Dixonmatco
Santa Rosa, California
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Joined: 04/29/2006
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Vacuum Bleeder..Best method..Especially for ABS ayatems. Be aware that some ABS systems require special tools to release certain system valves. (electronic or mechanical depending on make/model)
2000 Chevy Silverado 1500
2005 Komfort Trailblazer T23S
Honda EU2000I
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rolnrolnroln
WA
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Joined: 02/15/2004
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I use a suction device that pumps up like a tire pump (don't ask me) and then you hook the tubing to the brake fitting, open the bleeder and then open a valve on the suction. The tubing is clear and you can see when the fresh fluid appears. Easy one person operation. Comes with a bottle to keep the master full, but I've never been able to make that part work. Griots has them and other auto parts places as well. I've heard the Mity Vac thing also works well and they've been around a long time. I use my style unit to change hydraulic clutch fluid, suck out diff. lubricant etc. I change brake fluid every other year (at least that is the goal) and have 6 vehicles that need changing, so I've used it a lot.
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RLS7201
Gladstone, MO
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Joined: 10/26/2002
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Hi Horace, My 95 F53 is the very same chassis as your 96, except for length. Gravity bleeding works ok. Remove the bleeders and clean the holes before you start. While you're at it, have you considered cleaning and re-lubing the caliper slide pins? All that new brake fluid won't do you any good if the calipers are sticking.
Richard & Michêle Shields
Northland Good Sams
1995 Bounder
32H F53
Banks, TruTrac, Vena
2003 PT Cruiser Pusher
FMCA 395470
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Retired and traveling on your hard earned SS $$. Thanks for your support.
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HSIKES
Wilmington,NC
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Joined: 12/02/2007
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Thanks for all the help. It doesn't sound as hard as it is dirty.
Can you rent the vacuum pump ?
Horace
* This post was
edited 08/22/08 04:36pm by HSIKES *
Horace & Bobbi
DRAKE - Yellow Lab
1996 Pace Arrow Vision
2000 Saturn LW TOAD
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ejforwood
Littleton (Denver) Colorado
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Joined: 04/26/2006
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HSIKES wrote:Thanks for all the help. It doesn't sound as hard as it is dirty.
Can you rent the vacuum pump ?
Horace They are not expensive. Go Here: http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearc......../search.do?keyword=brake+fluid&Submit=Go
Jerry, Dottie & Chan, "the little furry one"
98 Bounder 34V, 99 F-53 Ford V10 chassis
06 Saturn VUE 4I
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427435
Rochester, Mn
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Joined: 11/12/2005
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I'm not sure about your '96, but I found on my unit that if I had the DW hold the brake pedal down (engine off), the electric assist would pump brake fluid through the lines. I put a piece of tubing on the breeder valve and "captured" the old fluid as it came out in a plastic bottle. That way I knew when to have the DW stop pushing on the brake pedal so I could refill the maste reservoir.
I have had some issues using a vacuum bleeder. They can pull air past the brake cylinder seals instead of pulling brake fluid through the lines.
Mark
2000 Itasca Suncruiser 35U on a Ford chassis
2003 Ford Explorer toad with US Gear brakes,
ReadyBrute tow bar, and Demco base plate.
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LarryJM
NoVa
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Joined: 11/09/2007
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Rick Jay wrote:I have a questionf for those of you who use the "gravity" method. (I never have.)
If there is an air bubble in the brake line, say on the top of a loop over an axle, does the gravity method have sufficient flow to force the air out? Just asking 'cause it seems like the bubble would keep floating to the top of the loop unless there was a pretty good flow of fluid.
I've used the "manual" method where someone else pumps the brake pedal (pain in the neck), and I've used the hand vacuum pump system. Since I'm usually alone, I usually use the latter.
And I echo the comments about storage. Buy a large bottle for the initial fluid change, then use the small bottles for maintenance. You don't want to add brake fluid to your system that's been opened and sitting on a shelf for any period of time.
~Rick
Those are my thoughts also and agree with everything you said and I always use the two person, Pump and Hold procedure. However one tidbit I picked up from a Ford Brake Testing Engineer was to put a block under the brake pedal to limit the movement of the brake pedal down to a little less than what the pedal normally goes. This is to ensure that the wheel cylinder seals don't go past their normal position and dislodge "crud" that in is in that never, never land and cause problems downstream.
I also like the Pump and Hold routine because you get a large force of fluid expelled over ever the pressure auto brake bleeders that pressurize the master cylinder. However, IMHO the Pump and Hold has to be done in fairly quick steps so any air/particles can't rise in the brake fluid, but get expelled via the bleed valves on the wheel cylinders.
I would never consider just a gravity drain procedure a good brake fluid flush and I would stress "FLUSH".
BTW the only way to do a real proper brake flush with a vehicle with anti lock brakes is to do the Pump and Hold and then take the vehicle out on a gravel pavement and exercise the anti lock brakes three or four times and then redo the flush procedure a second time. The Ford Super Duty Brake Engineer I referred to said this is not really necessary and gains you little, but is the only way without complete disassembly of the brake system to do a real complete brake system flush. He did recommend getting out on a gravel road and exercising the anti lock brakes several times between brake flushes to get new fluid into the anti lock system.
Larry
2001 standard box 7.3L E-350 PSD Van with 4.10 rear and 2007 Holiday Rambler Aluma-Lite 8306S Been RV'ing since 1974. TRAILER MODS
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Gale Hawkins
Murray, KY
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Joined: 07/22/2007
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Some like the two person method to "force" more of the dirty fluid at wheel I have read.
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LarryJM
NoVa
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Joined: 11/09/2007
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Dixonmatco wrote:Vacuum Bleeder..Best method..Especially for ABS ayatems. Be aware that some ABS systems require special tools to release certain system valves. (electronic or mechanical depending on make/model)
As I understand it you have to break into the anti lock fluid system to do this and there are not bleed valves in that system. At least in the Ford ABS system, fluid only flow thru those systems sensor wise when the ABS is active and not from the normal bleed valves on the wheel cylinders.
Larry
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bill h
el segundo
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Joined: 08/02/2001
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My 95 GM manual says to use the pump and hold method with ABS.
I also like the pump and hold method because it can disclose issues like marginal wheel cylinder seals. I was driven crazy by one vehicle that kept producing a soft pedal. Pressure bleeding, suction bleeding, gravity bleeding all worked great. For a while. Turned out that one seal was skipping over some debris on the return stroke, letting in a little air. After some driving, that little air added up. The situation never occured with any bleeding method other than pump and hold. With pump and hold, I kept getting air.
So, now, that is how I bleed, even if it is a little more work. I also like the flushing aspect mentioned already. The only part that is hard is getting out from under to be sure the master cylinder is not running empty. It is best done with one person bleeding, one pumping and one watching the reservoir and topping off.
Bill and Susan
84 Barth 30 tag powered by ht502/Thorley, Gear Vendors OD
Siamese Calvin and Airedale Hobbes
4WD Toyota toad
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