Brake bleeder

[nhramnl]

Originally Posted by Tom Goldman

The gravity method works well with most cars with firewall mounted master cylinders.
The master cylinder should still be bench blead before installing ,since on many cars the master cyl. is not level and can trap air in the high point if not bench blead.
A helper pump on the pedal or a vacuum bleeder like a MightyVac is still necessary to remove all the air from the system.
Harbor Freight has the Mighty Vac bleeder kits for $43.00 ,I paid over a hundred from Snapon for the same one years ago and still use it.
One thing I'll mention is Drag Racers generally don't pay enough attention to brake fluid condition .
I maintain several road course cars that must have the fluid changed before they race an event....After 1 race the fluid is usually in terrible condition.
Our cars brakes are subjected to short periods of extreme heat followed by long periods of unuse. .. This is a perfect climate for fluid contamination and break down.
If your fluid is dark or cloudy looking change it .
At the very least it should be changed annually ,preferably at the end of the season ,so it is not stored over the winter with fluid that can contain moisture or other contaminants that will damage components.

All very helpful information. I forgot to mention the importance of bench-bleeding the master cylinder. Thank you, Tom. It makes for a long day if you don't start with a fully bled master cylinder. I guess I've been lucky or dumb (maybe both), but I haven't had to use any mechanical device to "finish" the gravity bleed process ever since adopting it. The comments about brake fluid condition are spot-on. Because brake fluid is hygroscopic, it is virtually always absorbing moisture, and, as Tom suggests, silently corroding internal brake system parts. Changing fluid each season is cheap insurance, and you might be surprised by improved pedal feel with fresh fluid. I always remember what I learned when I was young; in the final analysis, all a car HAS to do is steer and stop.