Bleeding brakes

Hi all. Opinions please. Im about to replace the brake fluid on my bike and while having done it many times before using the traditional tube and jar method, I thought I might try something different this time. As well, i have fitted braided lines which I am told are a little harder to bleed. I have seen a simple kit that has a container/tube/valve thingy but my question is this , is this any better than the old way as isnt there a possibility for air to get into the system via the bleed nipple which will have be undone slightly so as to the fluid and air to be purged. Or is there sufficiant head of fluid in the system to keep air from being sucked back up.

 

I think yo are good. I mean if you were to want to use speed bleeders, you remove the stock nipple and replace speed bleeder then bleed.

 

A Vacuum Brake Bleeder Kit. One man operation, will get out all the air pockets and simplifies the bleeding of a linked brake system.

 

I made my own bleeder by soldering some compression fittings to a pickle jar lid and attaching tubing. One of the attached tubes goes to the bleeder valve and the other attaches to my mini wet-dry vac. It works a treat especially with doing those pesky linked brakes!



Rollin

 

I've been saying I have to do something like this forever. The tiny jar that comes with the vac kit is ridiculous to empty several times to do even small jobs like a motorcycle.

I'd like to set up a gallon sized pickle jar just so I never have to worry about it mid-job

Thanks for reminding me to change the brake and clutch fluid this spring!

Edit: Oh, and both my cars are past due too!

 

I originally bought a MityVac and used it one time and hated it. My homemade bleeder is much quicker and easier to use. It literally took 10 minutes to make and I can now bleed my clutch in about a minute. Those linked brakes still takes me about 45 minutes but that includes adult beverage breaks.

Rollin

 

Whoa, I totally overlooked the part where you said you hook it up to a wet/dry vac... how big of a vac is that? Seems it would have quite the pressure for something like bleeding brake/clutch fluid?

 

The mini wet-dry vac that I use is a 1 gallon 1.5hp


Rollin

 

Huh, so do you hook it up tight or leave an air gap somewhere so the vac doesn't spin up like they do when you hold your hand over the hose?

Heath

 

Although the catch bottle is admittedly a bit on the small side a Mityvac will work just fine for bleeding out motorcycle brakes. I have one myself.





Another tool that's extremely handy for bleeding out stubborn brake systems is the Phoenix Injector.
With this tool you can either vacuum brake fluid down from the brake fluid reservoir to the bleeder nipple on the brake caliper,or you can actually inject brake fluid from a catch bottle and push it through the bleeder nipple on the brake caliper up to the brake fluid reservoir.
Air bubbles travel upward and I've found that this tool will help to bleed out even the most stubborn motorcycle brake systems. I have one of these too.





And last but certainly not least,if you have a small air compressor in your garage than I would highly recommend a pneumatic brake bleeder. Simply put,these things are "The Cat's Ass!"
I regularly use one of these at work. They're super easy to operate and make brake bleeding totally quick and painless.
This tool passes compressed air through the catch bottle which creates a vacuum that quickly pulls brake fluid down from the brake fluid reservoir to the bleeder nipple on the brake caliper. Trapped air bubbles just don't stand a chance.

Rollin's pickle jar set-up works on the exact same principle,but instead of using an air compressor to push air through the catch jar he's using vacuum to pull it through. Either way works just fine.
Just remember to keep the brake fluid reservoir topped up with brake fluid because pneumatic brake bleeders work pretty quickly.

 

If you need special tools and fancy equipment to bleed brakes, you're either not doing it right or in a big hurry.

 

I see nothing wrong with putting technology to use for me.

Hmmmm.......

I guess if those are the only two choices Squirrelman then I'd definitely have to say that I use special tools and fancy equipment to bleed out brakes because I'm in a big hurry. :lol:

Routine maintenance is a necessary part of owning any machine my friend (especially if you want to keep it performing in tip-top condition) but I've said it before and I'll say it again,"When it comes to maintenance I like easy."

Time wasted in the garage repeatedly pumping and bleeding,pumping and bleeding,pumping and bleeding to remove a stubborn trapped air bubble in the bike's brake system is time better spent out on the road and riding I say. :wink:

 

or you realize that modern technology can make your life easier and allow you to to do the job quicker, easier, and better

 

Agreed here. I've never actually done my brakes nor dealt with having to get all of the air out, etc. In order to hopefully not have to fight for hours with any of that - I'd much rather use current tech to make my life just a bit easier and get back on the road sooner!

 

Try doing an ABS bmw and then you will wana pull what hair you have remaining out! Talk about over uber-german engineering. That aside, Me thinks bleeding an ABS or linked brake honda, was kinda a pain in da arse. This is in the recesses of my cloudy mind though, swapping brake fluid should be a snap. Just remember to turn the adjuster all the way out on ur adjustable levers :smile: Got a nice Mityvac system I use to suck out everything from trans oil to motor oil. Never used it on brakes but have the hoses. Cheers, side note. One of the nicest things I did to my VFR was rebuild the front calipers. No more wooden lever feel and good stopping. You can beat people on the brakes/

 

can you show us how you use the shop vac? Thanks

 

Show me, I am from Misssouri............ :Þ
Rollin got any picture for your bleeder?

 

Here is a pic of the whole setup. Please excuse the ugly foil tape around the vacuum hose. It normally is not needed and was only used because my wife ran over the hose and broke the plastic connector at the end of the hose. Anyways as you know the vacuum hose is round and has a hard plastic connector at the end that allows you to use various attachments. I can't remember if the attachment I am using here was included with the vac or part of a car detailing kit I picked up as Lowes in the wet/dry vac accessories isle. The attachment is long and funnel shaped at the end and is perfect to squeeze the tubing into with a little coercion. It is a nice tight seal and does not require any sealing. The other end of the tubing is attached to one of the two compression fittings on top of the jar. A second tube goes from the second compression fitting to the bleeder tip that was included with the Mityvac. I'm sure you can easily order them or find them at an auto parts store. Hope this helps! It really is easy!



Rollin

 

Man really?

I swear you ar the most negitive person I have ever seen on any forum I frequent.

go get laid or something.