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- Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
- Path: sparky!uunet!haven.umd.edu!darwin.sura.net!convex!linac!att!cbnewsi!cbnewsh!fwk
- From: fwk@cbnewsh.cb.att.com (f.w.kerfoot..iii)
- Subject: Re: Recommendations for one-man brake bleeding tools?
- Organization: AT&T
- Distribution: usa
- Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 13:48:35 GMT
- Message-ID: <1992Nov13.134835.4266@cbnewsh.cb.att.com>
- References: <1992Nov12.160501.13901@unvax.union.edu>
- Lines: 42
-
- From article <1992Nov12.160501.13901@unvax.union.edu>, by romansks@unvax.union.edu (Steve Romanski):
- > andrew@airs.com (Andrew Evans) writes:
- >
- >>I need a tool that will allow me to bleed my brakes without an
- >>assistant to pump the brake pedal. In my car's Haynes manual they
- >
- >>Andrew Evans (andrew@airs.com) - Infinity Development Systems - Waltham, MA
- >
- > I just use a piece of tubing, I prefer clear like from an aquarium pump
- > but anything will work like a piece of vacuume tube, and a clean glass
- > jar.
- >
- > Then connect tube to bleeder nozzle and place other end in a glass jar.
- > Open the bleeder valve a little and then
- > just pump the peddle until there are no more bubbles comming
- > out of the tube.
- >
- > The jar will fill with brake fluid as you pump the peddle
- > MAKE SURE YOU KEEP an eye on the resivour DON't pump it dry, and
- > always keep it full with clean brake fluid.
- >
- > When the brake peddle is released it will just
- > suck some of the brake fluid that is in the jar back in and not air.
- > When you are ready just tighten the nozzle while the hose is still attached.
- >
- This is not a very good idea, for several reasons. First, the environment
- around the bleeder valve is typically relatively dirty. As the fluid
- comes out into the hose, it picks up some of the dirt. When you pump
- the pedal without closing the bleeder valve, some of that fluid, with
- the dirt, is sucked back into the cylinder. A second reason is that
- the bleeder valves typically leak some air under vacuum. This is a
- typical complaint of those who have bought vacuum bleeders. They see
- some bubbles even when the system contains no air, due to air leakage
- at the bleeder valve. In this case, the risk of bleeder valve leakage
- is that some air will be drawn back into the cylinder with the returning
- fluid when the pedal is lifted.
-
- All in all, this is a plausible method in a pinch, but it is worth
- some effort to find a better method for routine bleeding.
-
- Frank Kerfoot
- fwk@hogpa.att.com
-