Brake bleeding frustration

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JPS0284

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Oh, it pulled fluid out like there was no tomorrow, even after adjusting the pressure down. I went through 3 30 oz bottles of fluid and seeing nothing but a stream of bubbles. I used a zip tie at the nipple, the old axle grease trick. Nothing. Maybe I got a lemon.
The bubbles have to be coming from somewhere upstream, the tools just creating a vacuum. If it was spongy before there must be a small leak somewhere or a cracked line.
 

mikez71

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I have had a couple times where after bleeding, it just wasn't fully bled. Had to go around again..
Need to do this in my truck as well, good job!

Did you have a helper pushing the pedal or using a mityvac or gravity bleed? If using the vacuum, it is common for air to leak past bleeder threads...
Want to try a pressure bleeder because I hate refilling the master cylinder constantly.
... more importantly won't have to find a helper to pump the pedal and worry that they are pumping too fast, or too deep or letting off before I close the bleeder..
 

donjetman

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when using a vacuum bleeder, the air gets in around the threads of the loosened bleeder. it's not actually in the system.
Yeah, I had the same issue with a vacuum bleeder. In the trash it went.

Never have figured out how to make a positive pressure power bleeder work because they don't come with a master cylinder lid that you can hook the pressure to.

Gravity and/or pumping the pedal has always worked for me.
 

Larryjb

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I've been doing brakes for decades on my own vehicles, and I had the same thing happen to me a couple of years ago. Embarrassingly, I have to admit I put the left front caliper on the right wheel, and the right caliper on the left side. This means my bleed screws were on the bottoms of the calipers, leaving a pocket of air above. DOH!

Did you, by any chance, make the same mistake as me?
 

Larryjb

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Another possibility not yet mentioned, did you have a rusted brake line open up?
 

mikez71

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OK, but it's confusing because it says..

Screenshot 2024-01-25 190521.png
Yeah, I had the same issue with a vacuum bleeder. In the trash it went.

Never have figured out how to make a positive pressure power bleeder work because they don't come with a master cylinder lid that you can hook the pressure to.
This the one I'm looking at, it says for GM..

 

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