Bleedin Brakes

[tedfred]

Hi All,

Does anyone have any experience of using any of the DIY Auto Brake Bleeding kits? I intend to change the fluid in the SLK200 before the winter and thought for once I would try and do it the supposedly easy way.
Can anyone recommend a brand??

Thanks for your time

Regards

Tedfred

 

[LostKiwi]

If you have a pump for doing oil changes attach to a brake bleed nipple and do it that way.
Otherwise I've used a Gunsons one and it worked ok. Just a faff setting up an air supply.

 

[Oldspanners]

I've used this successfully to change brake fluid a few times with no problems, it just sucks in a little air around the bleed nipple but that's outside the system so you can ignore that.
Quick clean and you can see the fluid change colour as it enters the holding bottle. It also can be used as a vacuum tester for about £14 on ebay you can't go wrong.

 

[Wighty]

I have a Sealey VS something I think , it's one of the pressurised containers that you attach to the brake fluid reservoir and then fill with brake fluid . It worked very well . You just open each bleed nipple and wait until it runs clear . I'm not at home otherwise I could check the make and model

 

[Wighty]

Sealey VS820, £40 ish . Just checked it on tinternet

 

[ZZZZ]

Interesting ... haven't considered brake fluid as a possible DIY before, incidentally Herr ESS is telling me it's due soonish ... hmmm

 

[mercmancdi]

To do it properly you would have to do every wheel. Wouldn’t you ?
You could put a pipe on each nipple
One at time and into bottle with fluid
in it ,then pump peddle keeping the fluid topped up as you went working your way around each wheel , this would change the fluid wouldn’t it ?

 

[EmilysDad]

To do it properly you would have to do every wheel. Wouldn’t you ?
You could put a pipe on each nipple
One at time and into bottle with fluid
in it ,then pump peddle keeping the fluid topped up as you went working your way around each wheel , this would change the fluid wouldn’t it ?

Yes, you need to do each wheel .... an order is usually given somewhere, though in practice it doesn't really make much difference.

You do pump the pedal, but you need a glamorous assistant to open & close the nipple each pump of the pedal ie open the nipple as the pedal is pressed & closed as the pedal is slowly raised.

It'll change most of the fluid, but the stuff in the ABS block will stay where it is unless you have the means to cycle the ABS pump.

 

[mercmancdi]

Yes, you need to do each wheel .... an order is usually given somewhere, though in practice it doesn't really make much difference.

You do pump the pedal, but you need a glamorous assistant to open & close the nipple each pump of the pedal ie open the nipple as the pedal is pressed & closed as the pedal is slowly raised.

It'll change most of the fluid, but the stuff in the ABS block will stay where it is unless you have the means to cycle the ABS pump.

If working with a bottle 1/2 full of fluid and ensure your pipe stays below fluid level in the bottle you would just open nipple and go pump peddle until you pump enough out without emptying the reservoir.

 

[umblecumbuz]

As Wighty. I have the same unit. I bought it when my Esp unit kept giving trouble and had to be repeatedly removed for repair. It's so easy to use, and gives a totally reliable brake fluid change and bleed. The only hiccup I initially had was making sure I got a good seal when making connection to the reservoir, but I soon got the hang of it.

 

[EmilysDad]

If working with a bottle 1/2 full of fluid and ensure your pipe stays below fluid level in the bottle you would just open nipple and go pump peddle until you pump enough out without emptying the reservoir.

I wouldn't. There's a chance that air will suck up past the nipple, best to close the nipple before each upward stroke off the pedal. Easibleed or vacuum pump (or Pela oil extract kit) is also another way

 

[Uncle Benz]

Personally I would avoid pumping the pedal methods. You run the risk of pushing the master cylinder seals into the end of the cylinder where they never go in normal operation. If there is a lot of debris/dirt/rust down there you can damage the seals and leave yourself requiring a new master cylinder. As a professional motor engineer I recommend a vacuum based system for changing the brake fluid. I have been doing it this way for over twenty five years, and I've never had a problem. I must do five or six a week!

