hello out there, i noticed Ben is crazy about the speed bleeders, can someone give me a step by step on how to bleed the brakes?? my pedal goes clear to the floor, and i got brake fluid leaking at all 4 corners. any help as usual will be greatly appreciated. thanks a bunch guys

If you have 4 leaks, you have problems that bleeding won't cure. Tell us exactly where the leaks are. We'll start there

Sounds like some leaking calipers -perhaps - I just replaced mine - got hem @Autozone - walked in and got them at a good price - no leaks now - speedbleaders installed - easy as 1-2-3
Lets us know where the leaks are coming from - talkum powder on fitting will show if fittings are leaking -
Al

they are right.. no amount of bleeding will work if you have leaks.

but the procedure I use since discovering the speed bleeders is as follows.

jack the car up at all four corners and put on four stands.

then remove wheels..

now here is where im going to stray from the pack a little. alot of people recommend that you bleed the furthest brake first.

I bleed in this order.

MC, DF, PF, DR, PR... this way you get any air bubbles between the MC and dist block/proportioning valve out quickly.

also I bleed the outer bleeder on the rear calipers first. and generally bleed the rear calipers twice.

with the speed bleeders you just attach a tube to the bleeder and run it into a drain bottle.. then open the bleeders one by one and pump the brakes 3 or 4 times.. then recheck the fluid level. pump three or four more times and look at the tube to see if there are any bubbles. if not move to the next wheel.

just be sure to keep the fluid level up. if it runs dry youll pump air into the lines and youll have to start over.

Ill never use normal bleeders again. my brakes went from "oh $hit is this thing going to stop" to stopping smooth and even.

|UPDATED|9/23/2004 11:18:42 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|

I have my 76 up on the lift right now since I have to
install 4 new Calibers pads etc on it in the morning..
so that is why I checked out this thread...

Speed bleeders work a heck of a lot better then the normal bleeders BUT the year before last I spent about 80 bucks and purchased a pressure bleeder from Modine (not sure of the make...but they advertise in Corvette Fever and the other Corvette rags...

Wish I had done this years ago.... only cost about a $100
bucks with all the adapters needed to bleed almost any car

Procedure is simple...
pour 2 quarts of brake fluid into the
gallon container...pump it up with air to the reguired pressure (25 pounds is what I use on the C3's) pop off the cover on the master cyl and attach the adapter to the top of the master cyl... then walk around the car and bleed each wheel .... the 25 pounds of pressure in the container keeps the Master cyl full and pushes the fluid thru the lines without having to touch your brake peddle
or yell to your wife to push down on the peddle NOW...etc

Takes 5 minutes to do...

I purchased the stainless O-ring type calibers complete with hoses, pads etc at Carlisle from an outfit in Florida for 295 bucks....BUT it took almost 2-3 weeks to receive them because Florida has had some rough weather
lately... anyway tomorrow they go on...

Bob Griffiths

Bob Griffiths

NOTHING works better than a pressure bleeder. Vacuum bleeders are also nice, but they have their limits. The speed bleeders come in next. After that gravity and pumping the old fashion way.

But to answer the question

Bleeding brakes is done by pumping the brake pedal several times and holding it down. Then the bleeder screw is opened, the pedal will go to the floor, brake fluid and air are released, the bleeder is shut, and then the pedal is let backup.

Do not lift the pedal until the bleeder is closed or you will pull air back in the system. This will have to be done several times at each bleeder. When you no longer see air bubbles, stop and go to the next wheel. You may have to go around the car as do each wheel a few times.

Don't stomp hard on the brake pedal when pumping it up. This will cause the air to breakup into small bubbles that are difficult or impossible to get out. If this happens, let the car sit undisturbed for about 15 minutes to allow the air to collect in large bubbles again. This is the most common method, and requires two people. One to push the pedal, the other to direct the action of the first, and to operate the bleeders.

Another method that sometimes works is gravity bleeding. Just leave the cap off the master cylinder, and open one bleeder at a time, and wait for it to drip. This takes a long time, and does not always work.

The speed bleeders are valves that allow you to pump the brakes smoothly, without closing the bleeders. They have check valves that attach to the bleeders, and open and close automatically. Very nice. Hook them up and pump the pedal. One at a time.

Vacuum bleeders attach to the bleeder screw, and suck the fluid/air down through the system. You apply vacuum, and open the bleeder.

Pressures bleeders attach to the master cylinder and send pressurized brake fluid into the system. With one of these hooked up you just open the bleeder screw and watch it flow. Close the bleeder when air and dirty fluid are gone. This is the best of the bunch.

In all cases, make sure the master cylinder does not go empty, or you start over.

thank you very much guys, as always you have come through. ill check for the exact leak location saturday, cuz the car is in its very own parkin space, in my dads garage thanks again