One-person Brake Bleeder

[markseven]

I've never used a "one man" or pressure bleeder - which do you prefer? The one man is $5.99 and the pressure is $29.99, both from HF. Should I get either of these?

TIA!

"One man" bleeder:
http://www.harborfreight.com/one-man...kit-37201.html

Pressure bleeder:
http://www.harborfreight.com/brake-f...der-92924.html

[ForcedFirebird]

I tried the one man bleeder, same bottle/package but think I bought it at Advance Auto (have to watch HF, sometimes get the same thing at parts stores for less). It sucked monkey balls. The second pic is a copy of a much better design, just don;t expect the HF parts to last.

I still use the good 'ol gravity bleed. Top the res off, open the bleeder furthest from the master, go have a beer, come back and close. Repeat the other three wheels the same way, then go finish off the last 2 in your six-pack.

[markseven]

I tried the one man bleeder, same bottle/package but think I bought it at Advance Auto (have to watch HF, sometimes get the same thing at parts stores for less). It sucked monkey balls. The second pic is a copy of a much better design, just don;t expect the HF parts to last.

I still use the good 'ol gravity bleed. Top the res off, open the bleeder furthest from the master, go have a beer, come back and close. Repeat the other three wheels the same way, then go finish off the last 2 in your six-pack.

Hey John, thanks for the info. No pumping of the pedal? Just release the bleeder (fully?) and let her drain?

[Massive Lee]

I would still pump the brakes. Air bubbles may want to go up the brakeline, while the fluid goes down by gravity, but perhaps not fast enough to get the bubble along with the fluid.

[ForcedFirebird]

Hey John, thanks for the info. No pumping of the pedal? Just release the bleeder (fully?) and let her drain?

Pretty much. You can also put a vac line on the nipple and dip it into a can of brake fluid and pump the pedal, this way when the pedal comes back up, it will draw fluid from the can, rather than outside air.

The pressure type bleeders are the best. You fill a bottle with fluid and pump it up by hand (some have an air compressor nipple) and it forces the fluid in the lines via the res - then you can go to the desired wheel and release the air/pressure.

Your screen name looks familiar, do I know you from somewhere else? ;)

[markseven]

I would still pump the brakes. Air bubbles may want to go up the brakeline, while the fluid goes down by gravity, but perhaps not fast enough to get the bubble along with the fluid.

Pretty much. You can also put a vac line on the nipple and dip it into a can of brake fluid and pump the pedal, this way when the pedal comes back up, it will draw fluid from the can, rather than outside air.

The pressure type bleeders are the best. You fill a bottle with fluid and pump it up by hand (some have an air compressor nipple) and it forces the fluid in the lines via the res - then you can go to the desired wheel and release the air/pressure.

Thanks guys, I may just enlist the wife and bleed the system the old way.

Your screen name looks familiar, do I know you from somewhere else? ;)

Yessir, we are going to corner the market for 24V shorty headers, remember? :mrgreen:

[ZM Blue Devil]

Does this mean the bbk getting installed????

[StereoInstaller1]

Thanks guys, I may just enlist the wife and bleed the system the old way.

Excess pumping causes air bubbles through cavitation: 2 SLOW pumps at any given time, MAX.

I like pressure bleeders and you can build one for $10 using a bug sprayer from Home Depot and a spare brake fluid reservoir cap.

Bug sprayers don't really like this duty, it will generally die quickly...so do all of your cars at the same time, then be grateful is it ever works again.

[ForcedFirebird]

Excess pumping causes air bubbles through cavitation: 2 SLOW pumps at any given time, MAX.

I like pressure bleeders and you can build one for $10 using a bug sprayer from Home Depot and a spare brake fluid reservoir cap.

Bug sprayers don't really like this duty, it will generally die quickly...so do all of your cars at the same time, then be grateful is it ever works again.

Yup. That's all the pressure bleeders are, and they work far better than pumping.

Albeit there may be a few bubbles in the system when gravity bleeding, generally with both ends of the system open, the bubbles will make their way to the res.

[markseven]

Does this mean the bbk getting installed????

L, plans changed and I am in Lake Havasu right now, heading back to OC this afternoon. The BBK is in a holding pattern for a few weeks. just getting my ducks in a row... ;)

Excess pumping causes air bubbles through cavitation: 2 SLOW pumps at any given time, MAX.

I like pressure bleeders and you can build one for $10 using a bug sprayer from Home Depot and a spare brake fluid reservoir cap.

Bug sprayers don't really like this duty, it will generally die quickly...so do all of your cars at the same time, then be grateful is it ever works again.

I didn't know that two pumps are the best - I knew about the slow movement though.

Yup. That's all the pressure bleeders are, and they work far better than pumping.

Albeit there may be a few bubbles in the system when gravity bleeding, generally with both ends of the system open, the bubbles will make their way to the res.

In what way are pressure bleeders better than pumping? I thought it they are a workaround for a one man operation...

[StereoInstaller1]

I didn't know that two pumps are the best - I knew about the slow movement though.

