Brake bleeding using "Speed Bleeder "

[Vic]

I came across these ,and wondered if anyone has used them,they seem like a great idea. 

I guess they have been around for a while, but I  hadn't heard of them till yesterday. 

Think I'll give them a try, but I was wondering if anyone else has had any luck with them.

Thanks for any input.

[gstallons]

I haven't used them . They are a good idea . Go ahead and use them , they should be ok .

[Pressureangle]

I have a couple sets, metric and SAE. They're awesome. The only thing you have to mind is if you've drained the entire system, or run new empty lines, they have enough resistance that you may not be able to compress the air in the lines with the master cylinder. Probably not even a potential problem on a motorcycle. 

They work as advertised, and best part is they don't drip all over when you gravity bleed. 

[Lucky Phil]

8 hours ago, Vic said:

I came across these ,and wondered if anyone has used them,they seem like a great idea. 

I guess they have been around for a while, but I  hadn't heard of them till yesterday. 

Think I'll give them a try, but I was wondering if anyone else has had any luck with them.

Thanks for any input.

Forget about these things and buy one of these....https://www.motiveproducts.com/products/power-bleeders-power-bleeders-domestic-bleeder-kits-power-bleeders-import-bleeder-kits-power-bleeders-single-adapter-bleeder-kit-power-bleeders-classic-car-and-marine-kits

I bought one to do fluid changes on the cars and its brilliant. Screw the cap onto the fluid reservoir and pump up the unit to 15 psi or so and open the bleed nipple. System empty or full air or no air doesnt matter now more lever pumping etc they just push the air out. Vacuum bleeders are also a bit useless as well, I have one of those and I'll never use it again. 

After you've used one of these you wont go back to the old way.

Ciao  

[LowRyter]

Changing  brake fluid is overrated.  At least wait until it's dirty.  Hey, if you're taking your Spiney to the Isle of Man, don't take a chance.  Otherwise, it's nice to do when you change pads, maybe every other time or third time.

I am the least mechanically  inclined person on the board but I might not be wrong.

[Lucky Phil]

59 minutes ago, LowRyter said:

Changing  brake fluid is overrated.  At least wait until it's dirty.  Hey, if you're taking your Spiney to the Isle of Man, don't take a chance.  Otherwise, it's nice to do when you change pads, maybe every other time or third time.

I am the least mechanically  inclined person on the board but I might not be wrong.

I believe you are in this case:) The primary reason to change out brake fluid ( for normal road use) is moisture content which causes reduced boiling point and component corrosion. 2% is the maximum recommended contamination and a few years ago I was shocked to find my 2 year old car which I had owned from new was at 4% already. I then checked every vehicle I owned (7) and the only one that was ok was the 1 year old car. The rest got changed out.

Invest in one of these, I checked the calibration and they are accurate. Cheaper and easier than changing brake components in the long run. The other advantage of using the pressure bleeder is that you dont need to stroke the master cylinder piston right down to a point in the bore where there may be corrosion damage that will ruin the seal. Especially a consideration in older vehicles that havent had regular fluid changes.

This is just for a look at the tester. I dont know the efficacy of doing the test in conductive containers but you get the drift. I also did the cal with water but I used a measured qty of water and brake fluid so the percentages were correct and the tool was spot on.

Ciao

[footgoose]

I am a religious changer of all hydraulic fluids. Every 2 years minimum. My first newish BMW got the factory annual treatment for awhile, per service spec, and that's what got me started. That and my vintage bike obsession. With most of the old bikes I acquired, it was apparently a 'thing' to never ever ever ever ever change it. After 20+ years it (and accumulating moisture) turns into something I call mashed potatoes( in the slave). Not pretty. Not safe. I do it the old way... pump - squirt. Some contortion involved, but it gets done. Everything works better with new fluid. Makes me feel better too.

[68C]

Tried the speed bleeders many years ago, good idea in theory.  After a time it is common for bleed nipples to become tight and difficult to remove, the problem with these is they seem to be weaker than standard nipples and shear off easily.  This is probably due to the larger hole needed to accommodate the valve. Once sheared off difficult to remove as the hardened valve spindle makes it difficult to drill accurately for an eezy out stud remover.

[Weegie]

Tried them in the past, but not on Guzzis, but they never really worked for me.

I use a Mityvac that I've had forever and like, the Power Bleeder kit looks good too. Like Phil I try to do it every other year (doesn't always happen though)

Never found it that difficult to do, some are easier than others, especially if you empty the circuit (rear brake and the hydro clutch on the Ducati can be a bit of a pain).

If you're just pulling fluid through until its clean it's not hard at all.

I try to exercise the circuit by using the lever to get all the pistons moving and get rid of as much of the old fluid out as possible. If still not satisfied I'll drain it down then bleed through fresh fluid for a few fills then nip up the bleed screws.

You'll know by feel when there's no air in the circuit anyway.

[Grim]

I'm sure all these things are great, and I might sound like and stubborn old git (I'm actually 37, is there a youngest Guzzi rider trophy? ) but I have never had a problem with a loop of clear tube with one end in a glass bottle of old brake fluid; just pump out the old stuff and the air bubbles, it goes out into the bottle and the bubbles rise up, can't get sucked back in.

 

[Vic]

WOW, Thank you everyone for your input. I  appreciate knowing the different ways folks tackle the task of brake fluid replacement. On a couple of my old /6 BMW's I've had the master  cylinders freeze up from just sitting, be it Guzzi or BMW, none of these parts are cheap (when comparing to auto parts) so I'm trying to do a better job of doing regular fluid changes. Phil, thanks for the info on the fluid tester, and yet another tool I didn't know that I  needed. Great approach to knowing the condition of the fluid, rather then guessing.  I will look into getting one.

Love this form ,a real wealth of knowledge!

[gstallons]

Do use only DOT 4 fluid . DOT 5 is silicone fluid and will not mix w/the other fluids .

[LowRyter]

4 hours ago, Grim said:

I'm sure all these things are great, and I might sound like and stubborn old git (I'm actually 37, is there a youngest Guzzi rider trophy? ) but I have never had a problem with a loop of clear tube with one end in a glass bottle of old brake fluid; just pump out the old stuff and the air bubbles, it goes out into the bottle and the bubbles rise up, can't get sucked back in.

 

That's how I've done it.  I prime the jar with new brake fluid since I don't keep old stuff around.  

[po18guy]

9 hours ago, gstallons said:

Do use only DOT 4 fluid . DOT 5 is silicone fluid and will not mix w/the other fluids .

Strangely, DOT 5.1 is not silicone, is still glycol-based and compatible with DOT 4. The numbering system is very confusing. In my mind, what is needed is a bleed nipple pointing straight up on the top banjo fitting, which is the high point and which traps air. 

[Lucky Phil]

39 minutes ago, po18guy said:

Strangely, DOT 5.1 is not silicone, is still glycol-based and compatible with DOT 4. The numbering system is very confusing. In my mind, what is needed is a bleed nipple pointing straight up on the top banjo fitting, which is the high point and which traps air. 

You can buy banjo bolts with a bleed nipple on them. I just as the last processes unbolt the master and tilt it so the reservoir is higher than the connection and then just work the lever in the "slack" gently and the air in that location comes into the master. Only takes a few movements of the lever. The other thing is to remove the calipers off the disks one at a time and pump the pistons out maybe 2 mm each (put a 3mm spacer between the pads) then lever them into the caliper again gently until they just slide back over the disk.

This releases the seals from the pistons and allows them to reset at a different position. This alone even without bleeding will reduce the lever travel to the bar.

Ciao