I need to bleed the brakes on my car. I have used the old pump the brake system in the past. What new fangled equipment is out there and what works the best????

Get yourself a set of speedbleeders, they work really good and I use a powerbleeder. Pump it up to around 8 to 10 pounds and start at the farthest caliper and work your way forward. They dont work on all cars though, I loaned it to Joe Buckle and it doesnt seem to work on his car without dumping brake fluid all over his driveway.

What doesn't work? The spped bleeders or the Power bleeder?

The powerbleeder, he hooks it up right, then he pumps it up and it dumps fluid from around the base of the reservoir and the MC. I keep telling him to check his rubber grommets at the MC but he swears he has them all the way in. It works great on both of my cars but they were both 74 and newer. His are both 72 and older. Not sure if there is a connection there.

Been there on the fluid leak. Problem is the vent tube on the reservoir. Early cars have the vent, later don't. You need to pull the tube off the reservoir and plug the outlet with a golf tee/ screw or some such. I think you can also pinch the hose with a clamp or small vise grip. Hose will be brittle so be careful.
My first power bleeder experience was on a '75, no problem. Next I did a '70 and had a lake on the garage floor.

I have been using my Motive Power bleeder quite a bit in a quest for better braking. It has worked flawlessly and I can do it myself.

I've got both the Speed-bleeders at the calipers and use a powerbleeder on the MC. I don't think you need both. If you have the speed-bleeder nipples, the system has to be at least 15- or 16 psi to get fluid out of the speed-bleeders. Having both is a little redundant. You can either put on the speed-bleeders, crack open the valve, then get in and pump the pedal; or put on the power bleeder, pump it up to 8 or 9 psi, and go around letting fluid out at each bleed nipple. Having both is no advantage, as I have to pump up the MC anyway, and visit each nipple anyway, and if the pressure drops below about 15 psi, I'll get no fluid at the speed-bleeder. I think I would prefer to use the pressure bleeder with just regular bleeder nips, but if the p-bleeder leaks, go the speed-bleed route (oh, that sounds creepy).

the Motive is popular but I've been told that our systems were not designed to be pressurized from the reservoir, so maybe you'd want to make sure those grommets are in good condition

Scott is right on the money with Speedbleeders. I wouldn't own a car without them.

-Rusty

Nothing wrong with the old foot pumping method, has worked on millions of cars for decades. Helps to have two workers to pull it off (you can be creatinve with one person, and some 2x4 piece of wood or brick to hold the peddle down as you race out to seal the bleed valve!!!)

PS A lake of fluid on the floor would indicate to me that the resevoir overflowed, watch it eat paint as it runs down under the gas tank, Yikes!!!)

It's easy to do the one man pump the pedal process if you partially fill your catch bottle with brake fluid and make sure that your clear hose from your bleeder valve remains submersed in fluid. Loosen your valve, pump fresh fluid out and slowly release your brake pedal. This way you don't suck air back into the system. Been there -done it if you don't have help around. DH

It's easy to do the one man pump the pedal process if you partially fill your catch bottle with brake fluid and make sure that your clear hose from your bleeder valve remains submersed in fluid. Loosen your valve, pump fresh fluid out and slowly release your brake pedal. This way you don't suck air back into the system. Been there -done it if you don't have help around. DH

This air powered vacuum bleeder is quite nice.

Connect hose to a bleeder valve, loosen the valve, pull the trigger. Fluid catches in the plastic tank.

Just keep an eye on the reservour.

The trigger has a lock so you can walk over and top the resi if you want to.

KT

all this talk about brakes, and all of the glowing recomendations on the Speed Bleeders - well let's just say the checking account is $35 smaller today. For those that have already installed them, how much air heads into the calipers when putting on the speed bleeders? Is it a pain, or not too bad?

putting on the speed bleeders is as easy as off/on. Hopefully, the bleeder nipples have been used a few times and aren't stuck closed. Just take 'em all the way off (one at a time), and replace with the speeders. Can't say how much air enters, but your gonna use 'em after you put 'em in anyway aren't you? After I installed mine, I flushed a liter of fluid thru the system. Man the old stuff looked horrible after it sat in a jar a couple of days. Layer of water on the top, sorta mixed layer, layer that actually looked like brake fluid, and then a layer of blackish nastyness. I was amazed the brakes had been working!