How to Bleed the Brakes Using a Vacuum Pump
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- Опубликовано: 13 авг 2020
- How to bleed the brake using a vacuum pump. This was an old video I produced back in 2016 and with some of the questions I’ve had over the years, I’ve decided to upload an improved version. As some of you may have seen, I did rebuild the front calipers on this truck and if you haven’t seen that video, be sure to check it out. Whenever any work is done on the brake system where there’s fluid involved such as replacing a caliper, brake line, wheel cylinder, master cylinder, etc, the system will need to be bleed off air. This tool can also be used to flush a brake system, removing the old fluid and I’ll show you that in a moment as well. #brakes #bleedingbrakes #autorepair
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Tools/Supplies Needed:
-vacuum pump kit
-clean rags
-drain pan
-wrench
-brake fluid
Procedure:
The master cylinder is located on the driver’s side of the truck, therefore I need to start with the further affected wheel first. I always like to loosen the bleeder screw first using a 6 point socket. Make sure the master cylinder reservoir is full of fluid, up to the maximum line.
Depending on the vehicle and how much fluid was drained from the system, the ABS pump may need to be activated for the system to be fully bleed.
Have a drain pain handy, along with a clean rag. Install the box end side of the wrench of the correct size on the bleeder screw, also ensure it has enough movement and doesn’t catch up on anything when tightening and losing the bleeder screw. The hose from the vacuum pump should fit tight on the bleeder screw.
Pump up the vacuum to about 20 to 30 in hg. Being that there’s no clamp around the bleeder screw, there might be a small leak which is fine. Make sure there isn’t a large leak.
Open the bleeder screw and watch for fluid. If no fluid is coming out of the bleeder screw, it can be plugged with rust and dirt or you may not be opening it enough.
The vacuum pump can be pumped up while the bleeder is open or you can close the bleeder screw, pump up the vacuum, then open it again. Don’t let the vacuum go below 10 in hg. As long as there is negative pressure at the bleeder screw, there is minimal risk of introducing air into the brake system.
When bleeding air in the system, you’ll notice excessive bubbling in the fluid which is normal. This bubbling will change when the air is removed from the system, either being greatly reduced or completely disappearing. This can be easily spotted with the clear hose.
It’s common for bleeder screws to leak around the threads too when it’s open, but as mentioned earlier, as long as there’s negative pressure at the bleeder, air cannot be pushed back into the system.
Considering this truck is also new to me, the fluid does appear to be older, I have decided to flush the front half of the system while I’m here. Vacuum pumps can also be used for removing old fluid too. Brake fluid new will have a light golden color. As brake fluid gets older and components deteriorate in the system, it’ll become discolored. You’ll notice the change in color between the new and old fluid when watching the extraction.
The amount of fluid that is removed from the system, either from removing the air or changing the fluid does vary depending on the work. If a whole line was replaced from front to back, more air would be present in the system. If you were flushing the fluid, the further wheel from the master cylinder would have the most fluid removed.
For this, I had the whole cup filled with fluid. Make sure the cup doesn’t become overly full where the brake fluid gets sucked into the pump, so drain as needed.
When done, tighten the bleeder screw while the vacuum is still present. To keep things a little cleaner, I usually pump up the vacuum and slowly remove the line, so any brake fluid will be sucked back into the reservoir.
Then check for any leaks.
Check the fluid level in the reservoir and add more as needed. Moving onto the next closest wheel, this would be the last wheel for me, this is the front driver’s side, use the same process.
When done, the key can then be turned off and tighten the reservoir cap. Check the brake pedal. The pedal should be firm and not sink to the floor. If it’s soft, then air is still present in the lines and you will need to re-bleed the system.
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For the amateurs out there, use the bottle in between. If you get brake fluid in the vacuum pump it will eat the rubber inside and ruin your pump on depending on what rubber it has inside. Learn from my experience!
haha this is what happened to my my first time using pump. It spit brake fluid all other the place.
super glue a magnet to the bottle and slap it onto the caliper
this is far better than the old video
Thank you!
