Anyone ever bleed brakes with those hand-help vacuum pumps? Successfully?

I bought one, because it is like pulling teeth to get my wife out in that hot garage to pump the brakes for me. (This is why I STILL have not driven on those new disk brakes after three weeks of installation!!!)

I bought one, hooked it up to the right rear caliper, and pumped it up, and turned the bleeder screw, but nothing coming out but I feel bubbles. Not seeing any fluid. I am pretty sure it is sucking air through the threads in the bleeder screw.

I have already pumped the calipers full a couple weeks ago, but still spongy feeling, so I want to redo all 4 corners.

What am I doing wrong?

 

I have used a vacuum pump bleeder with success, I usually gravity bleed the caliper/cylinders first with the cover off the master cylinder. And only open the bleeders about a half turn.

 

I threw mine away. I use a clear bottle and drill a hole in the lid big enough for a section of vacuum hose to fit into to near the bottom. Make the hose long enough to reach the bleeder and the bottle placed where you can see it looking under the car. Make sure the hose end is submerged. Crack the bleeder to just cracked. Pump away keeping an eye on the resivour not to go empty. Do it with the lid on the master. Have plenty of fluid. You can reuse what you pumped out if it is new anyway. When I did it at work I recycled it.. The guy who showed me this called it the "no body likes me bleeder system". Kinda long I thought

 

I like that "ain't got no friends" system!

On many of my prior cars, I would replace the bleeder screw with those ones that have the one-way valves and do pretty much the same thing.

 

Being I was in a shop at the time, we had a brake pedal holder. The last stroke was held down while I went back and snugged the bleeder.

 

A little swipe of sil-glide or Vaseline will seal the treads while bleeding brakes... Also you can replace them with Russel speed bleeders, they have a check valve inside lets air and fluid out but wont suck air back in... You just open the bleeder and go pump the pedal...

 

I use them, they work ok. That and a brick is all I typically use. I think the 1 time I had a helper, I had to redo it anyway because they couldn't follow basic directions.

Umm, what I usually do is pump them up, then pump the brake pedal a few times, then pump the vacuum some more, then the pedal a few times. Check the reservoir too. It doesn't work if you just pump the bleeder, as the vacuum pull from the bleeder isn't enough to actually pull the fluid through the check valves and such.

I did have mild success with converting a Ziploc hand-held vacuum pump system to bleed breaks, right up until I accidentally sucked enough fluid into it to kill it.

 

I have used mine many times to bleed brakes. First, use a container, I like a glass jar with a metal lid. Put 2 holes in the lid that vacuum hoses will push through and seal. The reason for this is so you don't get brake fluid in the pump, which it won't like at all! I take the bleeder screw completely out and just hold the vacuum hose into the hole in the caliper, or wheel cylinder if you're doing those. This way the hose seals very well. Never had a problem with any car I've done this on!

 

I bought one of those hand pump cheapies, I squeezed it, and it broke, I tossed it in the garbage.

 

My wife finally woke up and got dressed, and did the pump-pump-pump-hold for me...

I get up at 6 am on weekends. She sleeps in til 10.

THAT is why I need a friend!

Didn't realize my nephew was across the street on a "Dad weekend" or I would have hauled his butt over to help.

 

I have used one with success and actually prefer this method. Starting at the right rear it seemed like it took forever to before it started drawing fluid but by watching the master cylinder closely I could tell it was indeed working. Once I moved on to the left and front it was much quicker. It took two complete go rounds to get a hard pedal. I did get small, consistent air bubbles from the bleeder threads which makes it tricky to distinguish from the larger bubbles coming from the brake line. As already mentioned a little grease or Vaseline on the bleeder threads helps create a seal.

 

I use one as well, key to it working effectively is tightly wrap the threads of the bleeder valve with Teflon tape then reinstall, leave it a couple turns loose... Also don't go crazy with the pump action, 10" of vac is generally plenty, higher and you'll probably just suck a hole the tape ...

 

How do you reinstall the screw without letting air in?

 

That's not a problem, fluid will gravity feed from the master cylinder no air will get back into the wheel cylinder or caliper... In fact if you have a little patience, most of the time they'll bleed by gravity anyway...

The pedal/MC moving back to rest position is what pulls air back in, no pedal movement, no air...

 

x2..
Done this also. I lernt this when I left a bleeder out and the lid off at work one day. Came in the next day and the fluid had finally come to the rear cylinder that I was having issues with. Drained the master. But it was easy to bleed at that point.