Brake bleeding - one man job?

[Bribak]

Hello all,

I have never bled/flushed a brake system before. Is it necessary to have a second person to keep refilling the master cylinder while flushing or is it fairly easy for one person to keep an eye on it/add fluid and pump the Mighty Vac at the same time? Can you stop pumping the Mighty Vac to raise up to check the cylinder level?

Forgive me if this is answered in Rob's pdf. document. I don't have access right now to a computer that can read pdf. files.

Thanks, Brian

[dond]

I connect the MV, juST crack the bleeder, give the MV several good squeezes and watch the fluid level as the MV sucks...With the bleeder barely cracked, there's plenty of time to move back and forth.

Your suckness may vary :p:

[billxp]

I just relieve the vacuum to check the fluid level. Top it off then I again pump away.

Thats the whole purpose of the Mighty-Vac.

It makes it an easier one man job.

[Blrfl]

I think you said you were in Maryland; I'm across the river near Dulles airport. My brakes are due for a bleeding and a pad change, so if you're not too far away maybe we can get together and do your bike and mine in one sitting.

--Mark

[EASt]

I've been doing my research on brake bleeding too. It seems that for every person who says it's a one-man job, there's someone else saying, "Get a buddy to help."

I'm under the impression that it comes down to experience: If you've never bled brakes before, get some help. If you've done it before, you should be good on your own.


That said, I'll be getting a buddy to help. :roll:

[Bora20]

I did my own usng a Mity-Vac. I then did my friends with his help.

It was easier with 2 people so that they canfill the resevoir and watch it so it doesn't go empty, but 1 person can di it, it just takes longer.

[Bush]

Hi Brian,

I'm new to this site and still catching up with old posts, but I saw yours and thought that for future bleeds you might want to consider replacing the stock bleeders with "speed bleeders". This bleeder has a one way valve that allows fluid out but no air back in, negating the need to open and close the bleeder with every pump of the lever/pedal. Makes bleeding a simple one man job. HTH

[gene]

Hey Brian Idid mine back in march by myself with a mighty vac .I would recomend a helper as the tube likes to come off the fitting and can get very frustrating !!! I could give you and if you want but I will be out of town from 6-27 till 7-3 . If you and mark want to get together and doyour bikes give me a call and I'll bring a extra mighty vac

GENE

[AZST]

Hey Brian Idid mine back in march by myself with a mighty vac .I would recomend a helper as the tube likes to come off the fitting and can get very frustrating !!! I could give you and if you want but I will be out of town from 6-27 till 7-3 . If you and mark want to get together and doyour bikes give me a call and I'll bring a extra mighty vac

GENE

+1

I had trouble with the fitting as well at some points during the process. Finally got my kid to help by keeping an eye on the level as I bled them.

I think a helper really saves time.

--Bryan
04ST1300A
STOC# 5197
:04biker:

[Bribak]

Thank you all for your suggestions and Gene, thank you for your generous offer of assistance but...

I just did it last Wednesday with my Father lending a welcome hand. It actually went pretty smoothly - but I can see why many people recommend two people. The worst part was that with the brake bleeder valves, there is no included adapter with the MightyVac that works that well. The clutch adapter (the one marked A) worked fine - it would stay on the bleeder screw fine and seal relatively well. The closest one to fit the brake bleeders (the one marked C) would not stay on the bleeder screw without constant pressure from my fingers. Based on what I had read, I was prepared for it not to seal as well as the clutch bleeder, but I hadn't realized I would have to constantly hold it on the bleeder screw with my left fingers while I pumped away with the MightyVac with my right hand. If I had been working alone, I would have been doing an awful lot of jumping up and down to check the reservoir.

I also did not tilt the front caliper (15 degrees) as the manual recommended. My understanding is that since I was not draining the line but instead flushing the old fluid out with the new, there is no reason for air to enter the line and become trapped at the caliper...so I did not disconnect and tilt it. I wasn't absolutely sure on this but the end result is that the brakes (and clutch) are working great - so I hope I made the right choice.

My best advice is to print out Rob's (Leo's?) excellent document and go by it page by page. That's what I did and the job went well. I took my usual (anal) time doing it - reading everything twice before doing it once :) and am satisfied with the results.

Thank you all again for your advice and excellent tips. This thread and many others that I read and re-read were indispensible in getting the guts to attempt this myself.

Brian