Speed Bleeders - worth it?

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Are Speed Bleeders worth it? I've searched and some say they are more fragile than typical brake bleeders, but I figure I should be fine as long as I don't torque them down to 80,000 hojillion ft lbs and follow the torque spec in the service manual. Other than that, any thoughts? Do they make one-man brake bleeding possible? I can get two pairs for about $20 from AAP after discount codes, so they are relatively inexpensive.
 
If you install speed bleeders on 4 vehicles, the cost is about the same as Mityvac 7201. I can also do oil, ATF, PSF ... with Mityvac for 4 cars.
 
I have them on my Mazda 3 and found that bleeding brakes is a one man job with them. I like that they are brass as my original steel bleeders were starting to rust on the brake fluid side.
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I don't worry about torqueing them down too much. Snug tight is all you need.

I now use a mity-vac knock-off to bleed brake fluid, so the speedbleeders are not really necessary; but at least they won't rust.
 
If you gotta replace the bleeders anyhow, I'd use em, did once.

But a Mityvac is easier in alot of ways, and more useful.
 
I think so. I put them on my pickup about 8 years ago for the price you stated, and have probably flushed the fluid 3 or 4 times since then. They have more than paid for themselves in simplifying the job and in the time they've saved my wife.

I have no experience with a Mityvac, but never felt the desire for one either. I have two transmissions and a diff with drain plugs, and a hand pump for p/s.
 
I prefer a Mityvac, or a knock off for less $ than the bleeders.
The seals on the bleeders has to be perfect, or the upstroke can suck air back in.
When operating right, SBs work great. After sitting for years installed on a car, I would have doubts about those seals. It's an area of concern. Probably OK, but that's me.

Either method can produce great quick bleeding.
 
I tried them once on a Ford truck - they worked OK. Don't worry about valve failure (if they fail, it means you'll get a bad bleed, with air coming back in...they seal the same as regular bleeders...).

The hard part for me was this - I can't see the fluid coming out if I am pushing on the pedal, so how do I know when there's no air? I tried routing the tube up over the frame to keep it filled, but bubbles propagate up...so, I ended up with a helper anyway.

The Mityvac works OK for bleeding, but tends to suck air into the line from around the bleeder threads, so, again, determining when the air is purged is difficult at times.

Best thing I've found for bleeding is the Easybleed - but the pressure cap only fits on my Euro Cars, not the 2 Toyotas. So, for those 2 cars, I am back to the helper method, like I was 30 years ago...
 
Originally Posted By: Astro14
I tried them once on a Ford truck - they worked OK. Don't worry about valve failure (if they fail, it means you'll get a bad bleed, with air coming back in...they seal the same as regular bleeders...).

The hard part for me was this - I can't see the fluid coming out if I am pushing on the pedal, so how do I know when there's no air? I tried routing the tube up over the frame to keep it filled, but bubbles propagate up...so, I ended up with a helper anyway.

The Mityvac works OK for bleeding, but tends to suck air into the line from around the bleeder threads, so, again, determining when the air is purged is difficult at times.

Best thing I've found for bleeding is the Easybleed - but the pressure cap only fits on my Euro Cars, not the 2 Toyotas. So, for those 2 cars, I am back to the helper method, like I was 30 years ago...

It sucks air from the bleeder threads along with old brake fluid into the container, no air get back into brake line.
 
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
Any truth to the claim that speed bleeder valves can fail? If they do, that would be really bad.


I don't see any way they could.

Even if the mechanism failed, they still wouldn't leak. Once they're screwed in the fluid's path is blocked, just like a regular bleeder.
 
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They work alright if you only have one vehicle. I bought the mityvac brake bleeder that hooks up to my compressor and I love it. Makes it a one person job and can use it on any vehicles.
 
HTSS_TR - uh, yeah, I get that no air is entering the system when I use the MityVac...it's a vacuum pump...basic physics.

What I said, and my point: I can't tell when all the air is purged from the lines. There is never a clean flow of bubble-free fluid.

When you replace a caliper or Master Cylinder, there is a lot of fluid to be moved before the air is completely purged from the system...So, how do I know I am done?
 
I ended up getting some Speed Bleeders from AAP with discount code. How do I install these bleeders? Just remove the old bleeders and install the speed bleeders, tightening to torque spec? Won't brake fluid leak out when I remove a bleeder, or am I misunderstanding something?
 
Originally Posted By: Towncivilian
I ended up getting some Speed Bleeders from AAP with discount code. How do I install these bleeders? Just remove the old bleeders and install the speed bleeders, tightening to torque spec? Won't brake fluid leak out when I remove a bleeder, or am I misunderstanding something?


Just put them in. If you want, leave it a quarter turn loose and pump the pedal to bleed them. So little fluid comes out when you change bleeders that it will not make a real difference.
 
Just remove the old ones and replace with the Speed Bleeders.

Since you might let some air into the system, this is the perfect time to try them out. Get a piece of clear tubing (1/4" maybe?) and some brake fluid, and speed-bleed away.
 
FWIW I put my 2000 Cobra R brake setup on my Mustang last weekend, and the Speed Bleeders made the job so easy. I had the fronts bled in about 5 minutes after bolting on the calipers and hoses.
 
Ive had mine for years on the Neon. When I head to the racetrack, I can bleed my brake system between track sessions in less than 10 minutes by myself. I use the speed bleeder bag when bleed my brakes, as it makes it very easy to see when the new fluid has made it thru the system.
 
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