Pneumatic brake bleeder for a beginner; which one?

[mad german]

I’m looking for a good pneumatic brake bleeder for a beginner. A friend has a Cornwall unit that he used on my FJR and it worked great! I’m considering getting one like his, but what are the differences between good ones & bad ones? Do the better one pull more vacuum? How can you tell which ones pull the most vacuum?

This is all new to me, so I appreciate the guidance you can offer.

PFA

 

[jobo1004]

Speedibleed. https://www.speedibleed.com/

 

[VolvoRyan]

Motive.

-Ryan

 

[dnschmidt]

Speedibleed. https://www.speedibleed.com/

This one. The reason is the superior quality of the master cylinder lids/caps or whatever you call the thing that seals off the master cylinder. THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE IF YOU HAVE A TOYOTA as Speedibleed's cap is one of the few that actually work.

 

[cgrutt]

Not sure if you're talking about vacuum bleeder where it pulls fluid from reservoir to brakes. If this is the case I recently bought the Harbor Freight (I think it was Holt Industries) about $100. Very happy with it. Used on 2006 Mercedes E350 and 2010 BMW 328 Xi. Worked perfectly. Used a couple wire ties on BMW to keep the container in place but other that no problems. Also used to evacuate power steering fluid from reservoir on E350 to replace hose. Worked great for that too. Just run some denatured alcohol through containers when done.

 

[gizardlizard]

Speedi bleed here too. Love it

This one. The reason is the superior quality of the master cylinder lids/caps or whatever you call the thing that seals off the master cylinder. THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE IF YOU HAVE A TOYOTA as Speedibleed's cap is one of the few that actually work.

 

[Walkers]

I’m looking for a good pneumatic brake bleeder for a beginner. A friend has a Cornwall unit that he used on my FJR and it worked great! I’m considering getting one like his, but what are the differences between good ones & bad ones? Do the better one pull more vacuum? How can you tell which ones pull the most vacuum?

This is all new to me, so I appreciate the guidance you can offer.

PFA

The one in your attachment is a lot of fun to use, but is terrible at bleeding the brakes!

 

[mad german]

The one in your attachment is a lot of fun to use, but is terrible at bleeding the brakes!

Yep, I wish it was more helpful at bleeding brakes. All the FJR seems to do is make me smile!

 

[mad german]

This one. The reason is the superior quality of the master cylinder lids/caps or whatever you call the thing that seals off the master cylinder. THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE IF YOU HAVE A TOYOTA as Speedibleed's cap is one of the few that actually work.

This one might work on the rear MC, but the front MC is rectangular. I’m not sure this one would work.

 

[bbrins]

Speedibleed.

This one. The reason is the superior quality of the master cylinder lids/caps or whatever you call the thing that seals off the master cylinder. THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE IF YOU HAVE A TOYOTA as Speedibleed's cap is one of the few that actually work.

I already have a Motive brake bleeder, but after looking at that link, I may buy some of their adapters and a quick disconnect and upgrade what I have. I think I prefer the hand pump on the Motive, looks like the Speedi Bleed requires air. I do like my Motive bleeder, but the adapters do leave a bit to be desired in the fitment.

 

[The Critic]

Random data point: I've noticed that the pneumatic ones work a lot better when you turn down the inlet air pressure to 70-90psi, not sure why.

I was using mine at my usual 130-140 psi and noticed that it didn't **** very well; the moment I turned it down, I noticed the volume of fluid (traveling thru the suction tube) greatly increased.

 

[redmondjp]

So here is something to consider: applying pressure at the master cylinder is superior to using vacuum at the bleeder screws. Why? Because when the bleeder screw is open, it is NOT an air-tight connection to the rest of the system, and you will pull air in around the bleeder screw threads (you can mitigate this if you use grease or anti-sieze on the bleeder screw threads).

Using pressure at the master cylinder, forces liquid throughout the entire system and forces any air out at whatever point in the system is open. Air can't leak in past the bleeder screw threads in this situation, and you aren't sucking in air at any other point.

Something to consider . . .

 

[joe_padavano]

So here is something to consider: applying pressure at the master cylinder is superior to using vacuum at the bleeder screws. Why? Because when the bleeder screw is open, it is NOT an air-tight connection to the rest of the system, and you will pull air in around the bleeder screw threads (you can mitigate this if you use grease or anti-sieze on the bleeder screw threads).

Using pressure at the master cylinder, forces liquid throughout the entire system and forces any air out at whatever point in the system is open. Air can't leak in past the bleeder screw threads in this situation, and you aren't sucking in air at any other point.

Something to consider . . .

