Brake bleeding doesn't seem to be going as planned

[Crawdaddy]

Last week I replaced all the brake hoses on the deuce, and today I tried to bleed the brakes. I first bled the airpack by hand (hanging off the brake pedal) and all seemed fine. I then went to the rear right tire and started vacuum bleeding the brakes. After pulling 12-16 oz out of the rear right bleeder, refilling the master cylinder after every 3 oz, I didn't seem to be getting anywhere. There's still tons of air in the lines it seems, and I'm still on the first brake. Am I doing something wrong that's keeping me from sucessfully bleeding the line? I know I could just build a pressure bleeder, but I don't have a spare master cylinder cap to destroy just to make a bleeder.

 

[atankersdad]

Use vent line on the cap and hook up the sprayer to bleed. it should be 1/4" npt.

 

[Seth_O]

Make a pressure bleeder. It doesn't destroy the cap, everything screws together and can be put back to original when you are finished. I bled my brakes in about 20-30mins with the pressure bleeder and got rock-hard brakes. That's a bobbed deuce, but still, that's a heck of a lot faster and easier than doing it by vacuum (not sure how well a vacuum bleeding system will work with the airpack - never tried it) or pumping the brakes.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Manual bleeding a deuce is an arduous task. Do the pressure bleeder. Can be built for $20 in basic form.

 

[DieselBob]

I have to agree with these gentlemen about using a pressure bleeder. I have tried to use a vacuum bleeder on several different vehicles and have never been happy with the results. I got a pressure bleeder when I did the brakes on my deuce and man does it make life easy.

 

[Heavysteven]

Yes I agree pressure bleeder is the way to go.

 

[hippiedude]

 

[hndrsonj]

I'll never do deuce brakes again unless I use a pressure bleeder. It makes it alot easier!

 

[Tinwoodsman]

Seems to be total agreement.

 

[Crawdaddy]

Well, I guess tommorow I'm stopping at lowes or home depot and picking up the parts required to build a pressure bleeder.

 

[rlwm211]

Although I seem to manage without a pressure bleeder fine,

I would say from experience Vacuum bleeding does not work, PERIOD.
Too much volume to effectively pull the fluid.​

I use the old hose in a clear bottle from the bleeder method as I work alone
and generally do not have help.

I understand the pressure bleeder and realize it is likely
the bee's knees for such adventures but have yet to build one.

Then again, my brakes are completely rebuilt and work well.

Maybe the next time....

RL

 

[Tinwoodsman]

Definitely the "Bee's Knees". You sound like the Gecko!!!

 

[RAYZER]

Im in total agreeance!!

 

[Crawdaddy]

Today I bought a sprayer and the fittings I thought I needed to build the bleeder. Apparently, the cap is not a 1/4 NPT. I'm taking the vent to the store tommorow to try to find the right barb to NPT fitting tommorow. Hopefully I can get this right so I can get to bleeding the brakes.

 

[DieselBob]

Should be 1/8" NPT I believe. But you can't beat having something to compare to.

 

[FormerNewMVGuy]

Its 1/8 NPT

 

[Fredo Corleone]

I got a long 1/8 brass nipple, a coupling, hose barb fitting and a hose clamp for the sprayer bottle. It works great, everytime I buy a deuce it comes with me.

 

[Crawdaddy]

Well, I'm a believer now. I assembled the bleeder, dumped DOT5 into it, pumped it up, and had all the brakes bled in less than an hour. Now I have a rock hard pedal, though I still need to road test it. I ran out of time tonight.

 

[doghead]

Great news!

I bet before, you were seeing bubbles of air that were being drawn in around the threads of the bleeder.

Pressure bleeding does work nicely.

 

[Seth_O]

Nicely done! Glad it worked out for you and you acheived a good bleed on your system.