Re: FDEEZ's Build Thread
Posted: Sun Oct 11, 2015 9:14
I thought I would try a different method to bleeding my Rx7's hydraulics. I've tried the cheapo Mityvac method of pulling vacuum from the master cylinders, a more expensive method of pushing fluid from the end device (e.g. caliper & clutch slave cylinder) to the master cylinder(s) using a Phoenix reverse bleeder, and an even more expensive Mitivac method of pulling fluid from the end device. Some of those are here:
I've had little success with each. In the end, I've always resorted to bench bleeding and the the tried/true method of pumping the clutch or brake pedal and then opening up the bleeder valves. The problem with this method is that if there's air bubbles trapped in the system...they may not always come out using this method. Additionally, when performing this method as a 1-person job, you'd have to get quite creative...and it can become quite cumbersome as well. Since I have abs, bleeding my brakes is almost impossible as a 1-person job. For this go-around, I thought I would try pressure bleeding my abs. With pressure bleeding, a constant psi is maintained to keep the abs happy and all fluid is pushed through the system. So if there's air bubbles...they're coming out.
Decided to try a diaphragm-type bleeder. It's a tad overkill since this thing can hold 4 gallons of hydraulic fluid, lol:
....combined with some Power Probe adapters:
Of course I had to modify it a bit to fit my preference. Added a few things on the air inlet side to extend the brass tube, add a ball valve, and add a 1/4" air coupling to connect to my compressor. It originally came with a valve stem that was tucked under the tank...making it hard to reach. Had to fix that...so here's my modified version:
On the fluid side, added a few fittings to add a 1/4" hose to allow better visibility when bleeding the Gear Wrench tank:
After bleeding the tank of all air/bubbles, this is how it looks like connected to the brake master cylinder:
Within a few minutes of bleeding each caliper at 35 psi of constant pressure, my bleeder bottle filled up in no time:
Overall, I'm very satisfied with these products. I'm not sure if it's because I'm still running abs that I've had such a difficult time bleeding my brakes in the past...but this definitely solves the problem. I can't wait to try & bleed my clutch (though at 10-15 psi). I highly recommend this bleeder if you're having to bleed your hydraulics by yourself.
I've had little success with each. In the end, I've always resorted to bench bleeding and the the tried/true method of pumping the clutch or brake pedal and then opening up the bleeder valves. The problem with this method is that if there's air bubbles trapped in the system...they may not always come out using this method. Additionally, when performing this method as a 1-person job, you'd have to get quite creative...and it can become quite cumbersome as well. Since I have abs, bleeding my brakes is almost impossible as a 1-person job. For this go-around, I thought I would try pressure bleeding my abs. With pressure bleeding, a constant psi is maintained to keep the abs happy and all fluid is pushed through the system. So if there's air bubbles...they're coming out.
Decided to try a diaphragm-type bleeder. It's a tad overkill since this thing can hold 4 gallons of hydraulic fluid, lol:
....combined with some Power Probe adapters:
Of course I had to modify it a bit to fit my preference. Added a few things on the air inlet side to extend the brass tube, add a ball valve, and add a 1/4" air coupling to connect to my compressor. It originally came with a valve stem that was tucked under the tank...making it hard to reach. Had to fix that...so here's my modified version:
On the fluid side, added a few fittings to add a 1/4" hose to allow better visibility when bleeding the Gear Wrench tank:
After bleeding the tank of all air/bubbles, this is how it looks like connected to the brake master cylinder:
Within a few minutes of bleeding each caliper at 35 psi of constant pressure, my bleeder bottle filled up in no time:
Overall, I'm very satisfied with these products. I'm not sure if it's because I'm still running abs that I've had such a difficult time bleeding my brakes in the past...but this definitely solves the problem. I can't wait to try & bleed my clutch (though at 10-15 psi). I highly recommend this bleeder if you're having to bleed your hydraulics by yourself.