Motion Pro brake bleeder

[Jambriwal]

It failed after 1 1/2 years. It did the ST last year and this year and also my pick up and my son's motorcycle. Curious to see what failed. Not having the tools to slice it open, brute force did the job. Put it in the vice and slid a pipe over it to snap it open. Surprisingly just a spring and ball bearing inside. Weak spring? Clogged by dirt? Heres a pic. Ordered another cause they make bleeding so easy.

 

[etalors]

Is there a way to clean it after use. I have one that seems to be having clogging issues. I was able to use it this year. But later when I try to blow air thru it. The air does not seem to flow very freely. A friend noticed this it and did some cleaning, improving the air flow. But there still seems to be some constriction.

 

[Igofar]

Your tools are probably dying because you don't maintain them regularly, or correctly, after use.
If you think about it, drawing brake fluid through the tool, then leaving it sit in there for a year, is the same thing as not bleeding/flushing the fluid through your brake system, which causes all that mud and crap in the bottom of your master cylinder housing etc.
Another thing that damages them, is not removing all the crap out of the master cylinder housing with a children's aspirator before you start using the tool. Doing this just jams all that crap into the tool.
The tool is a simple check valve with a spring and a bearing.
You'll find if you draw some MMO through the check valve when your finished using it, before you put it away, the brake fluid will not clog them up.
I also draw some fresh DOT 4 fluid through it before I use it again.
Its a tool, keep it clean and take care of it, and they never wear out etc.
I have about a dozen new boxes in my tool box draw that I've never had to open, since I started doing this several years ago.

 

[mello dude]

I have one, no problems thus far. Its been very useful, if it dies, another one will be on order.

 

[JohnK]

I admire your curiosity - can’t say how many times I have done that when retiring a device.
I have two in the shop, and two mini bleeders. They are about 4 years old and were just used helping the son in law

If it’s only a year old I would have inquired motion pro first.

If the ball and seat or the spring have any crud or rust, it may be a result of storing it dry after use. Or it was a bad one to begin with. Other than soaking fluids its pretty hard to clean it.

Lord knows how they can test for crappy ball bearings or springs. Brake fluid attracts moisture ergo I clear it out with something else. (Penetrating/ATF/Marvel Mystery) Then put away oil wet - humidity is an issue here in PNW I find myself cleaning and oiling most of my tools and air tools. moisture finds its way into the darnedest places.

Using high pressure air might make the problem worse as it scores the cylinder and compacts the spring. Maybe creating more blockage.
My two cents - but then again I do admire curiosity

oh and what Larry said too

 

[Jambriwal]

I'll be more attentive with the next one. I clean most of my tools after use. Time to step up.

 

[SMSW]

Not having the tools to slice it open, brute force did the job. Put it in the vice and slid a pipe over it to snap it open.

I wonder how Motion Pro put it together. Maybe swaged it after putting in the ball and spring? Did you see any marks where this might have been a two piece assembly that was pressed together?

 

[Igofar]

Its a four piece unit, two halves, a spring, and a detent bearing.
Pressed together.

 

[Sadlsor]

Makes perfect sense.
I'll clean mine today as a preventive measure.

 

[Jambriwal]

I wonder how Motion Pro put it together. Maybe swaged it after putting in the ball and spring? Did you see any marks where this might have been a two piece assembly that was pressed together?

You are probably correct. I did not look that at that but could. Fortunately i picked the right end because the short end does slide into the longer barrel. Igofar was probably correct were dirt or debris was the problem. I was expecting to find an elastic valve but the simple spring and ball should last a long time with proper care.

 

[klaproth]

I have actually had two bad Motion Pro bleeders,( brand new) so I ordered up a few "no-name" bleeders of the same design, ( at 1/4 the price) and have used the same one for a few years now. I returned one of the bad bleeders to Amazon, the other one was past the cut off date.