Posted by Paul on March 22, 2000 at 10:09:04:
In Reply to: Best way to bleed brakes???? posted by Mike M on March 20, 2000 at 19:24:49:
The very best way is to reverse bleed the brakes by injecting clean fluid at each wheel cylinder. I haven't seen the set up to do this in years though as some late model ('80 and up) vehicles have anti drain back valves that won't let you do this.
The next best way is to get a turkey baster for about $1.50 and slurp all the old fluid out of the master cylinder. If you bench bled it and have clean fluid already, you can skip that part. Next, go to the wheel cylinder the farthest away from the master cylinder. This is usually the passenger rear.
Pick up a hand held vacuum pump with the brake bleeding attachment. With the master cylinder full, open the bleeder screw and draw the old fluid out. Be carefull not to let the master cylinder get low as you'll have to rebleed it again if you do. Empty the catch container when it gets full into another bottle to dispose of. Once you get no more air bubbles and nothing but clean fluid, close the bleeder screw and do the other side. Next the right front and then the left.
Your brakes should be firm by now. If not, I have a small brass hammer that I tap on components with to loosen air bubble.
If you have disc brakes and cannot get brake pedal firmness, make sure you have them on the proper side. If you got them swapped, or you put a rebuilt one on and you got a right side caliper on the left side, the bleed screw will be below the air bubble and it won't come out.
DO NOT get the old (or new) brake fluid on your paint. It will fade and may remove it. In addition, DO NOT reuse the old brake fluid. It looks dirty because it is and will ruin your new parts. You can use it for a dandy fire starter. It burns slow enough to start a good wood fire.