raylarrabee's brake bleeder kit

[raylarrabee]

I just got a actron brake bleeder and would be willing to circulate it a'la the valve adjuster kits if there is enough interest.  

Same deal:  if I have it, reimburse me for shipping it out to you and then pay for shipping to the next guy.  If we keep it moving, it'll only cost you like $4 shipping to bleed your brakes.  Only rules are:  
 1) please keep it clean
 2) don't lose any of the parts
 3) please replace damaged/worn out tubing (should cost like $1)
 4) you brake it, you buy it  
 5) try to use it promptly and pass it on to the next guy.

The kit works well and make bleeding/flushing the brakes a snap.  Let me know if anybody's interested.

--RLW

[Jeff P]

Ha, coulda used this last week.  Draining the brakes via gravity is painful!  

jeff

[crash]

it really wasn't that bad when i did it... i just wish i had some tubing to put on the nipple =/

[mp183]

Good idea but if it's not that expensive
I'm thinking of getting one for myself.
Which kit # is it?
Where did you get it?
How much did it cost?
Mike

[raylarrabee]

This is the kit: Actron bleed kit CP7835

I got it as Sears, in the auto section.  It has $49.95.  Worked like a charm.

[jiggersplat]

i never could figure out what these were for.  i always just opened the bleeder screw, attached my hose and then pumped the brake levers until no more bubbles came out, while making sure to keep the resevoir full.  what does the kit do different?

[raylarrabee]

just speeds the process up and makes it easier to do with one person.  The real advantage is for doing a full flush/fluid replacement.  The vacuum pump make the flush really quick and easy.

[The Buddha]

Exactly .... I have had this or similar tool for the last 7-8 years and I dont think anything of swapping out my dot 4 with dot 5 ... 10 mins and done ... and everyone here seemed to scream "Oh no... Blah Blah" Tell me Ray ... how hard was it ... and what if I told you Dot 5 if it gets sucked into the pump is good for it, and dot 5 will not hurt paint if you spill and will not take water on and looks cool blue ...
Cool.
Srinath.

[raylarrabee]

I stayed with DOT4, but the full flush/replacement/bleed took maybe 10 minutes per brake.  I think it will be faster the next time, since this was the first time I had ever bled bike brakes.  I tried the gravity method first, but it was really slow, so I bought the vacuum pump.

Flushed them, bled them, then went for a short ride working the brakes hard.  Came back and bled them again, just to be sure.  MUCH faster than gravity method.  If you set it up right, you can work the pump with one hand and top off the fluid resevior with the other.  I clamped a pair of vice grips to the lid of the capture jar and tucked the handle in between the fork brace and the tire.  It kept the bleed tube vertical (easier to see the bubbles) and let me stand up while working the pump in order to top off the resevior.  Same for the rear, except I tucked the handle of the vice grips into the bracket for the passenger pegs.

You can definitely bleed w/o the pump, but it's a lot faster with it.

[DerekNC]

You can get a brake bleeder kit from Autozone or Advance for $5 or $6. That's what I used when I flushed out the old fluid. It is just a small bottle with a magnet on it and a couple of hoses. Works great but will probably take a little bit longer than the vacuum method. You just need to pump the brake and release and tighten the bleeder screw as you're doing it.

Derek

[John Bates]

Thanks for the offer RLW but I just changed my brake fluid.  Won't need the vacuum pump until 2007.

I tried the gravity feed method but there was some crap in the reservoir/lines that blocked the flow. Had to force it through the old fashioned way.

[crash]

I tried the gravity feed method but there was some crap in the reservoir/lines that blocked the flow. Had to force it through the old fashioned way.

how good does it feel to have brakes again?