Speed Bleeders any one use them?

[tx73vette]

Im considering using them on my 73 Vette, any one used them before ? I understand you can bleed the brackes by yourself using them.


Thanks
Daniel

 

[Culprit]

Just tried them two weeks ago and I'm a huge fan. I put on 4 new calipers and new SS hoses - did not bother to fill the new hoses or calipers with fluid, just bolted the system together dry and empty. I did not bench bleed the master cylinder either.

I used the speed bleeders in conjunction with the Mity Vac handheld vaccum pump. This combination was great - I didn't have to try to quickly close the bleeders before air got back in. I bled the brakes in order, then pumped the pedal several times and bled all 4 wheels in order again. I was expecting to have to re-bleed after driving for the first 50 miles or so (especially since I didn't bench bleed the MC) but I've gone over a hundred so far with absolutely no problems at all.

I had read all the horror stories about folks who have had problems getting all the air out and getting a good brake setup so I was expecting a nightmare, but mine was quick and painless - even fun with the right tools. Speed bleeders and a vaccum pump are an awesome combination. Do I sound like a commercial or what? But hey, if it works...

Semper Fidelis,
Culprit

 

[lew]

I have used speed bleeders on several of my vehicles with good results. They sure make the job much easier. On an older vehicle, you may have difficulty with the little valves sticking open from debris in the fluid. I have never experienced this personally, but have heard complaints about it from others.

Lew

 

[drags1998]

AWSOME PRODUCT, They work really well. And yes, you can do it by yourself.

 

[KOPBET]

Yep. Great product.

Remember to not take the pedal all the way to the floor.

 

[Eric]

I have used speed bleeders on several of my vehicles with good results. They sure make the job much easier. On an older vehicle, you may have difficulty with the little valves sticking open from debris in the fluid. I have never experienced this personally, but have heard complaints about it from others.

Lew

Bingo! That happened to me on the 71 and talk about frustration. Took me a while to realize what was going on and by then I had wasted a lot of fluid and sucked a ton of air into the lines. Flush that baby clean before you use them and you'll be fine.

 

[tx73vette]

Thanks for the input guys... I Love this Forum I get to ask and learn a bunch of stuff on my Vette...

Again Thanks

Daniel

 

[mauivette]

I highly recommend them. Just did my brakes a couple weeks ago. Stainless steel hoses and the whole works. Installed speek bleeders and I love them. You are correct, bleeding your brakes is now a one person job. I started with the farthest wheel from the master cylinder (RR) and worked to the shortest. While I was at it I bought a turkey baster and sucked all the fluid out of the resevoirs and cleaned them real well befor putting new fluid in. Then I pumped it through. Make a huge difference. I put my pedal all the way to the floor and didn't have any problems. Just a couple of tips: 1. Take the bleeders with you to Hopme Depot to get the right size clean tubing to put over them for the bleeding. Otherwise the fluid would go everywhere. 2. Pump the pedal several times but don;t let the reservoise go dry. Bleeding your brakes by yourself is now a piece of cake.

Good Luck.

 

[mvftw]

I'm curious, I know how they work, but if your pumping the pedal, how do you know the air is gone unless someone is watching it?

 

[tx73vette]

mvftw


As I understand it it has a small ball inside the bleeder and that allows the fluid to be pumped out and when its is finished pumpinng it shuts off not allowing any air to back up into the caliper... This means you can do it by your self and not have a second person tightening the air nipple. If Im wrong someone else can explain it better but thats how I understand it.

Thanks

Daniel

 

[mvftw]

I understand how it works. But say you put on a new caliper, you open the bleeder and pump the brakes, when do you know that only fluid is coming out and no more air? I know that air is not going back in but when is all the air out? Is it me or someelse has to look, it still seems better then open & closing but I still think you need 2 people.

 

[JonM]

I understand the convenience of the speed-bleeders. However, can fifty dollars be put into something else rather then a product you will use once in a blue moon? I mean how many times do you need to bleed the brakes?

 

[tx73vette]

I see your point I, hadnt thought of that I guess someone else just has to be there too. Thanks for the insight. I dont think that they are that expenssive I think I paid about $20 a few years ago.

 

[crause]

Culprit,

You said that when used in conjuction with a vaccum pump (which i have) the speed bleeders are great. What did you need the vaccum pump for? I bought one but never found anything to use it for except sucking the fluid out of the rearend since i bought it.

Andy

 

[Culprit]

Crause,

I didn't NEED to use the vaccum pump, but like you I had one sitting around so I figured what the heck.

What I did was this. Remove cover from master cylinder. Put the vaccum hose over the speed bleeder nipple, pump it up a few times to put some vaccum pressure on it, crack the bleeder valve open and pump the thing a few more times until all the bubbles were out then close the bleeder valve and take the vaccum hose off the bleeder nipple and go to the next one. Make sure to keep the master cylinder full - especially on the rear brakes since that half of the master cylinder reservoir is smaller and there are two valves per caliper.

