Technical Two brake fluid reservoirs ?

Currently reading:
Technical Two brake fluid reservoirs ?

I too have thought about buying a vacuum bleeder. I've had a Gunson pressure bleeder for many years and it which works well when the adapter cap seals properly to the master cylinder reservoir but I've also had several memorable disasters when the cap has leaked and allowed fluid to leak! As the kit is aging and the rubber rings are getting harder I now don't use it very much - also, being an older version of the kit, there are not so many of the adapter caps which fit the modern master cylinders. What puts me off about the vacuum bleeders is that they seem to suck air in around the bleed nipple screw thread so you always see bubbles in the bleed tube. People do say this can be minimized by coating the bleed nipple threads with grease? I like to see an air free stream in that tube when I'm bleeding to reassure me that all air has been bled out..

I note that the 3 local garages, who I know well enough to be allowed to wander round their workshop, have "professional" grade pressure bleeders, not vacuum. If I can make a vacuum bleeder work for me I particularly like the idea of also being able to use it for diagnosing the likes of MAP sensors etc.

I'm very interested to hear about your home made one, I really enjoy trying to make this sort of thing, however I've never heard of a "whine vacuum kit"? I'm wondering if you mean a "Wine Vacuum Kit" ? but even so I've never heard of that either! I'd love to see a picture of your setup if you can manage to post one.
Kindest regards
Jock
most cars you just start the ABS pump with diagnostics and open the valves in the ABS unit to bleed the full system including ABS.

Fine on VW and the like. Unfortunately my software is missing that function on Suzuki and the Panda

Fairly sure its missing on MES as well although I might have only check on pre 2009 models. The 2010 has a few more options but I don't thing I have ever done any bake work on that car yet.
 
What puts me off about the vacuum bleeders is that they seem to suck air in around the bleed nipple screw thread so you always see bubbles in the bleed tube. People do say this can be minimized by coating the bleed nipple threads with grease? I like to see an air free stream in that tube when I'm bleeding to reassure me that all air has been bled out..
That's something you just have to accept with vacuum bleeding; you'll almost always see a steady stream of bubbles from air that's being sucked in past the threads on the bleed screw. It doesn't in any way stop you getting a good bleed, it just means you can't rely on a bubble free stream to tell you when bleeding has been satisfactorily completed. It also means you absolutely can't reuse the fluid that's been bled out, but you shouldn't really be doing that anyway.

Grease won't help you; if the vacuum is sufficient to bleed the fluid, it'll suck it straight out. It does help to remove the bleedscrew and wrap PTFE tape round the thread, (take care not to cover the hole), but you still shouldn't expect to see a totally bubble free stream.

The PTFE tape won't help with the seal around the bleedscrew seating, (that's done by the conical tapered end of the screw), but it does help to stop water getting into the threads and corroding the bleeds, so they'll be much easier to free off next time you do the job.

I'm a strong advocate of vacuum bleeding; it makes the job much easier single handed, and it also greatly reduces the potential for a messy overspill. It's also effective if you need to get a good bleed on so-called 'difficult' systems, though in fairness, Fiat's aren't generally troublesome in that respect.
 
Last edited:
That's something you just have to accept with vacuum bleeding; you'll almost always see a steady stream of bubbles from air that's being sucked in past the threads on the bleed screw. It doesn't in any way stop you getting a good bleed, it just means you can't rely on a bubble free stream to tell you when bleeding has been satisfactorily completed. It also means you absolutely can't reuse the fluid that's been bled out, but you shouldn't really be doing that anyway.

Grease won't help you; if the vacuum is sufficient to bleed the fluid, it'll suck it straight out. It does help to remove the bleedscrew and wrap PTFE tape round the thread, (take care not to cover the hole), but you still shouldn't expect to see a totally bubble free stream.

The PTFE tape won't help with the seal around the bleedscrew seating, (that's done by the conical tapered end of the screw), but it does help to stop water getting into the threads and corroding the bleeds, so they'll be much easier to free off next time you do the job.

I'm a strong advocate of vacuum bleeding; it makes the job much easier single handed, and it also greatly reduces the potential for a messy overspill. It's also effective if you need to get a good bleed on so-called 'difficult' systems, though in fairness, Fiat's aren't generally troublesome in that respect.

I normally use vacuum too after getting an initial flow with gravity (works quite well to prime the system assuming the ABS pump is higher than the caliper - stick a pipe on the bleed nipple, stick it in a jar, keep the master cylinder well topped up and leave the nipple open until you get a stream of fluid going down the pipe), but just could not get my 500 to bleed properly when I fitted it's Brembos, so ended up resorting to an old Eezi-bleed pressurized system.

Interesting idea on the ptfe tape given how much of a pain seized nipples are, is the ptfe tape safe to use in brake fluid? If so I'll def be giving that one a try next time I do some brake work (y)
 
When I fitted new hoses all round, bleeding the fluid was the easiest part of the job with my 10 y/o daughter doing the pedal pumping for me. :)

You really need a power vacuum pump as a leaky bleed nipple can soon ruin your day. I borrowed a hand pump kit like this https://www.onbuy.com/gb/car-hand-held-vacuum-pump-brake-bleeder-tester-kit-bleeding-tool~c10877~p52194708/?exta=bingsh&lid=71040347&stat=eyJpcCI6IjE2LjYyMDAiLCJkcCI6IjAuMDAwMCIsImxpZCI6NzEwNDAzNDcsInMiOiI5OTkiLCJ0IjoxNjQyNTAxOTk3LCJibWMiOiI1LjAifQ==&exta=bingsh&msclkid=c4346bbd57e719b15de20a5aab8238d0&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=(GB: SAD) Cars & Automotive&utm_term=4574793010602444&utm_content=(GB: SAD) Cars & Automotive - 12 which worked fine with good bleed nipples but the slightest vac leak spoiled the operation so I had to wait for a helper to pump the pedal. There is also the issue of watching the fluid reservoir level. It's not so bad on cars but bike brakes and car clutches have such a small volume it's all too easy to run them low enough to suck in air.

An old fridge compressor makes a great vac pump. Getting one is more difficult as the gas has to be safely removed and disposal facilities doing the job wont give electrical equipment away even when its fully degassed.

Adit - Just found this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175114533620?hash=item28c5a3baf4:g:-B4AAOSwS49h5ViA
 
Last edited:
This post contains affiliate links which may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

I've got one of those, they work pretty well in practice (though not with Abarth Brembos), but the pressure gauge doesn't last very long (not important) and you often have to retighten the little nut on the end of the piston since it works loose (again not a biggie). But, and this one is a biggie, if you lose the little rubber o ring which goes on the fluid storage reservoir cap (easy to do when you're emptying it) you can't get replacements so you have to buy the tool all over again.
 
I'll stick with mrs Jeroen or junior pressing the pedal while I open and close the nipple with a ring spanner and a hose in a jar.
Mine were apparantly done by a garage under the possession of the previous owner (invoice is somewhere in the car), but I was surprised (and not in a good way) by the amount of small airbubbles that came out when I put fresh fluïd in a few weeks ago.
Brakes feel sooo much better now☺️

gr J
 
Back
Top