cybil hamartia
04-30-2007, 10:05 AM
hey, y'all.
i was just reading an article on webbikeworld.com about brake bleeding. they use an actron hand vacuum pump that they bought for $65.
there's nothing on here about brake bleeding, so i thought i'd write a little something and relay some experiences:
here's what i did:
get a little cup/hose setup from sears for $5. the cup has two straws sticking out of it: one down low for fluid to come into it and one up higher for air to escape (or apply a vacuum).
put some sort of protection around the reservoir. rags, tin foil, something to keep the fluid off of the paint. keep rags and water around in case you do drop a little.
open up the reservoir. if you're feeling punctilious, get the old fluid out of the reservoir with a syringe. otherwise, just flush it through. a bottle of brake fluid is pretty generous, and the fluid can't be reused after you break the seal, so you might as well flush it all through the system.
slip the hose onto the longer staw of the cup. slip the other end onto the bleeder nipple. put some grease over the connection with the bleeder nipple so that air doesn't get into it.
fill the reservoir with fresh fluid. open the bleeder valve just enough that you can squeeze the liquid through. the first couple of squeezes, it's good to squeeze and close the bleeder valve while you still have pressure on the brake lever. after you get a bit of fluid in the cup, releasing the lever will just draw some of the fluid back into the system. at this point, it's no longer necessary to close the bleeder valve each time.
make sure that, as you're squeezing, you don't allow the reservoir to empty. refill it when it gets low.
watch the fluid coming through the tube into the cup. you will see it change from darkish to clearish. when it's clear, you're done. repeat for the other side of the front brakes, and the rear break.
a little adventure: somehow i spaced out and found myself with an empty rear brake the first time i did this. in need of a source of vacuum to pull the fluid through and bleed the brakes, i hooked up a hose from the carb to the cup. voila--a vacuum. worked just fine. i had the hose lying around from a carb balancer, and it happened to be the same size as the straw on the cup.
if there's anything here that's dead wrong, feel free to correct it. i haven't had any trouble with this procedure, but that could just mean i'm lucky. i suppose i'd also like to suggest that you don't need to go buy more stuff to bleed your brakes--a cup and break fluid will do the job just fine.
cheers!
.cyb
ps. as i write this, i get the feeling i've posted it here before. i can't find it right now. apologies if i'm repeating myself.
________
Medical Marijuana Dispensaries (http://www.youtube.com/dispensaries)
i was just reading an article on webbikeworld.com about brake bleeding. they use an actron hand vacuum pump that they bought for $65.
there's nothing on here about brake bleeding, so i thought i'd write a little something and relay some experiences:
here's what i did:
get a little cup/hose setup from sears for $5. the cup has two straws sticking out of it: one down low for fluid to come into it and one up higher for air to escape (or apply a vacuum).
put some sort of protection around the reservoir. rags, tin foil, something to keep the fluid off of the paint. keep rags and water around in case you do drop a little.
open up the reservoir. if you're feeling punctilious, get the old fluid out of the reservoir with a syringe. otherwise, just flush it through. a bottle of brake fluid is pretty generous, and the fluid can't be reused after you break the seal, so you might as well flush it all through the system.
slip the hose onto the longer staw of the cup. slip the other end onto the bleeder nipple. put some grease over the connection with the bleeder nipple so that air doesn't get into it.
fill the reservoir with fresh fluid. open the bleeder valve just enough that you can squeeze the liquid through. the first couple of squeezes, it's good to squeeze and close the bleeder valve while you still have pressure on the brake lever. after you get a bit of fluid in the cup, releasing the lever will just draw some of the fluid back into the system. at this point, it's no longer necessary to close the bleeder valve each time.
make sure that, as you're squeezing, you don't allow the reservoir to empty. refill it when it gets low.
watch the fluid coming through the tube into the cup. you will see it change from darkish to clearish. when it's clear, you're done. repeat for the other side of the front brakes, and the rear break.
a little adventure: somehow i spaced out and found myself with an empty rear brake the first time i did this. in need of a source of vacuum to pull the fluid through and bleed the brakes, i hooked up a hose from the carb to the cup. voila--a vacuum. worked just fine. i had the hose lying around from a carb balancer, and it happened to be the same size as the straw on the cup.
if there's anything here that's dead wrong, feel free to correct it. i haven't had any trouble with this procedure, but that could just mean i'm lucky. i suppose i'd also like to suggest that you don't need to go buy more stuff to bleed your brakes--a cup and break fluid will do the job just fine.
cheers!
.cyb
ps. as i write this, i get the feeling i've posted it here before. i can't find it right now. apologies if i'm repeating myself.
________
Medical Marijuana Dispensaries (http://www.youtube.com/dispensaries)