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Posted by D Sherman [24.32.202.83] on Saturday, June 12, 2010 at 12:08:19 :
In Reply to: Brake Bleeding posted by S. Bear [72.209.209.58] on Saturday, June 12, 2010 at 08:25:19 :
Here's what I do and it's always worked great for me. Get 20' of 1/4" clear plastic tubing, and 6" of 1/4 rubber fuel hose. Loosen the bleed screw on the wheel cylinder. Put one end of the rubber hose over the bleed screw outlet and stick the clear tube into the other end. Take the cover off the MC and fill it up with fluid. Run the open end of the plastic tube up to where you can see it (e.g. in the cab) while you pump the brakes slowly. Keep an eye on the MC level so you don't suck air into the lines. Watch what's coming out of the plastic tube. You can run it into a bucket for proper disposal or let it run onto the ground depending on your environmental sensibilities. At first you will see rusty old brake fluid coming out, with bubbles. As you keep pumping you'll eventually see only clear fluid coming out, but there will still be bubbles. At that point, take the end of the tube and put it over the MC and arrange it so it stays. Now keep pumping the pedal slow and steady for as long as it takes until no bubbles are coming out and you see no bubbles in the clear plastic tube. What's good about this system is A) it's cheap and B) you can keep pumping a long time without a partner and without tightening and loosening the bleed screw over and over, and you can look at the whole length of clear plastic tube and see that you really have gotten all the bubbles out. When you're done with that particular wheel cylinder, tighten the bleed screw while the rubber hose is still attached to it, to prevent any air from going back into the wheel cylinder. When you're all done with the operation, and won't be doing it again for a while, rinse the hose and tube out with water, blow it out with air, and hang it up to dry. Otherwise, brake fluid left in the plastic tube can get messy. After a few years, the vinyl tube gets stiff from its reaction with the brake fluid, but it's cheap and easy to replace. I've used this for years on all sorts of vehicles and it's always worked well for me.