1 Man Brake Bleed

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I just saw a video on youtube and checked some forums, not sure about it so figured I'd post here and see.
The video is a 1 man brake bleed using a tube connected to the bleeder that is submerged in brake fluid. The guy pumps the brakes about 10X, and then closes the bleeder. Idea is that no air will be sucked back in, just brake fluid. Will this method work?
 
I think it may work. If I don't have a fluid extractor I may try this method. But I would keep the pedal down for a minute after the first pump because the air in the tube is pumped into the brake fluid in the container, also I would pump 4-5 times then top off the brake reservoir then pump another 4-5 times.
 
I used to use a jar with the hose submerged in fluid.
I had one of the "bullworker" exercise contraptions.

I would load the pedal with the bullworker..then go out and loosen the bleeder..the bull worker pushed the pedal down...expelling the air ridden fluid.
Tighten bleeder...go back in and remove the bullworker so the pedal came up then load it again with the bullworker.
Repeat until happy.
Only took a few minutes actually...and sure beat having a stomper for a helper.

Even if you dont capture the fluid in a jar I still recommend at least having a hose...what happens is the helper lets the pedal come back up a little anyway..thus sucking air back in..if you have a hose..it will hold fluid and it will get sucked back in rather than air.

The bullworker eliminated that problem...I miss it
 
Yes it can work, but better yet is to have a one-way valve in the tube.

They are sometimes sold with a Ball Valve OR.....Mke your own.

You can cut a length of surgical rubber tube, plug one end with a bolt ( this will also hep to keep the end down in the fluid in the jar) Then with a sharp blade, about one inch up from the bolt, cut a small slit, lengthwise in the side of the tube.

The slit will act as a quite effective ove way valve as the fluid is pumped out.
But for safety's sake, you may still want to submerg the end of the tube in a little fluid, so that IF anything should get sucked back when you release the Brake pedal, it's Brake fluid, not Air!
 
I've used the one-man brake bottles dozens of times and it seems to work just fine. It's the kind of bottle with a magnet that you attach high in the wheel well and the hose only goes upward from the bleed screw.

The one I have is a "Bleed-O-Matic". It's a piece of junk. The magnet is far too weak (I use a stiff wire and tie it to the coil spring). Also the hose is poor quality and will become rock hard in a year. It needs to be replaced with some clear tubing from the home improvement store. With the modifications it's a usable tool.
 
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They sell these tools at the auto parts store. Been using them for years with just me in the drive way. It has a small check valve in the hose. Very inexpencive around $5.00 at the most. try it youll like it.
 
I've bled brakes and clutches with a bottle and hose for decades and no problems. One trick is the have the bottle higher than the wheel or slave cyl - the fluid and air travel up, the air doesn't get sucked down.
 
Thank you all for the help!
Expat- That bolt and slit idea sounds really neat, I think im going to go with that.

I dont want to get a motive or mityvac since its a total mixed bag with those, either they fit well and work perfectly or they dont work at all. Plus, I would be using it once every 2 years, so not really worth spending $60+ on it.
 
Originally Posted By: old-leroy
I used to use a jar with the hose submerged in fluid.
I had one of the "bullworker" exercise contraptions.

I would load the pedal with the bullworker..then go out and loosen the bleeder..the bull worker pushed the pedal down...expelling the air ridden fluid.
Tighten bleeder...go back in and remove the bullworker so the pedal came up then load it again with the bullworker.
Repeat until happy.
Only took a few minutes actually...and sure beat having a stomper for a helper.

Even if you dont capture the fluid in a jar I still recommend at least having a hose...what happens is the helper lets the pedal come back up a little anyway..thus sucking air back in..if you have a hose..it will hold fluid and it will get sucked back in rather than air.

The bullworker eliminated that problem...I miss it


This is a great idea, just wedge it between the seat and the pedal. I have had similar success with just a jack handle and a piece of metal. place the metal sheet in front of the seat, and move the seat almost all the way forward (this will vary). apply brake pressure by wedging the handle between the metal and the pedal, then go crack your bleeder open for a few seconds until you see the flow slow down in the tube. repeat. Usually about 5 times will get new fluid completely through, and any bubbles come out in the first or second.
 
Thanks,
If I have to come up with something else again..I will probably go for one of those spring loaded poles cut to size and put a block of wood on the seat side that fits over the pole.
I used a clear hose so I could see the quality of the fluid coming out and a glass jar as the weight of it helped it stay put on the ground..Plastic containers were a little more apt to get spilled when hitting the hose etc.

