Ron Pieper's Cheap but Most Excellent Brake Bleeding System

 

After reading how folks drooled over the Motive Power Bleeder, and reading how some Volvo guy made his own, I figured this wasn't rocket science and therefore within my grasp. Being a cheapass, here's what I did:...

  • Bought a Sears 1 gal. Polyethelyne Sprayer (711511) $15
  • Bought about 3' of 5/16" clear tubing and two little hose clamps (about a buck total).
  • One tire valve (free, laying around)
  • One spare brake master cylinder cap (free from a bud)

The sprayer comes with a hose attached to a "trigger" valve (so called to differentiate it from the tire valve used), to which a wand fits. I shortened that hose to about 6" and cut the wand down to 1". I put the 5/16" hose over the shortened wand and clamped.

 

 
 I then took the M/C cap and removed the float and sensor guts. The remaining hole was too big for the tire valve, so I cut a disk (from the bottom of an old 5 gal. bucket) that nicely fit into the MC cap. I drilled a hole (about 0.450" or so, don't go to 0.5") in the center of the disk and inserted the disk into the cap.
I then pulled the tire valve through the hole, and then inserted the old M/C cap gasket. Now I had a M/C cap with a tire valve sticking out the top! I removed the valve part from the stem, connected the other end of the 5/16" hose, and clamped.

 
Now I was nearly readyI screwed the newly made "adapter" onto the MC, put one qt. brake fluid into the sprayer, and closed it up. With the "trigger" valve closed, I pumped it up lightly (start with 4 or 5 pumps), then opened the trigger.

 

To check pressure, I cracked loose a bleed nipple and checked the pressure with a fuel pressure gauge...about 20 or so psi. I attached my normal clear line to the nipple and let the fluid run until clear into my catch jar (plastic bottle with hole in lid for hose, no big deal)...what a breeze! I didn't even have to remove the wheels, just crawled under each corner in the proper sequence and away I went.

The whole operation (after I got the parts) took about an hour and fifteen minutes, including the bleeding.

All is not perfect, here's what I'd do if doing it again:
  -Drill a hole into the tank (near the top) and fit a tire valve, so the tank pressure can be checked with a tire gauge. I    can't get my big mitt into the tank but I'm sure to think of some way to get the tire valve through a hole!
  -Use enough 5/16" tubing to fit from the M/C cap to the tank as it sits on the *ground*. This was one of my mistakes, I    thought it could fit underhood. The tank should be on the ground, or at least lower than the MC. This helps keep    things clean when disconnecting the MC cap, allowing fluid in the tube to drain back into the tank.

Good luck,

=====
Ron
rapieper@one.net
'87 16V (Victor, the Famous Cheap Scirocco)
'93 Cab (soon for sale)
many, many, miles and busted knuckles on about seven or so past watercooleds...



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