Today was brake day. My Chevy truck with ABS requires that I bleed it the old fashioned way. Wife in cockpit, me underneath with a clear hose and a wrench. Lots of yelling.

Umm, those of you who go down hills DO change your brake fluid biennially, I hope.

Anyway, I finally got tired of watching bubbles go back and forth in the hose, never sure if they were coming out of the nipple or had just rose back up there before the next stroke. I reasoned that the volume of fluid ejected from the bleeder nipple on each pedal stroke was far less than the hose could hold, so the hose was never purged of air. I made a new bleeder hose, with a 1 inch length of 1/4 inch ID vinyl to fit the nipple, and the rest of the hose made of thick wall 1/4 OD, 1/16 ID clear vinyl tubing. The smaller tube didn't fit very tight inside the larger, so I wrapped a little nylon thread around the end and saturated it with cyanoacrylate before inserting. Shoe Goo, 3M 5200 or another vinyl adhesive would work, too. So would a little work with a BBQ lighter.

Works like a champ. Air gone on first or second stroke. A more delicate touch is needed when opening the bleeder, however, due to the restriction of the smaller ID tubing. The 90 degree end is just a convenience for Chevy truck rear drums with big springs that block straight-on positioning.

I agree that the whole 'yelling at the wife' system is about a pain.

I just use a power bleeder, or a 'one man' bleeer that has a one-way valve in it. Set it in a container and YOU pump to your hearts content. Fluid can't back up into wheel cylinder and my relationship is spared one more piece of intrigue..

quote:

Originally posted by Windsor Dalrymple:
I agree that the whole 'yelling at the wife' system is about a pain.

I just use a power bleeder.

In this case, the manual called for what they call "two person" bleeding due to ABS, so no power bleeder.

However, in general, I have become a strong believer in the "wife method" of brake bleeding. That is, with one person pumping and one bleeding.

Over the years, I had always done it by myself, using either pressure up, pressure down or vacuum from beneath. On the front brake of motorcycles, as well as light aircraft, pressure up worked best, as the upward flow of fluid aids the natural upward flow of bubbles. I have a whole bin of brake bleeding appliances and fittings.

Not too long ago, my toad developed a soft pedal, and bleeding did not help. Two new master cylinders did not help. Pressure bleeding did not show any problem, bottom up, top down, nothing. Same with vacuum bleeding from below. "Wife method" bleeding showed that one wheel seemed to be producing bubbles. Always. A new cylinder fixed it. Examination of the old cylinder showed that it had a little crud under the lip of one cup that apparently sealed under pressure, as there was no evidence of fluid leakage. But that little piece of crud let some air get sucked in when the pedal return stroke created slightly lower pressure in the system. In this case, only the "wife method" revealed the problem. I do not understand why vacuum bleeding from below did not reveal the problem. Probably because the leak occured only when the piston of the wheel cylinder had been moved a little before I opened the bleed fitting using the "wife method" Like to drove me crazy.

My wife hates to help me do mechanical chores.

I use the "KID" method...I have two boys who love to help daddy work on cars..especially the Barth..

quote:

Originally posted by Windsor Dalrymple:
My wife hates to help me do mechanical chores.

Not my wife.

When I was 17 the girlfriend (now wife) asked to help me work on my Nova. So, I gave her the coil wire and told her to hold it.

After cranking it and not seeing her jump I figured out what was wrong. Just goes to show you the things a 17 year old thinks is funny.

Yeah, my friends were around. Yeah, she got me back.

While I was working on repairing it she laid on the horn!!! Yep, my friends laughed when I jumped.

See what happens when you marry the girl that carried your books between classes while your hobbling around on crutches. Hey, she volunteered!

Bill N.Y.

From the "Economical Replacement for [Certain] Wifely Functions" Department:

The bleeder hose is an excellent idea, but I'd supplement it with these additions:

1. Dedicate a Chinese take-out soup container or Tupperware-type container of 16-32 oz. to brake bleeding. Fill it partially (about 1/2) with fresh brake fluid. When done, snap the cover on - this can be used repeatedly, as gravity sucks the bubbles and old fluid out, but doesn't permit old fluid back into the system.

2. For the lower end of the bleeder hose, find a nut in the scrap box that'll thread over the lower end of the hose. The weight will hold the hose in place.

3. Attach the top of the hose to the bleeder nipple, place the weighted lower end into the brake fluid in the container. Crack the bleeder open.

4. Get thee to the brake pedal, and depress slowly, release quickly two or three times, then return to the brake and check the top of the hose for bubbles. If none, close the bleeder and check pedal operation.

Naturally bleeding should be done in the following order: RR, LR, RF, LF - in other words in the order of decreasing distance from the master cylinder.

Also, don't forget that a spongy brake or pulling (especially if erratic) can also be caused by tired brake hoses...

This system is fairly foolproof, in that it relies on simple physics and fluid mechanics, and works even after SWMBO has taken offense with some transgression of yours....