[78 GHOST]

Frustrated at bleeding the T/A brakes, I stole a page from Car Craft. They made a fancy pressure bleeder from 1/4" steel and stiff rubber with a air fitting tapped and screwed into it. I figured the same could be done with a stock cover, and weld a fitting to it.

I wound up using two cover gaskets as the big (front chamber) tended to leak initially. After fitting it with a second rubber gasket, it only leaked a tiny amount.

I use clean dry air at 10 PSI as a source fitted to some old air fittings I won't use.

You can go down to the individual wheels rig up a container and clear tubing, crack the bleeder and watch the brakes bleed themselves.

I gotta say, this is one of the coolest things I've used so far. The only trick is to keep the reservoir filled as you will fill the typical "one man brake bleeder" container in about 30 seconds.

[78 GHOST]

Frustrated at bleeding the T/A brakes, I stole a page from Car Craft. They made a fancy pressure bleeder from 1/4" steel and stiff rubber with a air fitting tapped and screwed into it. I figured the same could be done with a stock cover, and weld a fitting to it.

I wound up using two cover gaskets as the big (front chamber) tended to leak initially. After fitting it with a second rubber gasket, it only leaked a tiny amount.

I use clean dry air at 10 PSI as a source fitted to some old air fittings I won't use.

You can go down to the individual wheels rig up a container and clear tubing, crack the bleeder and watch the brakes bleed themselves.

I gotta say, this is one of the coolest things I've used so far. The only trick is to keep the reservoir filled as you will fill the typical "one man brake bleeder" container in about 30 seconds.

[78 GHOST]

Close up evidence that I need more welding practice.

[Larry Navarro]

...and you took the time to paint it blue?!?!?!
Now thats pontiac in your blood!

[Skip Fix]

My fancy bleed just uses a fitting like that and an adapted pump up bug spray 1 gallon canister.

[Tom McQueen]

Pressure bleeding is the only way to go. I recently got a motion products bleeder (~$80) with a small reservoir. After using it twice Ill never bleed brakes any other way. On one vehicle I had to replace the master cylinder. I didnt even bench bleed it. Just put it on, attatched the brake lines and let the pressure bleeder do its thing. Rock hard pedal first time.

[78 GHOST]

"Necessity is the Mother of Invention"

I'm pretty good at brake bleeding by myself, and have bled the TA myself in the past with a one man bleeder kit. Laborious but effective.

Well, I got a chance to brush up on bleeding because the Front Left hose collapsed on me yesterday. Damn thing just about squirted off the road to the right.

Anyway, after changing all the hoses front and rear and the calipers, I simply could not get the danged pedal to come up. Tried everything, then remembered the Car Craft article and improvised from there.

Tom, I agree with you. It is definitely fast, easy and effective.

[78 GHOST]

UPDATE:

DO NOT use 10 PSI as the pressure will push brake fluid all over the engine bay. Instead, turn your regulator to the lowest possible setting, maybe 2-3 PSI.. just enough to move the fluid.

This technique is essential in T/As as the steep angle the M/C is mounted makes it very difficult if impossible to mount the M/C after bench bleeding, without introducing air.

[allen smith]

Originally Posted by 78 GHOST

UPDATE:

DO NOT use 10 PSI as the pressure will push brake fluid all over the engine bay. Instead, turn your regulator to the lowest possible setting, maybe 2-3 PSI.. just enough to move the fluid.

This technique is essential in T/As as the steep angle the M/C is mounted makes it very difficult if impossible to mount the M/C after bench bleeding, without introducing air.

With an assumption that some air is still in a brke system, with rear brakes ajusted up, master cylinder was not bled correctly, and four 32 oz bottlles of fluid bled through the system, should there still be some brake available when pushing the pedal? My 1970 GTO with power disc also has a steep angle when mounted on the booster.

[78 GHOST]

Allen, I'm sorry it took so long to reply.. I was buried in home improvement stuff, and had to get to work (Guam) this week with the whole famdamily.

I don't really understand your question, but I'll try to help.

Do I understand correctly that you've put 128 Oz. of brake fluid through the system without any improvement in pedal feel? That sounds like a really excessive amount of fluid. Usually, if everything is OK, I can bleed a system including the M/C with less than 1/2 of one of the 32 oz. bottles.

On my GTO, I replaced the "hold off" valve at the rear crossmember (just in front of the diff.) with a repro unit from inline tube. Unfortunately, this sucker didn't work and I wound up removing it. It caused me no small amount of grief and difficulty in bleeding and operation of the brakes. At present, I have the simple pipe union that was installed when I obtained the car. Things work perfectly.

When bleeding, it's possible to loosen the bleeders too much which permits air to be drawn into the system. Usually, when I install the bleeders I lightly coat the bleeder threads with some anti-seize to prevent corrosion issues in the future.

Please expand on your issue, if there is anything I can do to help just let me know.

-Matt

[allen smith]

Thanks, and Ive been wondering if this new hold off valve from Inline tubing is the problem.
I have a professional mechanic coming to my garage this Friday to address the situation, but my gut is telling me the 1970 hold off valve isnt working properly and will be discarded. It was missing from the car when I bought it, but if it has to go I wasted 89.00 plus mechanic fee plus the aggravation.

[78 GHOST]

Allen, I'd strongly suggest you ask the mechanic to hold off for a day or two in order to give you time to replace the hold off valve with a union.

If you haven't done this kind of job, line wrenches are essential.

Pull the valve, install the union and re-bleed the system. I would expect things to start looking up once you get that done.

Let me know,

-Matt

[allen smith]

Is it common for In Line Tubings hold off valves to be faulty? You'd think for 89.00 it would be without question top quality.
If this thing winds up being the problem it'll be the most disapointing product ever purchased for the car.

They should make good a "good" one or refund my money. Hope you reading this In Line

[allen smith]

Removed the brand new hold off valve. Getting ready to bleed the system Saturday morning. If the system bleeds fine then Monday Inline Tubing is getting a phone call from me.

[66Post]

How old was that Car Craft? Great idea. 2-3 PSIG is quite enough, also watch the volume in the master cylinder.

[rustedgoat]

ghost

I don't understand how if you have the fluid from the master cylinder under pressure how can air get into the system through the bleeders? Do you still have to use a hose from the bleeder hanging submerged in a jar of brake fluid or is the jar just to catch to fluid being pushed out of the system?

[78 GHOST]

The bleeder issue is really unrelated to this technique, just something I noticed.

I do use the hose in the one man bleeder system as the volume in the catch can is about right to gauge how much has been used from the reservoir. I never go more than one can worth of fluid without checking the reservoir. It is super easy to go dry with the smaller reservoir.

[allen smith]

78 GHOST, I removed the hold off valve, and coincedence or not the air is gone after bleeding again and brakes work fine, but now I noticed the brake tail lights dont come on. I even put a new switch on (located at the brake pedal arm inside the car) checked the fuse, and still nothing. I unplugged and plugged in the wire that connects to the distribution block and still nothing.
When we were bleeding the brakes by depressing the pedal we pushed it to the floor over and over again and the emergency light would come on in the dash, and I dont know if that means anything, but thought I'd let that be known.
I sure hope there's a simple solution?

[allen smith]

I've been told the piston in the distribution block shifted and the only way to get it back in the correct position so the brake lights will come on is to bleed the brakes. I tried 5 or 6 times on each rear wheel, but nothing yet. I've pushed the pedal slowly, but still nothing. Should it be the rear brakes that I need to bleed? If so, should I have started at the passenger side rear, then move to the passenger front?