Thanks, I've been trying to bleed the whole system after replacing a brake booster and even though iv got new fluid and no air from all calipers the pedal wasn't building pressure, I'll try with the ignition on, hopefully it was the abs thing
Recently did a caliper swap on my Lexus and bought one of these for just such a job. I wasn't aware I had to have the cap off the master cylinder! That would explain why I couldn't get them to work and had to drag my friend out to help me.
Excellent demo and explanation......was getting quite frustrated at other youtubers useless efforts and poor demos. This video is head and shoulders above all others I've seen. Well done
Thank you so much for the kind words and feedback!
This has got to be The Best automotive tutorial I've seen on any topic on YT. I've watched hundreds of videos from a plethora of creators and this is literally answering my "what if''s" in real time.
Fabulous!!! 🏆🥇🥇
Thank you so much for the kind words and feedback, greatly appreciated!
In the past I installed Russell speed bleeder screws. Replaces the stock screw with a screw that has a one way valve, so fluid and air only flows one way out. (One man bleeder method). Still using the clear hose running to a bottle to see the fluid.
Great tip, I'll have to look into those!
Great video. Well done and to the point. Thanks.
After watching so many videos and After 3 days all day of trying different methods on bleeding the breaks I finally did it, I have breaks once again. With new rotors and pads on all four installed and full flush and it's now working better then ever I'm set. I'm glad I don't have to go through this again anytime soon. 👌👇🤘💪
Great 👍🏻👍🏻🐴 I’m fixing to Do my 72’ p/u
If you have “breaks” once again… isn’t it still broken?
Thanks for the video, makes it way easier when you don't have an extra set of hands.
You’re welcome and I agree. A pressure bleeder is another option but more expensive.
You could put a small metal hose clamp to hug the hose onto the bleeder screw.
Apparently you can put a bit of axle grease around the outside of the bleerlder to stop air entering - never tried it though
Thank you! So thorough! I just needed to know if I need it to take off the cap off master cylinder reservoir.
You're welcome!
Rather than pinch the line to prevent fluid from draining you can get a vacuum line cap and slide it into the line in place of the bolt. Worked like a dream!
Great tip, thanks for sharing!
I'm not stubborn guy that always use an assistant to pump the break and I pop the bleeders. I'm going to go out and buy one of these pumps. I don't do a lot of brake work in the last number of years. But even an old dog can learn something. Thank you
You’re very welcome! It’s definitely worth having. I have used this pump for other things too like extracting fluid or testing vacuum actuators.
Great guide
Thank you!
Thank you, happy I could help!
Good job mate. Your tuition provides the confidence to take the initiative for life long learning. Thumbs up and keep up the good work.
Thanks a lot for helping out. God bless.
Thanks for the excellent explanation
You are welcome!
Great video! Since bubbles in the plastic tube is normal, how do you know when all the air is out of your line?
Close the bleeder screw while pumping, when the hose is filled with just fluid no bubbles about two inches after the bleeder screw. Should be good.
I have a compressor and bleeder(sealey),1 man bleeder etc but ya don't really need them. All you need to do is crack open the banjo bolt at caliper and gravity bleed 1st .this gets the line full and let's you then do the normal bleeding way afterwards
I completely forgot this pump existed, I could have used it with doing a full brake job on a restoration recently!!
I just found mine in my old garage I didn’t even know I had it bought it at Harbor freight Several years Ago 😳
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Which is the cheapest OBD2 scan tool you recommend to activate the ABS?
Thanks for the video.
Very nice guide 👍🏼
Thank you for the feedback!
Yes it was
One thing I would add is, unless you know the fluid in the system is nearly new, I would recommend drawing as much of the old fluid out of the reservoir as you can before topping it up with fresh fluid and beginning the bleeding process. One disadvantage of the vacuum method (I use a vac bleeder connected to an airline) is that it is hard to be sure that all the air is gone while drawing a vacuum, because of the air leaking through the bleed screw threads, so I let it gravity bleed for a few seconds after releasing the vacuum, to confirm there are no more bubbles coming out before closing the screw.
