylinders.
There is an air pressure regulator with gauge plumbed into the upper pipe fitting, and that connects to an industrial interchange air fitting. The regulator has a maximum setting of 25 PSI. The regulator unscrews, and that is where fresh brake fluid is poured in. It holds just over a quart.
The major drawbacks to that bleeder are that it has to be kept super clean inside, the inside isn't visible, and it's impossible to know how much fluid remains inside. But I never bled any car that needed more than a quart. Eventually, I had to clean it out using the brute force method, using brake fluid, ball bearings and a lot of shaking.
The best one-man bleeder I ever used was given to me by the widow of a retired LaSalle mechanic. He had loaned it to me several times before he died, so I had been educated in its use. I still have it and consider rebuilding it and putting it back into service.
It's really simple, being a terne metal plated cylinder about 3 inches in diameter. It has caps soldered on both ends that are tapped for 1/4 inch pipe fittings. The bottom fitting is plugged and there's a curved steel hose adapter that is soldered to the lower part of the cylinder. The hose goes to a special connector that in turn goes to the brake master cylinder reservoir. He had adapters for LaSalle, Nash and Cadillac, all single cylinder type. I bought an adapter for Delco double master cylinders.
There is an air pressure regulator with gauge plumbed into the upper pipe fitting, and that connects to an industrial interchange air fitting. The regulator has a maximum setting of 25 PSI. The regulator unscrews, and that is where fresh brake fluid is poured in. It holds just over a quart.
The major drawbacks to that bleeder are that it has to be kept super clean inside, the inside isn't visible, and it's impossible to know how much fluid remains inside. But I never bled any car that needed more than a quart. Eventually, I had to clean it out using the brute force method, using brake fluid, ball bearings and a lot of shaking.
One way hydraulic valve (amazon) with the hose going into the Gatorade bottle with fluid to cover the hose. Zip tie a magnet to the bottle and set the bottle above the caliper. The instructions say to use the two man method until the valve is primed, but it isn't necessary. The valve speeds up the evacuation of old fluid and the entire caliper is done in 5 pumps.
