Gravity bleed for brakes?

[Soma07]

Anyone else bleed their brakes this way? I just attach a clear piece of hose to the bleeder screw, open it ~1/2 a turn and gravity pushes the fluid out on its own, no pumping needed. Once all the bubbles are out I close the valve and I'm done.

Just wondering if there is anything wrong with this method? I've never heard of anyone else doing it this way... My dad (ASE mechanic) showed me this way a few years ago and I've been doing it ever since with no problems. The pedal feels fine even during hard use (autocrossing).

Thanks!

 

[Ken4]

Is your car hoisted off the ground and you're using a long plastic tube??

 

[Soma07]

Nope, the car is just sitting on jackstands and the tube is maybe 2ft long.

 

[Bill A]

Yep it works. I have a a Mazda 626, and I screwed up while bleeding the brakes, let the level fall too low in the master cylinder and air got into the lines. I couldn't bleed the brakes by pumping the pedal since there was so much air in the lines. I went looking for one of those one man vacuum brake bleeders at a local auto parts place, and one of the counter guys suggested gravity bleeding. I was skeptical, but thought, hey nothing to lose. I put a hose on a rear wheel, and let it bleed into a jar. Fifteen minutes later and several ounces of fluid later, I was able to finish bleeding the rest of the car.

 

[digitaldrifter91]

even if u have air in the lines u can get it out by pumping...what u do is close the screw and then pump the brakes a couple of times, then release it..do it until u see almost little or no air...then go back to the oppisite side and oppisite end of the car and do it there. do this process a few times and repeat. hehe one heck of a flush just keep that fluid level up. that happend to my car..only took about 25 mintues to get all the air out of my system. its a good idea i think to actually pump the oil out of their instead of letting it drain..i think there is still older oil and basically pouring new fluid in there and pumping it out will get rid of the oil.

btw oil i mean brake fluid =)

 

[Soma07]

quote:

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Originally posted by metroplex:
wouldn't moisture get into the brake fluid via the threads in the screw?

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I'm not sure I understand your question...

FWIW the bleed screw isn't loosened anymore than normal so I cant see it being any better or worse in that aspect.

Jason

 

[metroplex]

wouldn't moisture get into the brake fluid via the threads in the screw?

 

[Touringpro]

Gravity bleeding works just fine. The only drawback is the fact that in a lot of cases it takes forever

I just finished completely replacing the brakes on my '81 Vette today (rotors, calipers, pads, lines, hoses and master cylinder) and this time I pressure bled using a pump made from an insect sprayer (I got the idea here ) and those indespensible little wonders Speed Bleeders . Took 15 minutes and the pedal is rock hard.

 

[UncleS2]

TouringPro, shame on you! Here I was, perfectly happy with my SpeedBleeders, & now I'm gonna be miserable until I make myself a pressure unit!

Thanks for the link, I put it on the Favorites list.

I suspect it'll work with a Dodge/Chrysler replacement MC cap, too. Spring's coming soon, gotta watch for small pump sprayers on sale!

 

[jason07-1zzfe]

I like the pressure bleeder too. Except I bought mine pre-made for ~$10 more. I guess I'm lazy

I do need to buy another cap and fitting so I can use it on the Jimmy though. The one I bought was for BMW.

 

[digitaldrifter91]

i like brake cleaner, it dries very fast. hehe usefull for oil stains on driveways

 

[cousincletus]

This is a little off subject, but when doing a brake job on drum brakes, try using the garden hose instead of brake cleaner to clean off the dust. I think it works better. Then dry with the leaf blower before putting everything back together.