DIY brake bleeder

[SlimPickins]

Hey all,
So I have a Motive European Power Brake Bleeder that I use on the wifey's SUV and had hoped to get an adapter for my Gen 2.5. Unfortunately Motive does not make an adapter specifically for our trucks but offers a universal adapter that has notably poor reviews due to fit/leak. In looking at the adapter it came with, it seemed a straightforward make and I found a nice write up through a google search for anyone interested. The write-up takes you from scratch if you don't have the Motive or similar bleeder. I only needed the adapter and so far it has worked out well. All of the parts can be found at Home Depot between the plumbing and hardware aisles. I held out for some Oetiker clamps for peace of mind. The washers are 1/2" and the rubber o-rings come in packs in the plumbing department. The brake fluid reservoir cap part number is MB895999 and I got this off of ebay for around $10.

http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/campingart/jettatech/bleeder/

 

[M35A2]

I must be a recividist but after trying every manner of brake bleeding gadgets and gizmos from inexpensive check valves to uber-expensive name brand air-powered siphons, I find the best, fastest and most reliable method to be the old down - open - close - up dance.

 

[coffeegoat]

Mountain bike tube and a zip tie. It worked far better than I expected and probably better than it should have.

 

[SlimPickins]

Ha, heathens!

 

[plh]

I use this one, works pretty swell.

http://www.harborfreight.com/brake-fluid-bleeder-92924.html

 

[BEG]

I used a spare OEM reservoir cap I bought from eBay and installed some bulkhead hose barb fittings in it. Hooked right up to my Motive bleeder.

 

[Deleted member 96197]

http://www.russellperformance.com/mc/speed-bleeders/

I imagine they make a set of these for your Montero, I just used them for the first time on a jeep project, I will simply never not put them on a truck again. Brake bleeding when from painful to painless in minutes. They use a check valve, so you bleed them like noted above, but you don't have to close in between, a check valve prevents you from pulling air back in to the system. Then once you're done, close it up, and you're good to go.

 

[coffeegoat]

Just in case anyone is ever wondering what the heck I mean, here's how the mountain bike tube works

Here's the picture:



The principle is pretty simple, to do a pressure-style brake bleed you just need to apply air pressure to the brake reservoir and have some sort of air reservoir so as you bleed out fluid the pressure is maintained. So, to me it sounds like I need a bladder of some kind and a way to seal it to the top of the brake reservoir, like a rubber gasket. So, what you do is buy a bike tube, mountain bike, 1.5" is fine, cut it about 6" away from the inlet valve and tie a knot on the short end. Then stretch the other open end over the brake reservoir. Affix it in place with a zip tie (I think a hose clamp would be better, but hey zip ties are cheap) and pressurize the tube to the desired pressure with an air compressor. The tube will inflate a bit like a sausage so you end up with quite a bit of storage volume at roughly constant pressure (~10psi or so). When it reaches your desired pressure go bleed your brakes. Remove and repeat as necessary to add more fluid.

The nice thing about this method is that it requires no tools, nothing to store afterwards, and anything that might be contaminated with brake fluid gets thrown away. The safety features are convenient too, it's basically impossible to over-pressurize the system because the tube will either pop off the reservoir or pop itself. Finally, the entire kit is like $2.50 and since you bleed your brakes like once every two years or so there isn't anything to store/find between uses.

Anyways, that's enough redneck engineering for the day...

 

[RyanY]

That same trick works well for pressure testing a radiator - clamp bike tube over the hose openings, then use the valve to pressurize it so you can check for escaping air bubbles while holding it under water.

 

[SlimPickins]

http://www.russellperformance.com/mc/speed-bleeders/

I imagine they make a set of these for your Montero, I just used them for the first time on a jeep project, I will simply never not put them on a truck again. Brake bleeding when from painful to painless in minutes. They use a check valve, so you bleed them like noted above, but you don't have to close in between, a check valve prevents you from pulling air back in to the system. Then once you're done, close it up, and you're good to go.

I checked out the website, looks pretty convenient. Unfortunately they only make them for the Montero through 1996..

 

[Swank Force One]

I checked out the website, looks pretty convenient. Unfortunately they only make them for the Montero through 1996..

All you have to do is determine thread of bleeders for your calipers then order those. They aren't made for specific vehicles, there's not a ton of different bleeders out there.