I had to bleed my brakes alone a while back..not my favorite chore..sometimes you can get lucky and they gravity bleed,but this time was not one of them!..I tried using a 2x4 to depress the pedal while I opened the bleeder..that didn't work either...and my vacuum bleeder I'd made from a mayonaise jar needed vacuum from a running engine to make it work,and the hose was too short to reach the nearest vehicle.
...moving all the crap in the way would take hours,so I decided to wait until someone could help me..then I had a brainstorm a few minutes later..
I was washing my windshield in my car with windex...and noticed the pump bottle sprayer had a check valve made into the sprayer head..another bottle of "409" I had used a similar check valve at the bottom of the stem going from the pump head to the bottle..I could suck air thru them,but not blow back..hmmmmm!..
I found a peice of 3/16 vacuum hose,and shoved it onto the tube of the windex bottle..then shoved it over the bleeder screw,openned it,and pumped the sprayer several times..I saw brake fluid advancing to the tip!..then air bubbles,then more fluid!..IT WORKED!...got back in the car,had a nice firm pedal!...
Just for s***s and grins I decided to try the pump from the 409 bottle,with the check valve mounted at the bottom of the tube going to the pump..it pulled out of the head of the pump,and all I had to do was slide the 3/16 hose over the open end of the tube,attach it to the bleeder,(a clippy clothespin helps here!)--and submerge the check valve in a bottle with some brake fluid in it,get in,and pump the brake pedal...it worked slick !..and to think all theese years I've been doing it the "hard" way.... ..best part is I didn't have to BUY anything!-
-everyone must have at least a few pump spray bottles kicking around....
...moving all the crap in the way would take hours,so I decided to wait until someone could help me..then I had a brainstorm a few minutes later..I was washing my windshield in my car with windex...and noticed the pump bottle sprayer had a check valve made into the sprayer head..another bottle of "409" I had used a similar check valve at the bottom of the stem going from the pump head to the bottle..I could suck air thru them,but not blow back..hmmmmm!..
I found a peice of 3/16 vacuum hose,and shoved it onto the tube of the windex bottle..then shoved it over the bleeder screw,openned it,and pumped the sprayer several times..I saw brake fluid advancing to the tip!..then air bubbles,then more fluid!..IT WORKED!...got back in the car,had a nice firm pedal!...
Just for s***s and grins I decided to try the pump from the 409 bottle,with the check valve mounted at the bottom of the tube going to the pump..it pulled out of the head of the pump,and all I had to do was slide the 3/16 hose over the open end of the tube,attach it to the bleeder,(a clippy clothespin helps here!)--and submerge the check valve in a bottle with some brake fluid in it,get in,and pump the brake pedal...it worked slick !..and to think all theese years I've been doing it the "hard" way....
..best part is I didn't have to BUY anything!- -everyone must have at least a few pump spray bottles kicking around....
