One person brake bleeding

[62vette]

Did a search on the forum for one person brake bleeding tools, could not locate what I needed. So here is a question :nervous:

Found the following item on Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MiTyVac-SilverLine-Brake-Bleeder-Vacuum-Pump-Kit_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ43995QQihZ002QQitemZ120128351350QQrdZ1

Would this be a good purchase for one person brake bleeding purposes?

Thanks

[e_racer1999]

mityvacs are great! i've never seen a metal one..... pretty good price! i think i paid ~25 for my plastic one at autozone

[62vette]

So this would be one to "buy it now" :laugh:

[webdawg1]

You can also use speedbleeders. Use the search feature and you should turn up a pretty fair amount of info on them. See the following url for more info and price...

http://www.speedbleeder.com/

webdawg1

[Jeff G 78]

They have that same kit at Sears, but I don't recall the price. The aluminum one is much stronger looking than the plastic one, though I haven't broken mine yet. The handle flexes a lot though on mine.

I just used my MityVac for a brake bleed job on my Toyota 4x4 yesterday. I can never get as good of a pedal feel as I can with the old two man method. I usually try to use the MityVac to get 95% of the air out and then have a friend or the wife pump the pedal to finish the job. Usually my wife gets tired and antsy if I have her pump from the start. The MityVac makes her job about 3 minutes rather than 10+ minutes without it.

One MityVac tech tip is to remove the bleed screw and add teflon tape to the threads before bleeding. This way you won't suck air through the threads when you loosen the bleeder under vacuum. This doesn't matter with the two man method, but really helps when using the vacuum pump.

[beandip]

All you need is a length of plastic tubing that will fit on the valve on the back of the wheel cylinder and the other end in a container that has some brake fluid in it. connect the one end to the cylinder and the other in the bottle so the end is below the surface of the B fluid. Open the valve and step on the brake peddle. push it all the way down and hold it for a couple of seconds, then allow the peddle to rise to the top. Repeat this about 3 times then refill the Master cylinder. Close the valve and move to the next wheel and do the same. You may need to repeat this again on each wheel . It all depends on how much air is in the system. If you do not allow the end of the hose to rise above the liquid in the bottle , no air will be able to return back to the cylinder. I have bled brakes for years doing it this way. Start at the wheel the farthest from the master . Gary:geek:

[Jeff G 78]

True Beandip, but I would think teflon would be needed so air is not sucked back in around the bleeder threads.

[Victor Laury]

I've got them all - pressure bleeders - vacuum bleeders - Speed bleeders - the entire gamut of brake bleeding devices.

The one I found to be easiet and most effective was also the cheapest. The KD Tools One-Man Brake Bleeder for a wallet busting $8.99 . It's just a tube with a check valve on one end. Never have had an issue with it. Works on the same principle that Gary described above.

On the other end of the scale ar the vacuum bleeders - I don't think I've ever really had them work right - no matter how I've tried.

The pressure bleeder I have works "OK", the best thing about it is you don't have to watch your fluid level. the worst thing is, it can be a mess to set up and break down.

[280~Master]

What about HF

http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=brake+bleeder&Submit=Go

[Arne]

I've got Speed-bleeders on my motorcycle. They work great.

[zbane]

I tried to make a system like described, but my local napa claimed to not have any clear tubing (not a surprise really), so I ended up purchasing their version of a one person bleeder. It works ok, though the magnet is not very strong, nor is the tubing long enough. I imagine that if you were doing the job with the wheels off, the tool would work perfectly, however that was not an option for me, since I did the duty on the clock at work...

[DeesZ]

I have used the method Beandip described for years. A soda bottle and a piece of aquarium air hose has served me well for years on a variety of antique and classic vehicles. Although air bleeding back in at the threads may be an issue for some, I've never had the problem. I learned the method from the motor pool guys in the Army back in the early '70s.