Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Australia Forum

General Category => Photos & Videos => Topic started by: Colin Byrne on October 13, 2017, 01:34:34 PM

Title: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: Colin Byrne on October 13, 2017, 01:34:34 PM
Hey guys, here's a short video showing how i bleed up the brakes in my car

https://youtu.be/Z25Awopo2cU (https://youtu.be/Z25Awopo2cU)

Title: Re: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: bonno on October 13, 2017, 05:47:20 PM
Hi Colin
Unsure whether it is at my end or the video link has been unsuccessful ie; Invalid Youtube link.  Anyhow here is one that I use which uses the vacuum pump to enable one man bleeding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deQviXpYBgY
cheers
bonno
Title: Re: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: poohbah on October 13, 2017, 07:46:05 PM
Colin, when you use the youtube link icon you only include the string of letters at the end of the link (that follow v=).
Title: Re: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: Colin Byrne on October 13, 2017, 07:52:28 PM
thanks guys, sorry was in a rush and didn't check the post, fixed now
Title: Re: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: poohbah on October 13, 2017, 10:06:30 PM
Cool video, and great car Colin.
Title: Re: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: Balfa on October 15, 2017, 10:59:46 AM
Great video and love the garage :)
Title: Re: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: Lashua on October 19, 2017, 11:04:54 PM
Great tutorial vid Colin. I've never done that by myself and I feel a bit more confident after seeing your video. Thanks for sharing.
Title: Re: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: Colin Byrne on October 20, 2017, 08:20:08 AM
No worries guys, glad you liked it, i plan on doing more videos and I'll post links to them here but you can also subscribe to my you tube channel

cheers
Title: Re: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: kaleuclint on October 22, 2017, 02:09:34 PM
Might be the place to ask?  I have it from a respected authority that DOT3 and DOT4 brake fluid are in fact interchangeable (at least in some vehicles; possibly not Alfas) and that both have superior qualities to the other -- particularly that DOT3 is better at not absorbing water over long periods.

Any thoughts??
Title: Re: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: Colin Byrne on October 23, 2017, 08:10:49 AM
As far as i know DOT3 and DOT4 are both polyethylene glycol based so in chemical makeup terms they are interchangeable and both will absorb water.  Dot 3, by definition, has a lower boiling point that Dot 4, which has a  lower boiling point than Dot 5.1, which is also polyethylene glycol based.  I think the one to watch out for is Dot 5 which is silicon based and therefor not interchangeable.  So like i said in the video, with the large twin piston Ali calipers and vented front discs i don't have any issues with boiling brake fluid and the penrite Dot 4 works well for my application and is cheap and easy to get
cheers
Title: Re: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: Mick A on October 24, 2017, 09:54:20 PM
Hey mate just wondering the reason for using Argon instead of something like compressed air etc?

Is it because you don't want any moisture to enter the system? I supposed compressed air would have some moisture in it but Argon wouldn't.

Anyways I'll let you answer! ;)

cheers!

Mick.
Title: Re: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: Colin Byrne on October 25, 2017, 04:40:13 PM
haha, yea, should have mentioned that bit, nice one!

Yep, distinct lack of air compressor induced h2o in the argon bottle is another main reason to use the welding gas
Title: Re: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: Mick A on November 01, 2017, 11:35:40 AM
Awesome work.

Have you ever tried this using a vacuum bleeder? Same principal really I would have thought? Correct me if I'm wrong though.

I have been using one for years and it's great because you can use your air compressor but no moisture enters the system. You just hook it up and open the bleed nipple then feed more fluid into the reservoir as it sucks it through.
Brakes come up perfect afterwards too. (I run a pedal box with separate cylinders like yourself) and I also like it because like you said not pushing the seals past where they are used to operating.

Mick.
Title: Re: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: hmd on November 01, 2017, 02:14:40 PM
I used one of these

https://www.motiveproducts.com/collections/domestic-bleeder-kits/products/power-bleeders-single-adapter-bleeder-kit-domestic-adapter-bleeder-kits-power-bleeders-single-adapter-bleeder-kit-import-adapter-bleeder-kits-power-bleeders-domestic-bleeder-kits-power-bleeders-import-bleeder-kits

But when I am lazy I just bring the car to Monza Motors for them to do it :)
Title: Re: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: Colin Byrne on November 02, 2017, 08:08:08 AM
Na mick, never used one of those, i did get one of them for work ages ago, but it never gets used. Very similar idea, do you any issues with sucking out of the bleed nipple and the nipple threads not sealing, that's the problem I've had in the past when trying to do things at the caliper end of things, but i guess if you have plenty of vacuum that's not a problem?
Title: Re: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: Mick A on November 03, 2017, 03:09:44 AM
Yeah definitely on older callipers for sure but on the brembos I have on the race car not a problem they seem to seal fine.

I do like your way better though because it's very controlled. And doesn't make as much noise. :)
Title: Re: One man brake bleeding video
Post by: Citroƫnbender on November 03, 2017, 11:53:09 AM
I've led some erstwhile colleagues on a journey of discovery vis-Ć -vis pressure bleeding.

Mentioned that I was intending to buy a pressure bleeder of the pump-up variety for my Pug 405, as it's a right putz to bleed after the system runs dry. "Nah, yer don't need that! Bring it up and we'll get a pedal on it."

Trailered it up, they tried for about six hours! Standard bleed, gravity, vacuum. Nope, still chockers with my 78% N2 gas blend used for dry purging. Car is pushed into the Naughty Corner and cussed out. Next thing, in comes a Renault Master for serious work. Well... They find they can't get a pedal on that afterwards either! So... Off to the toolies for an SP pressure bleeder kit - that which they had despised a week earlier - and a day later two cars with brakes again.

I find little joy in vindication, other than seeing how nice it is for people to learn an additional method for solving a problem. If the buggers were clever, they would have told me to buy the bleeder beforehand and bring it up with my car "Just in case"!