Brake Bleeding Advice

[Tom]

Here are a couple of links to universal pressure bleeders sold by snap-on; http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....re&dir=catalog

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....re&dir=catalog

I have used this style before that looked more like a round sphere but I don't remember the manufacturer. This style forces fluid through the system from the master cylinder. Even using this method you will still sometimes have difficulty getting all of the air out of the brake system when dealing with anti-lock brake systems. I have also seen literature on a system that forces the fluid into the system at the bleeder screws but I have never used this style.

Of the three choices, pumping the brake pedal while somebody opens and closes the bleeder screw, pressure bleeding from the master cylinder, and vacuum bleeding at the bleeder screws, I prefer vacuum bleeding at the bleeder screws.

For a lot of vehicles during vehicle manufacturing the entire brake and clutch hydraulic systems are filled using vacuum. When the system is completely assembled but dry, a vaccum is pulled on the entire system at the bleeder screw farthest from the master cylinder, a valve is shuttled that ports brake fluid to the bleeder screw instead of the vacuum, and the vacuum in the system sucks the brake fluid into the system filling it completely. Some hydraulic clutch systems are completely assembled and bled using this method on a bleeding fixture and then installed into the vehicle as a complete assembly.