Actually, 1 is ideal, but painfully slow.

In what way are pressure bleeders better than pumping? I thought it they are a workaround for a one man operation...

Pressure bleeding is generally best overall, no matter if you have help or not. EDIT: This is MY opinion, YMMV.

1. Never gonna lose fluid (I mean, yeah you could mess it up, but you have to work at it)
2. Induces ZERO bubbles
3. EASY to do a full flush
4. will not gunk up ABS systems with "back and forth fluid" of a typical bleeding session.

4. (debatable) for me, I have never ever had to re-bleed brakes, ever, not once. When I have the luxury of pressure bleeding, I get perfect pedal and flawless bleeding every single time, first time, just awesome. However, I have heard of LOTS of guys who hate it for the exact same reasons...dunno.

[markseven]

Actually, 1 is ideal, but painfully slow.



Pressure bleeding is generally best overall, no matter if you have help or not. EDIT: This is MY opinion, YMMV.

1. Never gonna lose fluid (I mean, yeah you could mess it up, but you have to work at it)
2. Induces ZERO bubbles
3. EASY to do a full flush
4. will not gunk up ABS systems with "back and forth fluid" of a typical bleeding session.

4. (debatable) for me, I have never ever had to re-bleed brakes, ever, not once. When I have the luxury of pressure bleeding, I get perfect pedal and flawless bleeding every single time, first time, just awesome. However, I have heard of LOTS of guys who hate it for the exact same reasons...dunno.

Got it. Thank you.

[Adrian_Visser]

Read this arcticle: http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...fluid_1a.shtml

DIY pressure bleeders can apparently force tiny air bubbles into the brake fluid. News to me.

[Rob@UUC]

Hi Mark,

Got your PM, thought it best to reply within this thread to share the information.

That Harbor Freight "one man" bottle looks like nothing more than a catch bottle, the line goes to the caliper bleed nipple and catches the fluid that comes out. I suppose they're expecting you to pump the pedal while the bottle gives you encouragement, hence "one man".

The other product appears to be a pressure bleeder, and is a much better choice. This applies constant pressure from the reservoir, moving fluid through the system. You sit at the caliper end and open/close it as appropriate to get the bubbles out.

As for the "just pump the pedal"... this is the worst advice ever on brake bleeding. You never want to do this, for all the reasons others have listed plus the very high potential of damaging your brake master cylinder by running the seal beyond the normal range of operation. Air bubbles don't magically percolate up past the flow of pressurized hydraulic fluid.

The pressure bleeder is the ideal way to bleed a brake system. You have a small investment in a device, but that's about it.

If you don't mind spending a little more money than the Harbor Freight product, you can get the professional-grade bleeder from Motive Products, approved by European Car and Popular Mechanics magazines:

http://www.nexternal.com/uuc/Product577

One very important tip for bleeding brand-new calipers is to realize that there may be greater difficulty in getting the air out, as bubbles like to stick to the inside walls of a fresh caliper. Tapping the caliper with a rubber mallet while bleeding will help, but you should expect that a second bleeding may be necessary after a day of use and heat-cycling the caliper.

Hope that helps!

[markseven]

Read this arcticle: http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...fluid_1a.shtml

DIY pressure bleeders can apparently force tiny air bubbles into the brake fluid. News to me.

Thanks, Adrian, good reading.

Hi Mark,

Got your PM, thought it best to reply within this thread to share the information.

That Harbor Freight "one man" bottle looks like nothing more than a catch bottle, the line goes to the caliper bleed nipple and catches the fluid that comes out. I suppose they're expecting you to pump the pedal while the bottle gives you encouragement, hence "one man".

The other product appears to be a pressure bleeder, and is a much better choice. This applies constant pressure from the reservoir, moving fluid through the system. You sit at the caliper end and open/close it as appropriate to get the bubbles out.

As for the "just pump the pedal"... this is the worst advice ever on brake bleeding. You never want to do this, for all the reasons others have listed plus the very high potential of damaging your brake master cylinder by running the seal beyond the normal range of operation. Air bubbles don't magically percolate up past the flow of pressurized hydraulic fluid.

The pressure bleeder is the ideal way to bleed a brake system. You have a small investment in a device, but that's about it.

If you don't mind spending a little more money than the Harbor Freight product, you can get the professional-grade bleeder from Motive Products, approved by European Car and Popular Mechanics magazines:

http://www.nexternal.com/uuc/Product577

One very important tip for bleeding brand-new calipers is to realize that there may be greater difficulty in getting the air out, as bubbles like to stick to the inside walls of a fresh caliper. Tapping the caliper with a rubber mallet while bleeding will help, but you should expect that a second bleeding may be necessary after a day of use and heat-cycling the caliper.

Hope that helps!

Rob, awesome, the information is appreciated (and the heads up on a second bleed after a day or so of use). The Motive PB looks like the correct tool for the job, and cost effective, too.

Now here's something else. My (swapped) car has a remote reservoir with low pressure lines and connectors to the MC. Will the PB exert too much pressure into my setup?