OT Old School One Man Brake Bleeding Kit

I got stuck at the shop last night doing brakes with no help and used the old mason jar method of brake bleeding which worked very well. Here is a quote by GregSY from an old thread that supports my desire to make a "professional" version:

"A simple jar - it can be a pickle jar or a plastic Slurpee cup - works better. Run a piece of hose from the bleeder valve on the caliper to the jar and submerge it in brake fluid. Wehn you push the brake pedal down, air will go into the fluid in the jar. When you let up the pedal, it will pull fluid back in. Do this a bit and you will have no more air in the lines.

All the pressure and vacuum methods work a little faster but they are all inclined to intoridue new air into the system. The method above gives the hardest pedal feel...no air." -GregSY



I bought a Mity-Vac hand pump type vacuum bleeder last year, tried it one time and didn't like it. Maybe it was the cheap opaque urine sample cup that turned me off. I don't remember. I just didn't like the fucking thing. I remember that much.

Anyway, I'd like some help coming up with the ultimate old school glass jar kit worthy of being passed down one day. I would like:

1) a couple different size bulk head fittings/nipples on the lid with tubes that extend down to just above the bottom. Are there bulk head fittings available?

2) a bi-directional flow indicator so I can see that fluid is moving in both directions. Is there such a thing?

3) whatever else I should include in the kit (I'm not a very experienced brake job guy). Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Roland

Just be careful that on the return pedal stroke air is not pulled back in at the bleeder screw threads.

Leadfootin said:

Just be careful that on the return pedal stroke air is not pulled back in at the bleeder screw threads.

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This right here... this is also why the vacuum blenders don't work the best.

The hose submerged in fluid method is great in a pinch but you really should be bleeding the brakes of all old fluid, not just the air. Brake fluid is supposed to be replaced frequently because it loses its important characteristics like water absorption and corrosion protection over time.

It's not uncommon to see recommended service intervals as low as once a year in the manuals of many European autos. That's a full flush and replacement once a year.

I have the Everlast Brake Bleeder. I think under $10 at NAPA. Looks like ????? But it works.

Look around for a power bleeder. Most are basically an air tank. You fill it maybe half way with brake fluid and then pressurize the rest with air. There are various adapter that fit the master cylinder reservoir. Turn on the tap and crack the bleeder. Once the air bubbles stop you are golden. They are great for "flushing" the brake fluid, but also work for one man brake bleeding.

Also, be careful when bleeding brakes not to fully depress the brake pedal. It's not a good idea to push the pedal past the normal working range. If there is any kind of corrosion or whatnot on the piston, you can damage the seal pushing that corrosion through the seals.

Personally, I find that just gravity bleeding is sufficient for many vehicles.

The by directional flow meter. Is that so you know when bleeding that fluid is expelling and drawing back in. That's not necessary. Not sure why your asking that.
Just get the air out.
Old brake fluid does absorb water. Changing it is something that's rarely done in most cars. It should be changed.
Going to synthetic cures the moisture problem but you need to start fresh with all new components. Rusted brake lines is a good time to change to synthetic and new components. Your system is contaminated if you have rust through anywhere.
Brake line quality went to garbage in the 90's. Ford and dodge were real bad. If you get a rust through replace it all because there is another spot ready to blow out.
Pressure bleeding is the best. IMO You need an adapter to cap the master cylinder. I have a branick pressure pot that i use for my old stuff. A gift from a dying friend. To pricy for occasional user. There are inexpensive pressure bleeders
As ewlsey said ,gravity does work.

mllud22 said:

As ewlsey said ,gravity does work.

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With modern ABS systems, that's not always true. If you have to replace an ABS valve on some vehicles, the bleed procedure can be very involved. But for calipers or brake lines, the pressure pot is great.

We won't talk about hybrids

mllud22 said:

The by directional flow meter. Is that so you know when bleeding that fluid is expelling and drawing back in. That's not necessary. Not sure why your asking that.

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The flow meter will be so I can crack the bleeder screw the mininal amount and know that there is flow.

By ewlsey
With modern ABS systems, that's not always true. If you have to replace an ABS valve on some vehicles, the bleed procedure can be very involved. But for calipers or brake lines, the pressure pot is great.

We won't talk about hybrids

Mllud:
I can only imagine the valve system on an abs system. I will never own anything newer than my 2004 f350. This newer stuff the dealers got you by the ass. No drain plugs on transmissions. BS
Edit: I should have said no way to service transmission. They didnt usually put drain plugs on trans.

The bubbles in the clear tubing will tell you it is flowing.
You can make a power bleeder from an old spray gun pot. Just drill out the breather for an air fitting and add hose to go to master cyl where the spray gun was. An old master cyl cap drilled for fitting the hose and your good to go.

Rob F. said:

The bubbles in the clear tubing will tell you it is flowing.
You can make a power bleeder from an old spray gun pot. Just drill out the breather for an air fitting and add hose to go to master cyl where the spray gun was. An old master cyl cap drilled for fitting the hose and your good to go.

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That would work. I would suggest putting one of those inline water traps on the end of your hose. The branick brake pressure pot has a rubber bladder that separates the air from the brake fluid. You need Good clean air supply.
When I got my branick brake bleeder I opened up the pot. The air supply side of the bladder was oily water junk. But that had been used with an old worm out garage compressor.

On that flow meter to[ rmcphearson ] you amount of flow would be close to unreadable. Good thought though. I just push enough through that I'm sure its bled if I dont have a second person. At least one master cylinder full of fluid without letting it get to low.

