Pressure Bleeder for Brakes

[jwebb]

Suggestion for a good pressure bleeder, I have the Wilwood 3/4" and 5/8" master cylinders. With the reservoir below the master cylinders (per the assembly manual) relying on suction bleeding is difficult at best. Any other approach would be appreciated in lieu of a pressure bleeder.

[mladen]

I'm fairly a novice but I'm under the impression that the reservoir fluid level needs to be above the master cylinder. Or maybe at least that's the case with the wilwood pedal box and master cylinders I got in the complete kit.

[jwebb]

I'm fairly a novice but I'm under the impression that the reservoir fluid level needs to be above the master cylinder. Or maybe at least that's the case with the wilwood pedal box and master cylinders I got in the complete kit.

I agree that the reservoir "should" be above the master cylinders but in the picture attached the red tube from the reservoir is below the master cylinder, this is the exactly what I have172843

.

[JIMOCO]

I made my own. I purchased a small garden sprayer from my hardware store. Cut off the sprayer at the end of the hose. Found a rubber stopper with the narrow end smaller than the reservoir opening and piece of metal tubing (same hardware store) with an OD the same as the ID of the hose. Drilled through the stopper and pushed the tubing through the hole and attached/clamped the hose to the end of the tube. Holding the stopper over the reservoir. I slowly pump until fluid begins to flow and air is removed from the hose. C-clamp the stopper to the reservoir, attach a bleeder hose and crack open the bleeder (farthest first) and slowly pump until I see clean fluid flowing out of the caliper. Close bleeder and repeat for each caliper. Open the top of the sprayer to remove any remaining pressure and remove the system. Used this twice and great results each time. Total cost $15 - $20.

[emac]

I have used several different types of bleeders over the years. I prefer a second person, but it is getting harder and harder to find a helper now that my kids are out of the house. I have used mityvac suction type, Motiv pressure and my current go to is the Capri suction style. I really like the Capri for flushing. Motiv is good if you have the right adapters, but can be messy if things go wrong. On the FFR I use the Capri.

https://www.amazon.com/Capri-Tools-Vacuum-Brake-Bleeder/dp/B00OM751EC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?gclid=Cj0KCQjw7KqZBhCBARIsAI-fTKIs0jwuYyQ3bfkN9HhZnMXf32HLwhIgvBMOlQzlT2_6xbCRK o60kaUaAoqBEALw_wcB&hvadid=174295929289&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1025566&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=10706065076256978319&hvtargid=kwd-11081183865&hydadcr=7494_9322279&keywords=brake+vacuum+bleeder&qid=1663770309&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A2ZSTDEXO9VTZF&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFZS0M4RFU2VEZZOVUmZ W5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA0ODU1NDQxNTZNRlE4MjlJUkcyJmVuY3J 5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA4OTk3NzgySkZLSkc0S0hKT0c1JndpZGdld E5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm9 0TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

[mladen]

I agree that the reservoir "should" be above the master cylinders but in the picture attached the red tube from the reservoir is below the master cylinder, this is the exactly what I have172843

.

It's been a while since I did fluid dynamics in school, but as long as you have the fluid level higher in the reservoir than the cylinder, you should be good regardless of how low the hose goes. Attaching a very professional illustration :)

172844

For your original question, I've seen a lot of people use the one from Motive Products. I tend to do what emac said, get a second person that can pump and hold the brake pedal while the second person opens and closes the bleed valve. :)

[jwebb]

It's been a while since I did fluid dynamics in school, but as long as you have the fluid level higher in the reservoir than the cylinder, you should be good regardless of how low the hose goes. Attaching a very professional illustration :)

172844

For your original question, I've seen a lot of people use the one from Motive Products. I tend to do what emac said, get a second person that can pump and hold the brake pedal while the second person opens and closes the bleed valve. :)

thanks, love the art work

[JohnK]

If you can get a spare cap for your reservoir, you can make your own pressure bleeder. Just drill a hole and add a Schrader valve to it. Then connect an air source with the pressure dialed way down to 5-10 PSI. Just make sure to not let the reservoir run dry.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=134214&d=1598303712

[Mike.Bray]

I used this one. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/MVP-0107

I have a triple reservoir from Scott's and they sold me a spare cap for cheap. I installed a hose barb in it which worked great. The instructions say to add brake fluid to the power bleeder but I didn't, I just used it to pressurize the system which worked fine. You just have to keep an eye on the fluid level in the reservoir.

https://www.imagecoast.com/images/MichaelBray1/20220814163325mediumrotated.jpg

First I filled the reservoirs and opened the bottom bleed screws on the calipers to let the system gravity bleed for about an hour or so. Not sure if this actually helped or not but it seemed to.

Next put 15 PSI into the reservoir for the front brakes. It takes a few pumps lol

Bleed the calipers starting at the furthest from the MC.

Refill the reservoir and repeat 2-3 times.

Then move on to the rear brakes and then the clutch.

I've done the two person bleeding and vacuum bleeding and pressure bleeding is by far the best. I was able to do it by myself and it really pushes the air out of the system. The one thing I found is with a new system I needed to come back a few days later and get the last little bit of air out. This is probably because I should have done one or two more cycles but not sure. Anyway now I've got a rock hard pedal and the clutch is smooth as silk.

I would never do it any other way now.

[Blitzboy54]

I used the same as Mike. Worked well and is cheap. Used it on Scott's coupe as well.

[Indy Shu]

I've been using the Motive pressure bleeder for a while and it works great. Wayyy better than pumping the brakes.
Like Mike above, I did not put any fluid in the chamber, just air. Bleeder caps are available for whatever reservoir you have. Single reservoir requires only pump it up once and bleed all 4 very quickly. Multi reservoir requires pump up for each chamber, so not quite as easy on those.

[Jryasko]

Another vote for the Motive bleeder works great

[Mastertech5]

Me too! Pressure bleeding is the best way to assure all air is removed from the system. Motive Products bleeder works great. David Frieberger even uses one on Roadkill.

[CraigS]

If you have a fish tank air pump that will work too.
172895
You can use any old chunks of hose to make it work because the hose has nothing but air in it. Most brake manufacturers recommend 10# as the absolute max pressure and say do NOT touch the brake pedal while you have air pressure in the reservoir.

[jwebb]

I made my own. I purchased a small garden sprayer from my hardware store. Cut off the sprayer at the end of the hose. Found a rubber stopper with the narrow end smaller than the reservoir opening and piece of metal tubing (same hardware store) with an OD the same as the ID of the hose. Drilled through the stopper and pushed the tubing through the hole and attached/clamped the hose to the end of the tube. Holding the stopper over the reservoir. I slowly pump until fluid begins to flow and air is removed from the hose. C-clamp the stopper to the reservoir, attach a bleeder hose and crack open the bleeder (farthest first) and slowly pump until I see clean fluid flowing out of the caliper. Close bleeder and repeat for each caliper. Open the top of the sprayer to remove any remaining pressure and remove the system. Used this twice and great results each time. Total cost $15 - $20.

JIMOCO,
Used your idea and it worked perfectly! Thanks!173132

[OB6]

I've always had the best results with with gravity bleeding, but it takes patience.

[JIMOCO]

jwebb - I'm happy it worked for you.