I was looking at a vacuum pump to change the brake fluid in my truck. I ran across this video that shows how to do it with just a hose and a pop bottle. Is this actually possible? When you let up on the brake, what keeps it from sucking dirty fluid back through the hose instead of through the brake line? I watched a similar video where he set the bottle on top of the axle. That would make it even easier to suck dirty fluid back in. I'm no mechanic but I've always been taught that you need 2 people if you don't use a vacuum pump.

I’ve bleed beaks like that a lot. I didn’t see any sucked back in that I recall.

I use one of those things that pressurizes the reservoir at the master cylinder.

Been many years since I worked a shop, but then we used a pressurized back bleeder.

Wasn't a pop bottle but I have used that method in the past and it worked just fine.

I got Corky The Retard lives across the holler, he helps me bleed brakes and other brain-dead tasks.

He'll rake my whole front yard for a popsicle.

A cinder block leaned on the brake peddle also works, but it's pretty slow. I might try this at the next brake project.

Make your own pressure bleeder with a 1 gallon garden sprayer and a few other parts. Vids on the tube.

ok, that made me laugh

Pop bottle works. It is slow with one person.

If only you had a spare KitchenAid mixer.

A vacuum bleeder costs less than the sprayer, unless you have an old one lying around.

I've bled brakes many times in the past by myself using a hand held vacuum pump attached to a bleeder valve. The last time I tried this method it didn't work because air was leaking around the bleeder valve threads even though I used grease that was supposed to seal the threads. I finally gave up and used the gravity method to bleed the brakes. You just put a transparent plastic line on the bleeder valve, run it to a clear cup, loosen the valve and let the fluid drain. When the fluid is clean and free of bubbles tighten the bleeder valve. Just remember to keep the master cylinder full of brake fluid.

I think the Harbor Freight bottle bleeder is like $5 - just a smaller version of the pop bottle above. I never had any luck with it though and ended up buying the vacuum pump. I've used it enough on various things that I've got my money out of it.

I like pressure vs vacuum.

Yeah i know there is a good joke in there,

LOL, is corky willing to hitchhike up here cause I got an entire yard a poop to pick up, then I need someone to throw it at the antifa guys.

Oh yes I almost forgot I have been bleeding brakes like that for years, going to be doing that today on my sons truck.

Swinging wrenches on vehicles sucks....
But it needs ta be done......
I would rather cut grass....
That's how much wrenching on vehicles sucks to me....


And cutting grass really sucks........

I've done it with a large syringe and some tubing.

This is the way I do it. Especially with antilock brakes. Crack all 4 and let them bleed. Keep the master cylinder full, and done.


Clyde

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...IQxceIVrsptX02sZVYgaDxQQ6XUaAjvuEALw_wcB

Not a very expensive piece of equipment, and will do the job properly, especially on ABS equipped cars and it does great on clutch hydraulics too. Many of the late cars also require software to cycle the ABS/DSC solenoids while bleeding to expel air bubbles. Can't do that with a soda bottle.

I did this very thing last week. It works great and you don't have to listen to your woman complain about having to pump the brakes for you. I hung the bottle above the caliper on the spring. Just make sure that if you keep plenty of fluid in the master cylinder, or you can suck air into the system. I did that once when pumping up my brakes after a brake job when I collapsed the calipers and had to pump them back out. I just flushed out the system on my car using this bottle technique. The one man brake bleeding bottles they sell at auto parts store are a waste of money and don't work as well.

Do you also happen go by 'Corky' by any chance

Wrong


Just wrong

Oh, they just good buddies then?

now if you got some Lime Sherbet, he'll clean the gutters out too

just from my experience, i've found that it's about as good to use someone with a strong leg
and a decent attention span to help you bleed your brakes.
i've used all the jars and bottles and vacuum doo-dads, but they don't seem to work for me
as well as someone that can keep good pressure on the brake pedal and is able to hold it
without their mind wandering from the task at hand. we used to use those old "mars lander"
pressure bleeding tanks, but that was in the old days of cast iron master cylinders, and you
could tighten the sh*t out of them and there wouldn't be any air leaks of any kind, and you
could get get a really hard pedal by yourself.
once you find a willing and trustworthy assistant, it doesn't take any longer to get brakes bled
than it does to hook up any gadgetry for a solo job.

OH! ! ! don't use any fluid that's already been opened! ! use only fresh fluid that you open
fresh for the job. and be sure to have enough on hand. and rags. . .

good luck

PUMP IT UP! ! ! !
HOLD IT ! ! !
PUMP IT UP ! ! ! !
HOLD IT ! ! !

I've done the same and it works, but it's pretty much a 2 man job as you pretty much need someone else to pump the brakes while your doing it. I didn't go all fancy with leaving the cap on the bottle though. Just ran the tube into a cup about 1/2 full with brake fluid

I have my wife help. She bleeds the brake cylinders will I push the brake! Well, maybe not! memtb

Well, I tried it and it worked ok. My wife's gone for a few days so I didn't have her foot to help me out. The fluid was pretty old and in need of a flushing so I did the whole thing that way. It took a while and I used quite a bit of fluid but the job's done.

I just crack the most distant bleeder and let it drip. Keep the master cylinder full.
Do the next closest. Continue as needed. Keep the master full.


An aside.
Has anyone else noticed the change from true duel systems to the common reservoir.
Dumbest thing they have ever done.
Old cars had one pump for all the brakes.
One problem, no brakes.

Then they went to dual master dual reservoir.
Blow a brake, you still had front or rear brakes.
Good to go for months if necessary.

Now, the dual master is fed from a common reservoir.
Blow a line. The other brakes still work.

About 3 times.

The reservoir is now empty.
No fugginnng brakes! At all!

Who in thee heil thought this up?

The Vatymac tool will make the job easy

A job I don't miss.

A couple years back I swapped out a complete rear axle assembly on my 92 Toyota PU. That is exactly how I bled the air out of the reconnected brake lines. A couple feet of 1/8 inch vinyl tubing (for any vehicle I have worked on) and a pop bottle.

It would have gone faster with a second person to keep the master cylinder reservoir full.

I've done it by myself like that. Boring with a lot of up and down. Made me wish I had one of those cheap vacuum pumps. And that was only the left rear brake.

Sometimes its not that simple...we now have inline proportioning valves, and several different anti-lock dump valves. Working by myself, WHEN possible, I do the backwards thing. It's often faster and easier to push the air back up to the reservoir with the lid loose, than the accepted practice of pushing the trapped air downhill to the bleeder valve. The more contorted the path of the fluid lines and the resulting high spots, the better it works. Even this is not ideal, the threads on the bleed screw leak profusely when pressured and brake fluid is around 16 bucks a gallon. I had a pressurized bleeder pot and you don't, but I think it can be done with a universal plastic fluid pump available at auto stores, generally used for topping off fluids like power steering etc. and some clear plastic tubing to fit it and your bleed screws. But the result is better than a spongy pedal, or a customer screaming at you because they are paying 130 bucks an hour and it took you 2 hours to bleed the brakes. Start with the 2 person thing, your lady can do it, then try my method. Heavy equipment field mechanic for 46 years, so it ain't like I dreamed this up last week.

I pay a shop to do it. In the mean time I can be home reloading or at the range shooting. I did enough of that stuff when I was young and have no desire to do it again.

How I spent my childhood.

Three pumps and hold it.

"Down"

Three pumps and hold it

"Down"

-Jake