I think there's a bleed mode on my 2003 Suburban brakes, that is mostly controlled by the ABS system, in conjunction with the factory service computer (Tech 2). Even though I have a Tech 2, I let the dealer do it, as extra sets of eyes are always good.

Ditto on the over-travel thing.

For my sports car, I use 'speed bleeders', which are bleed valves with some sealant on the threads and (I believe) a spring ball valve or something. That, plus a camera (cell phone, webcam, inspection cam) lets me bleed brakes solo.

For the hydraulic clutch, I ran the bleed valve via hose back up to the reservoir, with a speed bleeder on it. Open the bleeder, stick it in the reservoir, then get in the car and cycle the pedal. Bubbles come out and reservoir doesn't run dry. 10 strokes or so and you're done. Less likely to work well with brakes, due to distance...

Like the English say, 'Horses for Courses'...

I agree it's not a great idea to long stroke an old master cylinder when bleeding...but on a new system, no big deal.

Can air pull in past the bleeder screws when using the pickle jar method? Yes. That's why I always let the pedal up slowly (no matter how I'm bleeding the brakes). It's also why I don't back the bleeder screw out much. I just crack it about 1/4 turn.

Pressure bleed systems can/do work well but they are inherently flawed in that they can force air into the lines if you aren't careful.

Gravity works well but is super slow.



Change brake fluid? There are usually two kinds of systems - the ones that are so cruddy you're not gonna flush out all the old fluid anyway, and the kind that are still in good shape and will get a good replenishing through normal bleeding. If you calculate the volume of 1/8 brake line, you'll find that all those lines hold very little fluid. And the pistons? If you have new-ish pads they are pretty pushed in and don't hold much either. Plus, with the bleeder screws at the top, chances are you're not gonna flush the whole cavity anyway.

So for me...I sleep well with either whatever volume of fluid it takes to bleed the brakes or the whole system is coming apart anyway. But I sure don't spend time purposely flushing/changing fluid.

I picked up a little one man bleeder at the auto parts store for like $3. A one way valve and a couple of lengths of clear plastic tubing. Break loose the bleeder fitting and tighten it back (so you don't have to fight with it). Put the plastic hose on the fitting nipple (make sure it's the right direction for the one-way). Loosen the bleeder just enough to get flow (so as not to suck air past the threads, as mentioned above). Pump brakes a few times. Tighten bleeder. Done.

mllud22 said:

That would work. I would suggest putting one of those inline water traps on the end of your hose. The branick brake pressure pot has a rubber bladder that separates the air from the brake fluid. You need Good clean air supply.
When I got my branick brake bleeder I opened up the pot. The air supply side of the bladder was oily water junk. But that had been used with an old worm out garage compressor.

On that flow meter to[ rmcphearson ] you amount of flow would be close to unreadable. Good thought though. I just push enough through that I'm sure its bled if I dont have a second person. At least one master cylinder full of fluid without letting it get to low.

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Yes, I feed it with clean dry air. I like it due to the small size, I use fresh fluid every time I bleed brakes, which isn't often. Draining old fluid into a jar lets you know how much is coming out so you don't pump air in and have to start over.

There are a few variations on how to bleed brakes. I find if you can find s second person this works best:
1. Have your helper slowly push the pedal down and hold it while you tighten the bleeder.
2. With bleeder tightened they then slowly release the pedal.
3. Start with longest line and work back.
4. Before you start clip the end of the outflow hose to a container and cover the end with enough brake fluid so that it is not air being sucked back up. If you have replaced components it takes a while for the master to prime the system with fluid and minimising the chances for air to flow back in saves time/effort.

As GregSy suggests only open the bleeder a little, enough so the fluid/air will flow out. If I'm by myself I use a Mity-Vac. If I'm by myself without a Mity Vac (hose and jar) I open the slave cylinder valve even less. Gravity works but some air is going to find the high spots.

Roland, since you are likely going to want to throw away the stuff you don't really need a kit. I use clear plastic hose and whatever empty tin can or jar is around. Jars break, tin cans you can't see the bubbles as well, too small and they tip over and/or will overflow if you're not paying close attention. Sometimes I save the hose but it gets brittle over time and is cheap enough. What you do want to do is get a 6 point socket or wrench that will fit your bleeder valves tightly. A little penetrating oil put on 24 hours before you do the job works. I've never had an American made bleeder valve break on me but I sure have had tiny English ones break... not fun.

Dave

I used the basic hose in jar system.
But I also used a stick to hold the pedal down until I closed the bleeder.
Better than a clueless "helper" with foot on pedal
(stick was calibrated weekly)

Yup, clueless helper was all I started with sometimes.

Using your kids is handy but not necessarily great at first. Older more capable ones often have other things they would rather do so you are sometimes left with the younger ones. Easy enough to train how to assist but more than once I have heard the pedal move with no result only to find they were pushing on the clutch pedal. Asking your wife to help, as exciting and as dirty as some automotive tasks are for some unknown reason often does not appeal to them either.

Dave

Dave D said:

Yup, clueless helper was all I started with sometimes.

Using your kids is handy but not necessarily great at first. Older more capable ones often have other things they would rather do so you are sometimes left with the younger ones. Easy enough to train how to assist but more than once I have heard the pedal move with no result only to find they were pushing on the clutch pedal. Asking your wife to help, as exciting and as dirty as some automotive tasks are for some unknown reason often does not appeal to them either.

Dave

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All good reasons to use a power bleeder

Rob F. said:

The bubbles in the clear tubing will tell you it is flowing.

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Yes. And the absence of bubbles means I've either got flow or not.