I have used pieces of 2 by 2 as you have used the jack handle and rely on the "spring" of the seat to do the pushing..but sometimes didnt get full strokes of the pedal..so it just took a little longer..but in the end it is proper and I didnt need any help.
I think if a guy had an old gas filled "shock" that is used to keep open hoods, back glass on SUVs etc that still had some life in it he could use one of them as well..would just have to protect the seat with something....The bull worker was perfect as the end of it didnt require anything else to protect the seat.
It was one of those things I used for a month to workout with then got bored with it but had found a much better use for.
 
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Without a one way valve, you can't pump the brakes and bleed them like that.
There is actually no need to have the line submerged in any type of proper bleeding..

A vacuum bleed is cheap , easy, and works great for a one man bleed.
Just make sure your reservoir doesn't get low!
 
Sure you can...I have and at least one other member has done it...but you have to open and close the bleeder by hand as mentioned prior...the spring loaded tool on the inside is merely the "second person"

Also
I already explained the reason for having the lined submerged is to prevent any air from getting pulled back in in the event the brake pedal goes back up a little.....if you are going to capture the fluid then why not go ahead and submerge the hose and be covered all the way around.

Not everyone has "one man bleed" systems thus why offered alternatives that do the exact same thing.

Many have no need in going and spending money for something you may only use once every couple years and take up garage space.

I also use a hose when pushing in the caliper on disk brakes...as the piston flexes back a tad due to the torsional twist of the seal located on the piston itself...if it didnt then the brakes would drag upon release of the pedal.

Therefore I use a hose as when the clamp is released the piston moves back that tad /so it doesn't suck in any air.

If you are going to work on brakes then do it right..it doesn't take any more time nor a sundry of tools to ensure no air is present.
 
I would not buy a fluid extractor, Mityvac 7201 in my case, just to do brake bleeding. I bought it to change oil in the E430 instead of raise the front end, remove the splash panel, remove and re-install the drain plug, re-install the splash panel, lower the car, I just connect 2 hoses then siphon the oil via dipstick tube. No mess and done in abut 10-15 minutes while standing up.

Then I use the fluid extractor to do ATF, PSF and bleed the brake. The cost is fairly high, but it is so useful for several cars, the cost per use is less than $1-2.
 
Originally Posted By: FirstNissan
I just saw a video on youtube and checked some forums, not sure about it so figured I'd post here and see.
The video is a 1 man brake bleed using a tube connected to the bleeder that is submerged in brake fluid. The guy pumps the brakes about 10X, and then closes the bleeder. Idea is that no air will be sucked back in, just brake fluid. Will this method work?


It is that simple and it does work exactly as described. That's the same method I use.

Here's a write-up I did a couple years ago:

Cheapo brake bleeder.
 
Your writeup should almost be a sticky. I have no problems with the various nifty tools out there to help the bleed process, but yours works well in accordance with most FSMs I've read. I think some tool manufacturers have used a few scare tactics with the prevalence of ABS to sell tools that people really don't need, as much as they might be very nice to have.
 
I've been using a rather simple one-man brake bleeding system for years with no problems. I crack open the bleeder screw just a bit (about a quarter turn), attach a hose and pump away. Pressure from pumping the brake pedal forces a good amount of fluid out, and restriction from the cracked open bleeder screw prevents too much fluid from being slurped back in. The fluid gets refreshed and there is no air introduced by this method.
 
Originally Posted By: Kestas
I've been using a rather simple one-man brake bleeding system for years with no problems. I crack open the bleeder screw just a bit (about a quarter turn), attach a hose and pump away. Pressure from pumping the brake pedal forces a good amount of fluid out, and restriction from the cracked open bleeder screw prevents too much fluid from being slurped back in. The fluid gets refreshed and there is no air introduced by this method.


I have tried many "simple" one man brake bleeding apparatuses on my truck. I always get air in the system. There are only 2 things that work efficiently for me. The 2 man pump-and-hold method, and my pressure bleeder. I have a Mityvac hand pump, but it is slow and I suck more air than fluid.
 
I do the one man flush method all the time.
I use a turkey baster to suck as much fluid out of the master as I can with out letting it run dry. Then I top off the master with fresh fluid.
Next, I use a prybar wedged between the brake pedal and the seat all the way forward for the first 2 pumps, and open then close the bleeder til the clear tubing is full of fluid, and submurssed in fluid in a water bottle, so it can't suck in air. Then I top off the master, open the bleeder and pump the pedal 5-10x, and check the master again. I repeat this process til the fluid in the tube is clear, and clean.
Then I move on to the next bleeder, til i'm done.
I've done this process several times with great success.
Just make sure that the key is off when you do this so the fluid will just get pushed through the abs actuator, as if the car doesn't have abs.
 
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