fcettner Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 What do you guys use? Looking for a proven reliable tool and recommendations. TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
54First Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 There's a post somewhere on TS from Phill Pollard ( 2010KonaBlueGT) where he uses gravity. If I were to buy a unit now, I'd go for one with a hand pump pressure resevoir. I've seen them but can't recall any brands. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fcettner Posted August 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Yeah - Did some searches and there are a few out there. Hoping Phill will chime in at some point. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stngfever Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Harbor Freight has a Great tool for bleeding the brakes: http://www.harborfreight.com/brake-fluid-bleeder-92924.html This is what I use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fcettner Posted August 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Wow - I was just on that site and didn't see this one - thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLG Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 I have a Motive Products Power Bleeder. Worked great when I installed my Shelby Extreme Brakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zporta Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 i borrowed my cousins MAC bleeder and it didnt work for crap, so i grabbed the wife and went old fashioned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
09 Red GT500 Posted August 6, 2012 Report Share Posted August 6, 2012 I have a Motive Products Power Bleeder. Worked great when I installed my Shelby Extreme Brakes. I used the Motive power bleeder and It worked very well. And this was the first time I have ever bled brakes myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseygator Posted August 6, 2012 Report Share Posted August 6, 2012 i borrowed my cousins MAC bleeder and it didnt work for crap, so i grabbed the wife and went old fashioned Me too! Sometimes the tried and true methods are just the best. She did complained her leg was sore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Patten Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 Some use the Mighty Vac to draw fluid out @ the bleeder and some use the Motive Products Pressure Bleeder . Either work fine - I have both but , prefer to use the Might Vac to draw the fluid out along with the gravity feed and finish it off with a 1 time push down the pedal - hold it - crack the bleeder . Gets a firm pedal all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07REDGT500 Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 The Motive Products Power Bleeder works great. My son has a track car and we flush the brakes quite often. I have tried a couple of other types and the only one that I liked (and worked well) was the one with the pressurized tank (I have not tried the Mighty Vac). I have also used it on my GT500 to purge the old fluid out and put high temperature fluid in. I have found it hard and tedious to get a good flush of all the fluid the old fashioned way of pedal pumping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark.barton Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 The Motive Products Power Bleeder works great. My son has a track car and we flush the brakes quite often. I have tried a couple of other types and the only one that I liked (and worked well) was the one with the pressurized tank (I have not tried the Mighty Vac). I have also used it on my GT500 to purge the old fluid out and put high temperature fluid in. I have found it hard and tedious to get a good flush of all the fluid the old fashioned way of pedal pumping. +1 on the Motive Products Power Bleeder. I too used it to flush and refill the fluid on my GT500 and it worked great. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fcettner Posted August 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 Thanks for the responses, below tool had a lot of good reviews (Mityvac auto testing and brake bleeder kit). http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200023624_200023624 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waihona Posted April 20, 2013 Report Share Posted April 20, 2013 check out speedbleeders. cost about 40$ per car to install and the check valves works great. making a one person bleed. i love um. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboGT Posted April 21, 2013 Report Share Posted April 21, 2013 +1 on the Motive Products Power Bleeder. I too used it to flush and refill the fluid on my GT500 and it worked great. Mark I got one of these to do my brake upgrade (DBA5000 rotors/goodridge lines/hawk pads/brake duct kit). There are cheaper bleeding tools but if it does the job right the first time it'll be worth it to have. Have all the parts sitting in the garage & just need a couple days free to do the install. Will post up pics of the install & a review when I get it done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frazierfreud Posted April 21, 2013 Report Share Posted April 21, 2013 I'm going to use my motive power bleeder tomorrow. Just bought it. Changed to some ss brake lines today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboGT Posted April 21, 2013 Report Share Posted April 21, 2013 I'm going to use my motive power bleeder tomorrow. Just bought it. Changed to some ss brake lines today Cool. Let me know how the power bleeder works for ya. I've never done brakes on an ABS car before so if there are any tips or tricks to it would like to know ahead of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT93 Posted April 21, 2013 Report Share Posted April 21, 2013 I've never done brakes on an ABS car before so if there are any tips or tricks to it would like to know ahead of time. Every time I've bled mine I've had to start the car before I was able to get all the air out of the lines. I'm not sure why that is but it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2008GT-C Posted April 21, 2013 Report Share Posted April 21, 2013 I have the Motive Brake Power Bleeder with attatchments to do all my cars. It's easy to use. You can use it by yourself. I've used it to change out old brake fluid. -Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJN Posted April 21, 2013 Report Share Posted April 21, 2013 I have been wondering this same thing and looking like I am going to have to pick up the Motive Bleeder. How much pressure do you guys usally pump it up to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Patten Posted April 21, 2013 Report Share Posted April 21, 2013 Pump it up to 10-15 PSI . I still find that in order to get the last bit of air - start up the car and do one final pump and crack the bleeder screw . JMO and experience . