Bleeding brakes by yourself?

[jay929]

I saw a video of some guy putting tubing in a water bottle filled with some brake fluid and bleeding it himself. No air bubbles cause the tubing goes in the brake fluid. Does it work well or should I just drag my old lady in the garage with me to help

 

[vw7674]

Just remember to wrap the bleeder's threads with teflon tape or you'll introduce air into the caliper/wheel cylinder.

 

[The_Cams]

Yes, it works great. Helps if the tubing is small enough to fit really snug.

 

[ctechbob]

I don't even start with fluid in the bottle. A snug fitting piece of tube, crack the bleeder and make sure the tube goes straight up for several inches. Slowly pump the pedal and you won't pull any air back into the system.

 

[spk2000]

Even better is a vacuum designed to suck oil out the dipstick tubes. Just be careful not to suck too much too fast and get air into the system.

 

[das_peikko]

This thread reminds me that I still need to get a Motive Products bleeder.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Speed bleeders are awesome

 

[Garak]

Gravity bleeding worked fine for me, and I'm glad I tried it. It could have saved a few headaches over the years.

 

[Propflux01]

Originally Posted by vw7674

Just remember to wrap the bleeder's threads with teflon tape or you'll introduce air into the caliper/wheel cylinder.

How do you wrap the threads without removing the bleeder, therefore introducing air?

 

[littlehulkster]

It works, but it's kind of a pain to constantly get in and out of the car to pump the pedal and check the fluid color. Even though it can be done with one, it's easier and quicker with 2.

 

[vw7674]

Originally Posted by Propflux01

Originally Posted by vw7674

Just remember to wrap the bleeder's threads with teflon tape or you'll introduce air into the caliper/wheel cylinder.

How do you wrap the threads without removing the bleeder, therefore introducing air?

You will let a bit of air in when you wrap the bleeders, but it gets chased out with the first few pumps. Some recommend packing grease around the bleeders instead but that just sounds messy in the long run. Gravity bleed is truly the way to go, but you must have drinking fluid to do that, (fifteen minutes per wheel). : )

 

[Big_3_Only]

Last month I bought a Capri Tools Vacuum Brake Bleeder and it is the absolute best 1 man bleeder I've ever used. Flushed my entire brake system by myself in 20 minutes. It was $85 on amazon, which is much more expensive than the $0.00, the gravity fed method costs, but works so much better than anything else I've ever tried. Then I used it to siphon out the old fluid from my power steering reservoir. It's a quality piece, worth every penny.

 

[ctechbob]

Originally Posted by Propflux01

Originally Posted by vw7674

Just remember to wrap the bleeder's threads with teflon tape or you'll introduce air into the caliper/wheel cylinder.

How do you wrap the threads without removing the bleeder, therefore introducing air?

You won't. The Master Cylinder is 99.9% of the time above the brake calipers. As long as there's fluid in the MC and you don't touch the pedal you won't suck any air back into it. I've also never teflon taped the threads. You only crack the bleeder open just enough to let the fluid flow. Any more than that and sure, you'd run the risk of sucking air, but if you don't over do it then there's no problem.

 

[Black_Thunder]

Here's what I use. I bought a couple of these from the local Fleet Farm but its the same kind of bottle etc. i think there is a check valve but into the top of the bottle cap so the fluid goes through into the bottle but doesn't get sucked back when you let off the pressure. https://www.amazon.com/OEMTOOLS-250...hy=9019166&hvtargid=pla-429142200238

 

[CaptainHazelwood]

Pressure bleeders are well worth the cost. I had a speed bleeder shear off not long ago. Will never use them again.

 

[Gasbuggy]

If you have to bleed brakes this is the best investment you'll ever make. Makes doing it by yourself the best method. And the pressure gets rid of the impossible to get out air in some ABS systems.

 

[Lubener]

Originally Posted by jay929

I saw a video of some guy putting tubing in a water bottle filled with some brake fluid and bleeding it himself. No air bubbles cause the tubing goes in the brake fluid. Does it work well or should I just drag my old lady in the garage with me to help

I do the bleeding by myself. I use clear tubing and an empty pop bottle. I put a loop in the tubing and use a specially cut piece of wood which I wedge between the brake pedal (on its way down) and the seat. I then can see if there are any bubbles in the looped tubing before I close the bleeder screw and release the wood. Works better than having a helper who might fidget with the pedal before I tighten everything up.

 

[svhanc]

I have had Speed Bleeders on my vehicles for years. Never had a problem.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted by Garak

Gravity bleeding worked fine for me, and I'm glad I tried it. It could have saved a few headaches over the years.

+1

 

[panthermike]

Originally Posted by Lubener

Originally Posted by jay929

I saw a video of some guy putting tubing in a water bottle filled with some brake fluid and bleeding it himself. No air bubbles cause the tubing goes in the brake fluid. Does it work well or should I just drag my old lady in the garage with me to help

I do the bleeding by myself. I use clear tubing and an empty pop bottle. I put a loop in the tubing and use a specially cut piece of wood which I wedge between the brake pedal (on its way down) and the seat. I then can see if there are any bubbles in the looped tubing before I close the bleeder screw and release the wood. Works better than having a helper who might fidget with the pedal before I tighten everything up.

Hey I like this idea!