Theoretically you don't need the speed bleeders using this method as long as you're fast enough with the wrench to close the bleeder valve before all the vaccum pressure is used up, but hey every little bit helps. And the thread sealer that comes on the speed bleeders is the real key. If you're using a vaccum pump and regular bleeder valves, use some thread sealer so your vaccum pump isn't sucking air in through the threads and right back out again through the bleeder hole. Been there, done that - and it took me way to long to figure out where all that air was coming from.

Another bonus to using the vaccum pump with the speed bleeders instead of pumping the brake pedal is that you are sitting at the wheel so you can see when all the bubbles are out - which seems to be a question several people have had in this thread.

If you're using speed bleeders without a vaccum pump and you want to know when all the air is out because you're sitting in the car pumping the brake pedal and can't see what's going on back at the wheel then try this: Take a clear bottle, fill it up with a couple inches of brake fluid. Get some clear tubing - attach it to the speed bleeder nipple and leave the tubing long enough to run down into the bottle - all the way to the bottom of the bottle, below the level of the brake fluid in the bottle. This way, the bubbles will travel down the tubing, into the fluid, and then back up to the surface of the fluid level in the bottle. Pump the brake pedal a few times, get out of the car and go look at the tube going down into the bottle. If there are still bubbles, get back in the car and keep pumping. When all the air is out, you'll know by seeing the difference in the tube - it will be full of fluid with no bubbles. The key is making sure the tubing in the bottle is below the level of the fluid in the bottle - that keeps all the fluid in the tube from dripping out into the bottle and then you don't know if you've gotten all the air out or not.

I paid about $30. And even if I had to pay as much as $50 I would. In fact, the next time I have the wheels off my Ford Ranger, guess what's getting installed. Summit has them for $9.88 for a pack of 2. Ecklers and ZIP are both about $15. They are made by a company named Russell if you're doing an internet search for them to shop around and get the best buy. And the Russell home page has the complete chart of what size fits what domestic and import cars and motorcycles.

Semper Fidelis,
Culprit

 

[mauivette]

I was changing ALL the brake fluid in my car as it tends to get darker over time from picking up moisture in the system so I changed the fluid in the reservoir and bled each brake till the fluid ran clear which meant it had come all the way through the system. By that time there were no more bubbles.

 

[Tuna]

If you're autocrossing or doing track time events, you might want to bleed the brake fluid on a reqular basis. It is recommended in many places that brake fluid be changed on a reqular basis just to get moisture and other bad things out of the brakes whether you're racing or not.

I use speed-bleeders on my 92. I like them. Like it has been mentioned, the fluid gets darker over time, so you can see clear fluid coming out of the bleeder when all the old fluid is flushed out.

Attach a clear hose - that isn't effected by brake fluid - to the bleeder and put the other end in a clear jar of some kind. Then open the bleeder and pump the brakes. I usually have my wife do the brake pedal thing so I can watch the fluid flow out - check for bubbles, etc.

 

[76L82]

JonM - I asked the same thing....UNTIL I bought a C3!! Before I replaced all t4 calipers and apportioning valve, I had to bleed the brakes weekly.

 

[RonJ]

Just tried them two weeks ago and I'm a huge fan. I put on 4 new calipers and new SS hoses - did not bother to fill the new hoses or calipers with fluid, just bolted the system together dry and empty. I did not bench bleed the master cylinder either.

I used the speed bleeders in conjunction with the Mity Vac handheld vaccum pump. This combination was great - I didn't have to try to quickly close the bleeders before air got back in. I bled the brakes in order, then pumped the pedal several times and bled all 4 wheels in order again. I was expecting to have to re-bleed after driving for the first 50 miles or so (especially since I didn't bench bleed the MC) but I've gone over a hundred so far with absolutely no problems at all.

I had read all the horror stories about folks who have had problems getting all the air out and getting a good brake setup so I was expecting a nightmare, but mine was quick and painless - even fun with the right tools. Speed bleeders and a vaccum pump are an awesome combination. Do I sound like a commercial or what? But hey, if it works...

Semper Fidelis,
Culprit

I use a Mini-Vac to bleed brakes by myself, no special bleed screws needed. A small, clear container came with the Mini, the vacuum pump goes on one side, the bleeder screw goes on the other side. I use clear tubing to connect them.

Fill the MC with fresh fluid, build up a slight vacuum with the pump and open the bleeder valve on the caliper. You can watch the fluid going through the clear tubing and into the container. Keep a slight vacuum built up until the fluid runs bubble free and clean. You can see the difference when the fresh fluid comes through the caliper. Be sure you keep the MC topped up of course. Once you have the four calipers bled and full of fresh clean fluid, you're away to the races!!

Works for me and I don't have to argue with the wife if the pedal was up or down ..... LOL !!!

Ron ...