For all you 7ers that have tried bleeding your brakes by yourself. Invest in a set
of speedy bleeders available at most parts stores. They are one way bleeders
that take the place of your regular ones. You just pump up like normal until you
have a steady stream of fluid then close the valve and go onto the next one.
Every 30k you should be completley changing your fluid. Remember to start at the
furthest point, RR, then LR, then RFT, then LFRT. Then your done. rx7doctor

 

I didn't find the $3 speed bleeders to be very effective.

 

These are replacment bleeder valves that replace your stock ones in your calipers. They sell
for $15.00 a pair at napa. rx7doctor I think you thought i was referring to that piece of hose
with a siphon on it, sorry about that. rx7doctor

 

Ah, I never tried those. Thanks for the tip. I may invest in a set when I do a brake job in the next few months.

 

Thanks for the tip rx7doctor hopefully will do this soon and I will use what you said. But were is napa ? and what is that tool you are talking about?

 

call 1-800-let-napa for the nearest store, also if you have AAA towing card you can get discounts on your parts to. BRitish victoria also sells these as so does many auto parts stores. Not talking about tool latin heat, but bleeder valves that install in your calipers and
wheel cylinders if you have drum brake on the rear. rx7doctor

 

Thanks for the idea. I'll have to check them out.

 

I really like Speed Bleeders, having used them on most of my vehicles for the last four or so years. Most of us don't have a helper to pump the brake pedal while we crack the stock bleeder valves...and, some of us know the stress caused to a long term relationship by asking our wives/girlfriends to help (particularly when they DON'T LISTEN! Argh!). Anyway, Speed Bleeders are a great "tool" for preventative maintenance.

Another fine product for one-man brake bleeding is a pressure bleeder. Pro-quality ones cost over $300, but Motive makes one for under $50. You can also build your own from a small garden sprayer for a bit less. These are awesome because (1) there is a reservoir of brake fluid in the container that automatically tops off the master cylinder reservoir as you bleed, so you don't have to constanty stop to top off, and (2) because it's pressurized, you don't have to pump the brakes at all! This makes brake bleeding very, very quick and trouble free. The only down sides are having to lug around a device for brake bleeding and you waste a bit more brake fluid because the leftover fluid in the container should be discarded (brake fluid absorbs moisture from the atmosphere). If you do most of your brake bleeding at home, the pressure bleeder is a great investment. Same, too, if you don't mind hauling equipement to the track. But, the nice thing about Speed Bleeders is they are always there when you need them.

One thing I don't recommend are those cheap "one man brake bleeding" devices sold at most autoparts stores that use vacuum. I hate vacuum brake bleeders, particulary the cheap POS hand pump ones. Not only are they inefficient, but they tend to draw air around the threads of the bleeder valve, compounding the problem you are attempting to solve.

BTW, the main reason to bleed brakes is not because air infiltrates the system (it doesn't, unless you disconnect something for maintenance); it's because atmospheric moisture is absorbed into the brake fluid in the MC and works it's way to the lowest part of the system: the brake calipers. This water-saturated brake fluid has a rediculously low boiling point comparred to fresh/dry fluid, so brakes can fade *very* quickly, leaving you no hope of slowing the car down when you need to most. The vapor caused by boiling is "compressible", so stomping on the brakes is like steping on a sponge, transmitting very little pressure to the caliper pistons. Bleeding the brakes frequently keeps the fluid "dry" and, thus, able to handle the heat generated by braking. Brake fluid usually turns a tobacco brown color when saturated with moisure, so you bleed until the fluid is as clear as it comes from the bottle (a transparent amber color). For a street car, you should bleed brakes at least twice a year. Any track activity should mandate bleeding on a daily basis, prior to running. It's also a great opportunity to inspect the brake pads, caliper, rotors, hubs, etc.

 

Blake, I highly agree about the homemade Motive style bleeder. Ask pratch or Yapakanichi about mine. Heres my take on the whole thing. Usually you are bleeding a system that doesnt have a new MC. Well folks, anyone whos worked on brake systems can attest to the fact that the only clean and shiny portion of a MC that has any use on it is the normal piston travel during usage. The rest of the bore gets rusty and cruddy from accumulated water in the system and dirt/particles of old piston rubber. When you go and do the helper technique, or speedbleeder technique you invariably push the pedal all the way down. So what happens now? You drag the rubber MC rubber piston seals across a nasty dirty part of the bore and it gets nicked up and chopped to hell. Sure, the brakes work great afterwards. But within a few weeks you start to notice that the pedal fades/bypasses at stoplights cause the seals have been damaged. And this deteriation soon causes your MC to crap out.

Moral of the story. Use the motive style bleeder, or only move the pedal in short strokes when you bleed. Trust me, I been thru this scenario with alot of cars for many years before I figured this out.

 

Its sweet, I can get klike 10% off anything at napa, cause my stepdad use to manage this tire store here. Also, we're checking on getting wheels and tires from this wholesale place.

 

Bringing it back from the dead!

Is there a particular size of speedy bleeders needed? I have front disks and rear drum brakes.

 

Go to the website.
Click on the link that says "Automobile Sizes"
Scroll down the list and find your car

Bingo.

I found it in about 30 seconds.

Jon

Edit: though I'm glad you dragged this back from the dead.. Damn good thread and I hadn't seen it before!

 

pumping, holding the pedal position with a stick to maintain pressure, and opening/closing the bleeder valve and repeat as always worked worked best for me. Worked well on a bug, a 914 (bug with disc brakes), an accord, and a now rx-7.

Vacuum pump was only useful for removing old brake fluid from the top reservior. For some reason, when I used the vacuum pump to bleed the system, I never could get it right.

 

I did mine by drilling a small hole in an extra master cylinder cap, then pressurizing it with about 25 - 30 psi of air. Worked great! Here's documentation for how I did the clutch fluid on my '79:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2114698/3

Rich

 

I am going to install the speed bleeders I bought last fall this spring my brake fluid is 27 years ild its never been changed. I am not bragging it the color of mud!

 

Here is a set from Kragen http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductD...rtnumber=12708

Napa http://www.napaonline.com/masterpage...2f+Check+Valve

 

1. Speed bleeders are available from www.rockauto.com Just look under your make/model and they will list the appropriate size for your application.

2. Carl has an excellent point. When bleeding the brakes DO NOT push the pedal all the way to the floor or it will damage the master cylinder. Place a piece of 2X4 under the pedal just to be sure.

 

I just put a set of "speed bleeders" from Black Dragon (formerly British Victoria), on my autocrosser. I assumed I would be able to bleed the system myself. Maybe I'm missing something, but how can you tell there are no bubbles etc. in the fluid being pumped out? How can you judge that you're complete? Do the valves assure the air etc. is removed? After attempting to use them, seemed like a waste of money and time.