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My wagon has an unhealthy fluid leak and my sedan is going to get all new fluid through it shortly when it get a bit more power. So I would like to here people's preferred method that they have had success when bleeding brake. For some reason I can't seem to bleed stuff properly so no doubt I'm missing a step or three. I am very limited in the number of hands available and would prefer a 1 man operation so I can do it at my leisure.

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If you can afford it, buy a one man bleeder kit that runs on an air compressor.

If not, look up gravity method on youtoob (or goggle it.)  There must be a tleast 20 ways to do it, but you need to find the one that suits you. I always have another bod to do the repetitive "pump it, stop, again..." while I do the bleeding. Costs ya beer, though.!

 

The trick is to never let air into the process. I use a long clear plastic hose (1 metre of beverage tube) into an old brake fluid container. Always keep the end in the fluid, and container half full. Get a hose that is a close fit on the nipple. Yes, unfamilia, I said nipple........

Always check the level in the reservoir. If you've changed out a master cyl, it will have a shipload of air in it. Perservere.

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i had trouble bleeding the xa after fitting  the new master cylinder,  did every thing i knew but could not get the air out. borrowed a vacuum  bleeder and bingo fixed it straight away. so brought a cheep one.

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master cylinders need to be bench bled before installation.

 

I love the 2 person method, but I also have a large moccona glass coffee jar that I took the lid off and pulled the plastic bit off.  drill a hole in it smaller than your tube and do as bear has said.  works a treat.

 

I have had the best success with pumping the peddle very hard, holding it at the bottom and then releasing the pressure with the pedal down, lock it back up and go again.  hard pumping seems to really get the air back. I don't know why but it just works. 

 

Also brake fluid is hydroscopic and needs to be changed regularly.  I do mine every 12months because its terribly humid and crap up here and the fluid seems to go off very quickly. 

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Currently I have a bourbon bottle with a hole in the lid and a vacuum hose all the way to the bottom of the bottle. I like the clear glass as I can see what's coming out but I just don't have much luck with it. I may be undoing the nipple to far or hose to long or something not quite sure.  I have been seeing those $20 one man bleeders in the tool catalogue of late and that is what prompted me to ask the question.

I will see who I can bribe with beer but as I live in the "sticks" and I'm very unsocial I don't know many people that can be bothered working on cars.

 

Thank you everyone, all very good options and I will probably try all of them as Bear said and find the one that works for me.

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I've always questioned the traditional method of fluid in the top and air out the bottom. Goes against basic physics really.

 

I like to pump the fluid down to the piston, then push the piston back which pushes out any air in the line back up to the master and out of the reservoir. I then pump it back up and then vac bleed the small amount of air out of the caliper.

 

This works well with clutch slaves too, as these can be difficult to bleed up against the spring pressure of the clutch. The air pockets tend to travel back and forth as the clutch moves in and out.

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Not that I've done it more than a handful of times but I always prefer getting someone else to work the pedal. At least that way I've seen myself that there's no bubbles.

 

Not that it's 100% certain but I've never had to do re-do it yet... touch wood as I'm doing the XR8 brakes soon.

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Got a weird one with the EF Fairmont wags.

At really low speeds, coming to a stop when parking and turning the wheels, it occasionally feels like the ABS is applying.

The brake pedal pulses slightly, and you get a groaning noise, with a sound like a gate spring extending/contracting.

 

Was hoping the brake caliper rebuild and fluid flush, would fix the issue... but it hasn't.

Anyone experienced that phenomenon before?

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Got a weird one with the EF Fairmont wags.

At really low speeds, coming to a stop when parking and turning the wheels, it occasionally feels like the ABS is applying.

The brake pedal pulses slightly, and you get a groaning noise, with a sound like a gate spring extending/contracting.

 

Was hoping the brake caliper rebuild and fluid flush, would fix the issue... but it hasn't.

Anyone experienced that phenomenon before?

 

That sounds like warped discs, or caliper slide pins bent or need lubing. Also check ya pistons in calipers are retracting properly.

Sometimes they get sticky.

 

Jack.

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i have a 5 meter long small clear hose, like fish tank air hose. can buy it at bunnings etc..

fit a rubber hose over it that is a snug fit(bit of pollution hose works well)so it can go over the bleed nipple
push one end over the bleed nipple and run the hose past the drivers door into a jar etc..

crack the nipple, top up the reservior, and keep pumping till the new fluid is getting to the jar with no bubbles, slow pumps works best.

you can gravity bleed by one person sometimes, just crack the bleed screw and undo the reservior and top up as needed.

the $20 one man hose works ok but you cant see if its got bubbles in it, the clear hose you can.
bench bleeding was neccesary for a new clutch master i fitted once, might be whats needed also(no pipes attatched to master cyl)(not good to do on car as spilled brake fluid ruins paint)

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Got a weird one with the EF Fairmont wags.

At really low speeds, coming to a stop when parking and turning the wheels, it occasionally feels like the ABS is applying.

The brake pedal pulses slightly, and you get a groaning noise, with a sound like a gate spring extending/contracting.

 

Was hoping the brake caliper rebuild and fluid flush, would fix the issue... but it hasn't.

Anyone experienced that phenomenon before?

 

I had that with my wagon, one of the rear brakes was wearing the rotor out instead of the pads, new pads and rotors too

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I've got a BA2 xr8 ute that i'm trying to bleed the brakes on. I bleed the front ones ok but I can't bleed the rear. No fluid comes out. I loosened the brake line at the master cylinder and fluid came out then loosened at the ABS unit and fluid came out then loosened the rear line at the ABS unit and no fluid comes out at all. What am I doing wrong?

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I've got a BA2 xr8 ute that i'm trying to bleed the brakes on. I bleed the front ones ok but I can't bleed the rear. No fluid comes out. I loosened the brake line at the master cylinder and fluid came out then loosened at the ABS unit and fluid came out then loosened the rear line at the ABS unit and no fluid comes out at all. What am I doing wrong?

Pull the bleed nipple right out, if fluid comes out the nipple has crud in it ( fairly common). If that fails get someone to apply light pressure to the brake pedal as you loosen the nipple. Just make sure you don’t suck in air or run it dry, you’ll stuff the abs unit.

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