One Man Bleeding Kits?

I've had an Eazibleed for ages. Since I'm invariably bleeding brakes on my own. It does work very well, but use less air pressure rather than more - about 15psi is fine. And make sure it is all screwed together properly, as even at a lowish pressure any leak will go everywhere. It will also get through fluid far faster than you first think - so check the reservoir is get full otherwise you'll have to start again.

No experience of the vacuum sort, though.

'Bleedin' useless' is my experience (with the Sealey suction pump one, anyway). Nothing beats having a mate pump the brake pedal for you AFAIC.

Me neither.

My nephew got one. The cap came off the master cyl and brake fluid went down the inner wing / bulkhead seam. I'll never use one.

I have a Gunson one way valve I got about 35 years ago (was for bikes I think). Just a tube with a one way valve on the end and bit of rubber bent 180 deg with clip for the nipple end. Didn't come with the air line gubbins. Fill master cylinder. Crack bleed nipple with full hex, nip up. Put a ring spanner on it and then the tube with the one-way valve. Hang valve in waste jar so the valve outlet is under the fluid. Open the bleed nipple - not a lot, about 1/4 - 1/3 turn or it will lose fluid and suck air in down the thread of the nipple.

Give pedal 5-7 strokes releasing slowly (you have to learn how many strokes is safe to not drain fluid). Check for clean fluid and no air in tube from nipple and fluid level in master cylinder. Repeat until fresh clean fluid appears and no air.

Nip up bleed valve replace cap and move on.

I used one as directed, but the fluid ended up everywhere. I made a slight variation, which was to periodically make sure the reservoir is full, and use the easibleed to push it through. That works well enough for me.

I was helping a mate bleed the front brake on his bike the other day (after we had stripped and cleaned the caliper) and I made him the same sort of thing by bunging a suitably sized bolt up the open end of some clear plastic hose and cut a small sit in the side near the bolt to make the one way valve.

Once the maser cylinder has got going there is quite a bit of hydraulic pressure so it can easily open the valve and keeping in low in you catch jar insures it can't draw any air back in in any case. ;-)

Good point. I often put a bit of brake grease on the nipple thread to help it stop drawing any air in.

Yup. ;-)

Except this turned out to be one of the awkward one and even forcing fluid back into the nipple and up to the master cylinder didn't seem to help.

Normally (on motorbike front brakes) you can find a sweet spot on the lever just before the piston closes the port off where you can get any air to bubble out (mot motorcycle front brakes and fairly vertical and air rises). It did firm up in the end but I think that was just down to time (leaving it overnight often helps) and getting it to catch sufficiently to pump the fluid through faster than the bubbles can rise back up the pipe. ;-)

A couple of makes have the pressure type systems but it often seems you don't have the right threaded fitting and have to try to use the less than idea 'universal' clamp type one (or modify a spare one).

Cheers, T i m

The cap didn't come off the master cylinder on its own. It was either the incorrect one, or not correctly fitted. Cross threaded or whatever.

That is my experience. The plastic threads on caps and bodies aren't designed to take the force from even 15psi.

I've got away without the one-way valve! I've generally found the fluid emerging is clear anyway so not too worried if some gets sucked back.

If the Easybleed cap was a poor fit, wasn't that obvious? It's quite possible they don't supply one for every possible make of master cylinder.

Brian Reay presented the following explanation :

I have a Gunson kit, which uses a spare tyre. The kit fits in place of the master cylinder cap and blow the fluid through from the top down. It does avoid the pedal pumping and the need for an assistant.

You still need to keep a careful eye on the fluid level - let air in and you start again. The tyre's pressure needs to be low

Peugeot 205 not common?

Which is why they also make a "universal" cap that is held by a cable tie. But that's an extra and not in the kit which comes with 4 caps.

No - just French. And they love to be different. ;-)

and the eezybleed kit has other caps available as an extra, and tells the owner how to obtain and modify an original master cylinder cap for anything eezybleed do not supply one for. From seeing other people use eezybleeds the problem is invariably that the owner has not decreased the pressure in the spare tyre used. You only need a tiny amount of air to push the fluid through, it is even possible (though difficult ) to use lung pressure (from experience on a motorcycle system)

Yes. I managed a leak from mine at the master cylinder once. Had it been the first time I'd used it I'd have been put off. But since it had been fine before, finger trouble. ;-)

The 'universal' kit for the eezybleed looks a bit Heath-Robinson. I'd have thought a stepped bung would be better, with a strap (or similar) to ensure it can't be forced out.

Having said that, things like fluid master cylinders are found in (probably) all cars etc and, while I can accept not all cars would need the same size, you have to wonder why their are so many different ones. May be three sizes to cover 'small', 'medium' and 'larger' vehicles (referring to cars and vans) would surely make sense in terms of mass production cost saving.

The same, of course, goes for countless other parts / components. Why, for example, are there hundreds of different air, fuel, and oil filters? Beyond, of course, car makers specify them. A limited number of standard designs, which car makers pick from, would make far more sense. True they would need to work with those available but would that really be a major issue?

Have you bought one, then? The most common way to seal something with pressure in it - like say a bottle of anything - is a screw cap if meant to be re-used. A clamp to hold a bung in place is even more likely not to fit every master cylinder.

If there were only one maker of such things, yes. But different makers will often make things different on purpose. Design registration etc. And to force you to buy their spares when needed.

See above.

I think in various jurisdictions manufacturers getting together on such things would cause problems with competition law. Smacks of cartels, barriers to innovation etc.

I suppose the EU could seek powers to regulate the market in such things in the single market. Doesn't have to lead to re-inventing the Trabant ;)

Perhaps, but I'm not sure why. A simple 'strap' to hold the stepped bung was what I had in mind.

That is the point. Why do we need so many different types- it is a huge waste of money etc.

There is less surely it would increase competition. As it is, some types must be so 'special' that you almost have to go to the main dealer or an expensive maker. If there were a few types and, say, the one of a large 'raw' car also fitted a large common car, you could by it 'anywhere'.

(Heaven forbid that the EU should wade in, that would really complicate things. They'd require the threads to be both left and right handed so as to be 'gender neutral ;-) )