 

[tedfred]

Thanks for all your replies Guys.
I have question regarding using the Pela oil remover thought. Surely applying a Vacuum to each bleed nipple will not remove any fluid as the master cylinder would not allow the fluid to drain from the reservoir, you must surely have to partially depress the brake in order to allow a free path for the fluid to pass from the reservoir to the vacuum vessel?
What am I missing here?
I particularly like the vacuum method as I have just bought a pela 6000 today as suggested by LostKiwi in a previous thread.

Thanks again for your time.

Regards Tedfred

 

[mercmancdi]

Personally I would avoid pumping the pedal methods. You run the risk of pushing the master cylinder seals into the end of the cylinder where they never go in normal operation. If there is a lot of debris/dirt/rust down there you can damage the seals and leave yourself requiring a new master cylinder. As a professional motor engineer I recommend a vacuum based system for changing the brake fluid. I have been doing it this way for over twenty five years, and I've never had a problem. I must do five or six a week!

I think it’s down to knowing how much to pump befor toppping , I have done this for 30 yrs and never had a problem with master cylinder or drawing air in at the nipple , people open the nipple too far or don’t use correct pipe , it’s about just a few 1/2 pumps
And top up it’s no time till the new fluid is running nice and clean , then move on to next , the whole system holds very little so
it’s very little neede to replace. . On normal circumstances it’s a hr at your leisure , don’t even need wheels off most vehicles .
Fair enough if you have a pump etc , but considering most people probably only ever do this once on there own car what’s a bit of pipe and a empty 250ml bottle cost.

 

[EmilysDad]

Thanks for all your replies Guys.
I have question regarding using the Pela oil remover thought. Surely applying a Vacuum to each bleed nipple will not remove any fluid as the master cylinder ....

It will. This method is just the reverse of using an Easibleed which pressurises the system at the reservoir and you slacken a nipple off to remove fluid.

 

[Uncle Benz]

Thanks for all your replies Guys.
I have question regarding using the Pela oil remover thought. Surely applying a Vacuum to each bleed nipple will not remove any fluid as the master cylinder would not allow the fluid to drain from the reservoir, you must surely have to partially depress the brake in order to allow a free path for the fluid to pass from the reservoir to the vacuum vessel?
What am I missing here?
I particularly like the vacuum method as I have just bought a pela 6000 today as suggested by LostKiwi in a previous thread.

Thanks again for your time.

Regards Tedfred

When you remove your foot from the brake pedal the entire hydraulic side is relaxed from the reservoir all the way to the calipers. In this mode the fluid has no pressure on it and is free to go to or fro. You can push the pistons back to fit new pads and the fluid will go back to the reservoir. Consequently if you open the bleed nipple the fluid will run out under gravity. A vacuum device just speeds up the progress. Easibleed systems apply pressure to the top of the reservoir to achieve the same speed increase, but they can be messy.

 

[Oldspanners]

With the vacuum pump you can suck out the old fluid from the reservoir, top it up with the new and this speeds up the arrival of new fluid at the calipers without having to pump through all the old fluid in the reservoir first.

 

[tedfred]

Thank to All,

Thanks for clarifying that for me.
I always wondered about the Easy bleed system, as to how you complete the work, as removing the easy bleed cap on the totally full reservoir must surely involve spilling a lot of fluid everywhere??

I think I will go down the vacuum route .

Thanks to all once again

Regards

Tedfred

 

[EmilysDad]

Thank to All,

Thanks for clarifying that for me.
I always wondered about the Easy bleed system, as to how you complete the work, as removing the easy bleed cap on the totally full reservoir must surely involve spilling a lot of fluid everywhere??

I think I will go down the vacuum route .

Thanks to all once again

Regards

Tedfred

As long as you get air tight connection to the reservoir & bottle then you don't spill fluid. Probably the hardest thing to find these days is a spare wheel to pressurise it.

 

[tedfred]

Thanks for that again, EmilysDad,

Just for completeness I assume that I can use standard DOT 4 brake fluid ? Or do I have to use the Mercedes own fluid with added DNA so as to maintain my warranty?? Forgive the cynicism.

Regards to All


Tedfred