Yes. Key information using vac.Pumps to bleed brakes
To eliminate air entering through the bleeder threads put some grease around the bleeder
I tried the hand vacuum pump and the automatic one that uses the car tyre. I prefer the automatic one. Much easier and faster.
Thanks...
Do you do this with the cap(master brake) off or on ?
So do you keep cap open or closed when pumping the fluid. Also do you pump and wait or do you continue pumping until all the fluid is GONE than top it off
Will the vacuum bleed pull air out of the master cylinder, or just the lines and wheel cylinders.
Hi 4DIYers, I have a similar vacuum pump that's having issues. When I went to bleed my brakes today any time I let go of the pump lever the vacuum would leak from the handle end of the vacuum cylinder. Any thoughts?
What if fluid gets in the pump?
says "use a 6 point box end wrench"........proceeds to use a 12 point
Great video. Do you prefer this method or using a pressure bleeder?
Thank you! I like both, I'll use a vacuum pump for smaller jobs. Some brakes systems can be finicky, so a pressure bleeder will typically overcome that and it's very convenient when doing work on the full system.
I tore a small hole in the outside of the rubber part which surrounds around the caliper piston. Will that cause a problem? Trying to figure out if that rubber part which goes around the caliper piston as you have shown in beginning of the video in your caliper rebuild is a dust cover or a seal? If a seal then I need to replace is what I'm trying to determine?
Not immediately, but will cause a problem eventually. Dirt and moisture will work it's way around the piston and fluid seal. Best to fix it before it causes more problems and money.
Thanks for the video. I ran the master cylinder dry doing my first time bleed using the manual method. Will this vacuum method also get the air out of the master?
No, and if you ran it dry all you need to do now is bleed all 4 calipers. The way I bleed master cylinders is pump brake, get someone to hold pedal, crack the lines at the Mc until fluid comes out with no air
@@kylestenger15 Thanks for your reply. I wound up doing a variation of what you described. I was a little more strict to be sure it worked. (because I'm a noob) I loosened the lines to the MC, put a stick between the brake & front seat, slid the seat forward, tightened the lines, released the seat & brake... repeated 5 times. Caught all that fluid in a little bucket. Then bled all the brake lines again. Seemed to work. Next step is to drive around some country roads a bit & give her a test.
@@kylestenger15 did it get on the paint ?
I realize this is an old video so you may not see this but it looked like there was still a lot of air bubbles coming out when you were "finished". How would you know you are done if that much air is still coming out?
You can apply grease around the base of the bleeder screw. This will help prevent air from being pulled in around the threads.
When vac is applied to the open bleeder screw will outside air be drawn in at the bleeder threads and into. Through the vac pump? If so it would look like air still in the system ! You were vaque on this
Nice. That is key information when using hand operated vac. Pumps. Thank you
Typically if you have air from the threads it will be fairly evenly spaced, small bubbles and frequent. Air in the line is usually either a few small bubbles or a single large one, of course YMMV.
theres no liquid coming out when i loosen it or very little but the pressure is going down very fast
The bleeder can be plugged with dirt or rust. Use a small drill bit by hand to clean it out.
I heard you can put grease on the nipples threads to stop air passing
Yes that is an option.
What happens when you are still getting air out when out of nowhere no fluid is coming out at all?
Is the bleeder plugged?
@@4DIYers I was using the vacuum pump to pull air out of the driver rear. It was working and got three cups. Air was becoming less and less so I figured I would have one more go when out of nowhere it started spitting a ton of air and now the flow to that wheel is minimal. I have no pedal at all. Should I bleed the brakes all around again and see if I can get some pedal again? I need to run the ABS but don't have access to a diagnostic OBD2 tool.
I get pressure with a few presses when the car is off but when it is on, straight to the floor and have no stopping power.
Is it possible I was using too much vacuum on the hand pump at the beginning?
You will need to activate the ABS module, you maybe able to operate it with the key in the on position. Did you brake reservoir get low during the bleeding process?
This tool is crap !! Get a sealey pump so much better