KJL

When vacuum bleeding what is to stop air from getting in around the threads of the bleed screw when you losen it? This would give a false reading of air in the system.

thejaf

I use the "wife's foot" method, works great most of the time, but it's never cheap :yesnod:

john's '81 mouse

Believe you are correct, also, unless you have the new O-ring type caliper seals, believe you can suck air through the caliper seals as well. In the past, many members have said you shouldn't attempt to bleed vettes with the vacuum pump method, and I agree. I first tried the pump on my '81 and never really got completely satisfactory results. Suggest the vacuum may be a good first step in the process, but I'd finish by using the old pump the pedal and hold method.

You may hear from some members who say the vacuum pump is OK, and others who will swear by what they call the gravity method. I tried both of these and still like the old two man (pump the pedal and hold) method the best.

Skruball73

I don't know about vacuum bleeding but gravity bleeding sucks ! (figuratively speaking of course)....I tried the gravity method and they say after a half hour or so per caliper you should be good to go as long as you watch the master cylinder and keep it filled...It was like boiling water, but with no ressults....I finally resorted to the wife's foot method and they bled fine...the breaks that is, not the wife's feet. :crazy:

Jvette73

Gravity bleeding always worked good for me. Make sure the bleeder isnt clogged and remove it entirley to get it flowin better. Physics wont fail you if you give it a chance. Must not let the master run dry. I stand by with a full qt bottle when bleeding the whole system. Its also important to bench bleed the master cyl first. If you keep getting air in but cant find no leaks, It could be the seals in the back of the master.

terryrudy

I used the wife foot method to bleed my new Eclipse brakes a few weeks ago and won't do that EVER again. For about ten minutes nothing was coming out and I was getting pissed. Turned out she was pumping the gas and not the brake pedal! :crazy:

Don't know whats more sad - her pushing the gas pedal or me taking ten minutes to figure out why the heck the fluid wasn't flowin'!
-terry :bb



[Modified by terryrudy, 3:21 PM 12/11/2001]

Tom Johnson

The vacuum brake bleeder kit I got from a local parts store came with a type of grease you put on the threads. I have used it on my other vechicles and it works pretty good. I haven't tried it on the vette yet.

Gary79

i tried the "mighty vac" brake bleeder kit on my vette with zero results. the gravity method didn't seem to work either. i used the "wife" method with 100% satisfaction. the might vac has only worked on one brake job in three and that was my son's 89 corolla.

virtue4u

A while back someone posted a method to make a master cylinder cap that allowed a person to pressure inject brake fluid. I never did that but seems like it could be a good idea.

paso

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Jim-K

I think I blew about 2 qts of fluid before it occured to me that the vac method was not working. Kept getting air, and the pedal never firmed up. Put the kid on the brake, and 2-3 times per caliper was all it took. Got a thousand uses for the vac pump, but bleeding brakes is not one of them.

norvalwilhelm

I have a really good vacuum pump and it sucks. I never had luck. I modified a spare cover by installing a nipple to install my air line. I set the regulator at about 10 psi, clip the air line on and start bleeding. It really works well. How hard is it to buy another cover, solder a fitting on then hook up a air line?

terryrudy

That was me. I never tried it myself but posted it on the corvettefaq under the brake section.
-terry

Mack

I been bleeding brakes using the two guy method for years... I never could make the gravity method work till I got in a bind about a year ago because there wasn't a helper available so I decided to try gravity one more time... Worked like a champ! I'll be doing it that way in the future. Never could make a vacuum bleeder work though.

chevluvr

Vacuum bleeding has not worked on my vehicle. I am like above with the wife foot method. Always works. Best of Luck! :yesnod:

BeaterShark

I have a MitiVac pump and I've used it on several cars, all with success. There are usually some air bubbles which can be seen in the pump line from leaking around the threads, but those go into the pump reservoir, not the brake line.

After the first time I used it, I drove around a bit and checked the pedal feel and it seemed fine. But, I then used the wife foot metod to see if it would make a difference. It didn't, and every time I've blead breaks since, I've been satisfied with the results.

Easy Mike

They work. I prefer the two person method, but I've had good results with my vacuum bleeder.
:)

redwingvette

I've used the mity-vac and had good results everytime. No matter which method is being used it still takes some time. I never can get help when I need it for two person jobs.