Leakage around the bleeder screw is irrelevant with vacuum bleeders. The air will always flow to the lower pressure area, which is inside the vacuum bleeder. There is no physical way for air to get back into the system. All you have to do is ensure that the system is always under vacuum when the bleeder screw is open, and close the bleeder screw before you disconnect the vacuum bleeder. People needlessly loose a lot of sleep over this. I've had a Vacula bleeder for close to 25 years now. It is by far the best tool I've ever bought. There's no need to bench bleed the master cylinder and one pass at each wheel is all I ever need to completely bleed the brakes.

 

[redmondjp]

Leakage around the bleeder screw is irrelevant with vacuum bleeders. The air will always flow to the lower pressure area, which is inside the vacuum bleeder. There is no physical way for air to get back into the system. All you have to do is ensure that the system is always under vacuum when the bleeder screw is open, and close the bleeder screw before you disconnect the vacuum bleeder. People needlessly loose a lot of sleep over this. I've had a Vacula bleeder for close to 25 years now. It is by far the best tool I've ever bought. There's no need to bench bleed the master cylinder and one pass at each wheel is all I ever need to completely bleed the brakes.

Wrong - it is very relevant.

When you pull a vacuum at the ****** on the bleeder screw, it will pull air in around the threads and you will see these air bubbles in your stream of fluid coming out. It will trick you into thinking that there is still air in the system and you will waste a lot of brake fluid. I have had it happen to me on multiple occasions, and it took me a really long time to figure out where the air was coming from.

 

[ChefRex]

Bubbles never gave me a second thought when vacuum bleeding, it just works.
I have a Mityvac MV6830, love the large size so I don't have to drain it as often and doesn't tip over easily, also the flat sides make it easy to grab when removing the top.

 

[Schurkey]

1. As said, vacuum bleeding is not for me. Unless the bleeder screw threads are sealed with some sort of goo, you'll perpetually see bubbles. Which means the wheel cylinder/caliper perpetually has some amount of air inside. Don't get me started on drum-brake wheel cylinders that are designed and intended to seal pressure but NOT intended to seal vacuum. Again, you risk pulling air perpetually past the rubber cups in the wheel cylinder.

2. My GM service manuals specifically warn against the sort of pressure bleeders (Lookin' at you, Motive) that don't separate the pressurized air from the brake fluid. Garden-sprayer bleeders allow the fluid to pull moisture out of the air used to pressurize it. Maybe makes no difference in the desert, but it's a problem in the high-humidity areas like where I live.

3. I use two methods of bleeding. For work near the wheel cylinders, I gravity-bleed. No set-up time aside from grabbing a tool to loosen the bleeder screw(s) and to push a drain pan in place. The actual bleeding takes a little while. OTOH for major work, work well-away from the wheels, or fluid-flushing, I pressure bleed using a bleeder that has a rubber diaphragm between the fluid and the pressurizing air. Longer set-up and take-down time, but the bleeding itself goes really quickly. I bleed at 10--15 psi. I have NEVER had a problem bleeding front brakes that I could blame the metering (holdoff) valve for, therefore I have NEVER needed to install a "special tool" to push the pin hiding behind the rubber cap on the combination valve.

4. "Reverse Injection" bleeding is a disaster unless the fluid in the system is already clean, or the system is empty. If you "reverse injection" bleed with contaminated fluid in the system, you'll push that contaminated fluid through the ABS valves, potentially sticking them.

5. Two-man, pump-the-pedal bleeding is not practical in a one-man operation. Also runs the risk of over-pumping the pedal creating cavitation, turbulence and therefore dissolved air in the fluid that takes an hour to bubble back out.

 

[joe_padavano]

Wrong - it is very relevant.

When you pull a vacuum at the ****** on the bleeder screw, it will pull air in around the threads and you will see these air bubbles in your stream of fluid coming out. It will trick you into thinking that there is still air in the system and you will waste a lot of brake fluid. I have had it happen to me on multiple occasions, and it took me a really long time to figure out where the air was coming from.

That happens and it is not an issue. The air bubbles cause a "pumping" sound in the bleeder, and you can easily tell when the sound changes. I've been using this unit for a quarter century with no issues. Don't make it harder than it needs to be, and don't complain if you haven't tried it.

 

[IMStuner]

That happens and it is not an issue. The air bubbles cause a "pumping" sound in the bleeder, and you can easily tell when the sound changes. I've been using this unit for a quarter century with no issues. Don't make it harder than it needs to be, and don't complain if you haven't tried it.

I haven't find this to be a issue as well. I currently use a Mityvac MV6835.