Brake Bleeding Machines/Tools

[Dan_Frisbie]

Okay folks, I'm probably older than most of you and have been bleeding brakes manually for years and years. I see and hear about machines that will do a fluid flush on the brake system and/or bleed them with less effort than the old way and need some advice.
For a home mechanic and maybe part time shop, what's a good tool to use that is priced reasonably and is actually worth buying?

I also have ABS (3 discs) on my bike and would like to have a tool that will do that as well. I can't see any real difference between the braking system on the bike and on the truck.

 

[shamrock246]

I've had good luck with my Motive products stuff and they sell adapters for a lot of stuff

https://www.motiveproducts.com/

 

[Dan_Frisbie]

Their stuff seems decent and the prices aren't too bad. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Schurkey]

The Motive pressure bleeder is pretty-much a modified garden sprayer. There is no diaphragm between the pressurized air and the fluid--which means the fluid is pulling humidity out of the air and getting contaminated.

Either spend the money for a REAL pressure bleeder, or gravity bleed.

I gravity bleed for small jobs at the wheel cylinders--I only pressure bleed when doing major work, flushing the system, or work near or at the master cylinder.

REAL pressure bleeders can be had for < $350
Gearwrench 3795D
Branick G300
https://www.amazon.com/Pressure-Bra...5302&sr=8-1&keywords=pressure+bleeder+branick

Finding adapters suitable for a motorcycle may be...interesting. It's possible something will cross-over from automotive applications. I don't have ABS on my bikes, so gravity bleeding works splendidly.

 

[Dan_Frisbie]

Very good point, Shurkey. Pressurizing with ambient air will contaminate the fluid before it even goes in. However, a 4 gallon split tank is just overkill for me. At any rate, you have my tinkering mind going into overdrive now.
I think that I can make one. If not a diaphragm separated tank, I could easily pressurize with dry air.
I also had the idea to make my own bike adapters with stock master cylinder lids and drill/tap fittings into them.

 

[Urambo Tauro]

As soon as you break the seal on a fresh bottle of brake fluid, it starts to get exposed to ambient air, doesn't it? And even more so as it's poured into the reservoir...

How much exposure is too much? Just how fast does the fluid get contaminated?

 

[redfishsc]

It's my understanding that the moisture darkens it as it ages.

Any time I have leftover brake fluid, i squeeze all the air out of the bottle and cap it. In the winter I have to set the bottle on a heater vent inside to soften it a little or else it can crack.

We do this with some paint catalysts in our cabinet shop. If the catalysts get oxygen or moisture they solidify, so we pour leftovers into a much smaller jar, and discard the couple ounces that don't fit in.