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2010KonaBlueGT Posted April 21, 2013 Report Share Posted April 21, 2013 There's a post somewhere on TS from Phill Pollard ( 2010KonaBlueGT) where he uses gravity. If I were to buy a unit now, I'd go for one with a hand pump pressure resevoir. I've seen them but can't recall any brands. Steve Mity-Vac (Vacuum pump) Not sure of the spelling but they come with a brake bleeder reservoir. I have one but like you said, it's easier to just open the bleeder valve and let gravity do the work. And no bubbles form from low pressure (vacuum). Phill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboGT Posted April 21, 2013 Report Share Posted April 21, 2013 I've always heard of gravity being the best way & that's what was used successfully before vacuum & pressure bleeders came along. In the 25 or so years I've been doing my own brakes, it seems like about half the time there is a hidden high spot somewhere in the course of the brake line where air bubbles accumulate. Maybe I'm not using gravity correctly or I'm not patient or I'm a sucker for fancy tools - LOL! More likely, I'm just paranoid about air being in the lines. I'm starting the brake job tomorrow, so hopefully will be able to provide some info on this thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frazierfreud Posted April 22, 2013 Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 I used my Motive Power Bleeder today to flush out my old brake fluid and replace with dot 4 fluid. This is the first time I have ever blead brakes. I found it to be pretty easy and quick. The blue dot 4 fluid was very easy to see as it squeezed out the old amber colored dot 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboGT Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 I have been wondering this same thing and looking like I am going to have to pick up the Motive Bleeder. How much pressure do you guys usally pump it up to? I got to do my rear brakes today & used the Motive bleeder so here are a couple of tips: There should be 2 rubber washers that come with the bleeder to seal the connection between the bleeder cap & MC. You will need the thicker of the two to get a good seal. Don't pump the tank to more than 15 psi. Any more is unnecessary & will cause fluid to spew out the cap. Make sure to put enough fluid in the tank to keep the pickup hose covered in the bottom of the tank. Plan the job so you don't finish when it's dark outside (don't ask me how many times I've done this!) Different color brake fluid is easier to see when bleeding the brakes - so is bleeding them when it's still light outside! Don't expect a whole lot of air even if you change the lines as I did. It only took a couple of cracks of the bleeder to purge the air. Lastly - if changing over to new braided lines, make sure to double and triple check the settings on your torque wrench before tightening the banjo bolt to the caliper. DO NOT overtighten them or else you'll be waiting on a replacement banjo bolt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Patten Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 So you're learning that's a GOOD THING ! Maybe we'll get you a miner's hat with a light on it . LOL.... Thanks for sharing . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJN Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 Thanks for the tips Turbo. Sounds like you know all to well now lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboGT Posted May 4, 2013 Report Share Posted May 4, 2013 Pump it up to 10-15 PSI . I still find that in order to get the last bit of air - start up the car and do one final pump and crack the bleeder screw . JMO and experience . I finally got my replacement banjo bolts & was able to finish up the front lines yesterday so wanted to add a couple final notes. The install was pretty uneventful but make sure the mounting clip where the line attaches to the strut is oriented properly or else the line can rub the sway bar strut. This may seem obvious, but the clip can be oriented in 3 different ways & if you remove the old line and return later to install the new line I could see it would be easy to mount it wrong. As far as I know, the OEM clips that connect the brake line to the ABS line and keep them separate cannot be transferred to the new lines. I used HD zip ties to fab a "clip" that would preserve the factory routing and still be able to keep the two lines separated so they won't chafe. In closing, Albino is right about needing to pump the brakes once or twice and crack each bleeder to get the full pedal pressure after the initial bleeding & flushing is complete. The power bleeder made it easy to flush the system and get 99% of the air out - but I didn't get full brake pedal back until a final brake pedal assisted bleed. All in all, not a difficult job, just time consuming. However, the car stops on a dime now & I'm looking forward to some track days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Patten Posted May 4, 2013 Report Share Posted May 4, 2013 Good Write up TurboGT, Nothing feels better than a solid brake pedal (well maybe somethings but I'll stay on topic). next...? Coilovers ...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboGT Posted May 5, 2013 Report Share Posted May 5, 2013 The very next thing is to get the 3.73 gears put in this week. Coil overs will follow soon - it's gonna be pretty sweet. Hoping the rain will stop so I can try out the brakes & gears. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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