I have a pressure bleeder, mityvac, and a air powered vacuum bleeder, I have tried them all and still can do it faster and easier with the length of clear hose and the clear bottle LOL.

 

There is a new Harbor Store opening in my town tomorrow. I'll have to check it out.

 

Am I mistaken or do the speed bleeders not have the check valve built into them to prevent air from being drawn back into the system? Those and a length of hose to keep the fluid off of our pretty paint job should be all that's needed.

 

Speed bleeders not needed, as long as the hose is submerged in brake fluid in a bottle it cannot suck in air when the brake pedal is released.

 

But John noted in the original post that he had speed bleeders installed, that's the reason for my comment.

 

well I had to go back and look... I knew I bought speed bleeders, but couldn 't remember if I installed them.... I did... so that settles that... just fill m/c and push the pedal... I know, open the bleeder and put a tube in a bottle and catch the fluid to keep the floor clean...

Now the next question... (have pity on an old timer... I haven't done chevy brakes in a while.. heck I took them apart 15 years ago !!) look at the picture below... I can't seem to remember where the pieces go in what order..
I know the slider bolt goes thru and the bushing fits in the big hole ... but where should the rubber washer be placed... it's large enough that it slips over the slider bolt head and the bushing... can't see where it will do anything.. or do I even need it ??? go ahead and laugh... but you'll be old one day

 

John
Look inside the bigger hole on the caliper. There is a groove inside of it. That's where the "O" ring fits


Good luck, we're all pulling for you


Bobby

 

soooo then the bushing goes in the slot and things go together properly, right Bobby ??

and then the sleeve flushes up on the inside as shown in pic 2 ??

thanks bud..

 

Yep, looks right
A bit of lube will help also. The whole design is so that the caliper can slide back and forth on the bolt as needed.


Bobby

 

i'm approaching this point, too...

three (newbie) questions:

1) what's the right way to bench bleed a new MC? there were some sparse directions if i recall that came with mine, but it said something about closing the top/lid with a rubber tube sticking out (which didn't even seem physically possible as it is such a tight seal). i'll have to go back and look, but figured you all could tell me how it is done in the real world.

2) what type of fluid? DOT 3/4/5 ?

3) how much fluid should i plan to buy for a brand new (dry) system?

 

mount the master cylinder in a vice. Get a bleeding kit or make your own, you need to have fluid lines from the master outlets and curved up and over the top back into the fluid reservoirs so they will be submerged in brake fluid when the master is full. Fill the reservoirs with brake fluid and slowly manually push the master cylinder piston in with an old master pushrod or another tool and let it retract on its own. Repeat until no air bubbles come out of the fluid lines back into the fluid reservoirs.
I use regular old dot 3 fluid, one quart is normally more than enough for the job.

 

If you don't have a vise, you can do this on the truck/car. Mount the MC, install the bleeder lines, fill up the reservoir, stand on the running board, etc and slowly work the pedal while watching the MC (you can usually find a way to see it and reach the pedal) Now, slowly work the pedal much like you would in a vise.


Once you are done, remove the bleeder lines and hook up the regular lines. Now....once again slowly work the brake pedal in and out and watch for air bubbles. There is bound to be a few.
Sometimes you will need to vary the pumping action. It seems to work pretty good to push the pedal approx. 3/4 of the way, release it a bit and work it back and forth slowly without bottoming or releasing all the way. After a few strokes release the pedal and watch for air bubbles. Go slowly with the pedal, if you move it either direction fast you will push brake fluid up out of the reservoir.


I've replaced many a MC with this method and rarely have to go through the entire brake bleeding process. It usually a lot faster as any air is the system is right there at the MC from when you disconnected the lines and you can work it back up through the MC instead of having to push it all the way through the lines to the wheels.


Bobby

 

For an empty system I would bleed it on the truck. I usually place my fingers over the ports (with rags spread around) to allow the fluid to flow out and no air to go back in. Once you get fluid moving, attach the hard lines and clean up any mess right away, as this stuff is a great paint stripper!

 

Make sure you install the caliper with the bleeder at the top. I have seen people put them on the wrong side and you will never get the air out.

 

I would go with the pressure bleeder as mentioned, I plan on making one and the description would work great. When we had one at work we had low pressure but if you go that route with empty lines you will go through a lot of fluid.