BrianS

In prep for Pocono next weekend I bled my brakes this weekend. I have used speedbleeders in the past and they worked quite well. In this case I had a very different experience.

I installed the speed bleeders on all four corners. They seemed to be a bit long and go in a bit too loose. When I pressed the brake pedal I was getting fluid leakage from around the thread area in addition to the fluid from the main hole. I had never experienced before with the speed bleeders I had on my '95.

For this time I flushed the fluid with the speed bleeders and then swaped back to the original bleeders and did a traditional 2 person bleed to get whatever residual air existed out. I really do not want to go through this process again.

I am wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences? I am not sure I have the correct parts. These are in a different package then the ones I got last time and are labeled goodridge. I am contemplating getting a pressure bleeder. Anyone have any experience with these? Thanks.

Falcon

I had the same experience when I put them on my C4. The bleed nipple on the Speedbleeder was smaller than the regular bleed valves and the hose didn't fit tight when flushing.

tcmc5

You probably don't have the right parts. The bleeders they sent me were too long and I had to call and get replacements. However, after installing the two rears, I could not get one of them to be completely leak-free so I removed both and went back to stock. I'm thinking about a Motive Power Bleeder to speed up the bleeding process. Good luck.

Falcon

That's the way to go Cass. I used a power bleeder this weekend and it is better than any other method I've used to flush the system.

01C5fan

The correct Speedbleeder part for a C5 is SB1010S. When they are new, you need to apply a fair amount of torque to get them properly seated due to the sealant on the threads. If you don't get them seated, they will leak. This just happened to me. Unfortunately, Speedbleeders doesn't supply a torque value - at least not one I was able to find. Best of luck with yours.

tcmc5

Hey Jody,

Did it come with a cap that fits our master cylinder or did you fabricate one with a stock cap? Thanks. See you at VIR


Cass

Falcon

I bought a M/C cap at the Chevy dealer for $19 and drilled a 1/2 hole in it. Put a 1/2 threaded brass fitting with a barb end through the hole with a washer on each side and put the hose on that. It is absolutely air tight when I put it on the master cylinder and holds pressure with no leaks. I think Motive's comes with a universal fitting so it'll fit any M/C.

5 more days!!!!

BrianS

I did a search and found that most pressure bleeders have some type of universal adapter that does not look as it would seal to well. I am considering making my own but rather than hooking it up to a pump device I am considering using my air compressor. I just have to get an extra cap for my master cylender and figure out a way of attaching it to the hose. Has anyone done this before? Advice would be helpful.

_Brian

Falcon

You might want to reconsider the air compressor. 10 to 12 lbs is all you need and the pump is only $9 at Lowes. I'll post some pictures showing the brass adapter to use in the M/C cap so that it doesn't leak.


[Modified by Falcon, 12:16 PM 6/14/2004]

GR8-LIFE

Good topic. I'll be getting into this shortly so I'll be sure to review some of these issues.

tcmc5

Is the pump you're using the sprayer-type adapted to the cap or some thing else? Does it have a pressure guage? Thanks for the help, Jody. I need to get a pressure bleeder soon.
Cass

BrianS

Pics would be great The reason why I am thinking about the compressor is because it means one less part to buy (although I can not complain about a $9 piece) and I can set it for a low pressure, forget about pumping, and not have to worry about pressure dropping to the point where flow drops. Although the theory looks good, this may not work as planned. My main concern is getting a good seal on the cap. I am very interested in the hand pump idea and would love to see pics. My question is how do you get the hand pump attached to the cap and how long can you bleed between pumps? Thanks for the info.

Falcon

Let me preface this whole thing with me giving total credit to AU E GL (Tom) for showing me pictures of the one he built. Mine is only different by the way I have the M/C cap attached.

Cass, yes, it's just a garden variety pump sprayer. I used a 1 gallon sprayer, but I'm sure a smaller one would work. Here are a couple of pictures of the whole contraption:






BrianS, the pressure drop is not noticeable when the fluid is bled from the lines. The gallon vessel is a LOT larger than the M/C area that you're pressurizing so the pressure will always be there. It only takes a few pumps to get 10psi in the tank. You have to release the pressure ever so often to add more fluid to the M/C, so that is no problem. BTW, with the sprayer tank the whole thing is portable.

Here are some more detail pictures:

Detail shots of the plumbing and the pressure guage:









Picture of the master cylinder cap. I took the rubber liner out of it and drilled a 1/2" hole in the cap. Then I put a fender washer, with a 1/2" hole in it, on the underside of the cap and one on the top of the cap. IOW, I sandwiched the cap with these large washers. I used silicone caulk on the underside of each washer to ensure air tightness. I then inserted a 1/2" male threaded brass piece with a 1/4" barb end through the top and used a 1/2" female threaded brass piece under the lid and tightened it up. With the lid sandwiched between the washer I created a very strong cap and the whole thing is airtight. I cut a hole in the rubber bladder before I put it back in the cap so there would be a place for the pressure to go. I then slid the hose over the 1/4" barb, put a small hose clamp on it and it's good to go. I could have used a black nylon wire tie and really dressed it up.











Hope this helps. If y'all can find a cheaper place to buy the master cylinder cap, then the price wiil probably be a lot less than ~$50.


[Modified by Falcon, 7:32 PM 6/14/2004]

tcmc5

Jody,

Thanks to both you and Tom. Very nice work and photos/write-up.

Cass

Richin Chicago

I am going to guess that you got an SB8 (8 mm)seires. The proper valve for Corvettes from 84 to current is SB1010 which is has a 10 mm thread and a length of 34.44 mm. The right size will seem anything but loose as the threads are coated with quite a bit of sealant and aren't that easy to thread in the first time. The sealant makes sure no air goes between the mating threads during the bleeding process. I've put a lot of sets on for people and have never had a problem.

BrianS

I am impressed!! This looks much more sophisticated than the hose off of the compressor idea I had. I am definately going to try this one. Even more important than being able to save money is being able to say that I made my own pressure bleeder out of parts from home depot (with a little help and inspiration of course ). Thanks for taking the time to post the pics and description very helpful.

TXCatalyst

I have lost ALL faith in speed bleeders. They leak over time. Maybe not the guy that just installed them, but give them 2 years. I pulled all of mine out and put the stockers back on.

I use a very simple electric powered A/C freon vacuum pump. A common brand name is RobinAir. This vacuum is originally intended for sucking the freon out of your a/c..but instead, I have hoses that pulls a vacuum from the brake bleeder (it is very slow, so you don't have to worry about all of your fluid escaping) The brake fluid goes into a glass jar and I can see the fluid through the clear hoses. This beats 2 man and pressure sprayer bleeding any day.

No air is ever introduced since the vacuum only goes one way. Very easy to use. I guess I've been meaning to write this all up and take pictures one day...

Just another thought for you.

- Dean!

Richin Chicago

I have had the same speedbleeders on since 2000. I just don't understand how they would leak. The seal the same as conventional bleeders when they are tightened. They are only different when they are in the bleed open position.


[Modified by Richin Chicago, 5:23 PM 6/15/2004]

99BlackZ51

I have had the same speedbleeders on since 2000. I just don't understand how they would leak. The seal the same as conventional bleeders when they are tightened. They are only different when they are in the bleed open position.


That is exactly the problem, after they are used so many times the thread sealant wears off of the threads and alows air to enter during the bleeding process. I just put new ones on every year.

Richin Chicago