I think mityvacs are great for some things.... but I would like someone to carefully explain how they are used to bleed brakes.... exactly where everything is hooked up, etc..

Before I got my power bleeder ,I used my miytvac to bleed brakes by hooking the supplied container to a bleeder screw and the mityvac to the container, then cracking the bleeder and pumping away on the mityvac.

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1981 240D 143k 4 spd manual -SOLD

2004 VW Jetta TDI 5 speed 300k -still driven daily

So you were sucking fluid from the caliper at the wheel location to extract air,old fluid, gunk, etc from the brake system ?
Did you have some special bleeder nipple which you substituted for the original ones ..and left in place from then on ? Some special ones which actually seal at that location to keep air from being introduced into the system ?

Yes,no and no, but I may have actually pushed in on the bleeder while vacuuming and I remember having to pump the vac alot.
The pressure bleeder is far superior

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1981 240D 143k 4 spd manual -SOLD

2004 VW Jetta TDI 5 speed 300k -still driven daily

OK, that sounds logical...

The regular old two person method done correctly works very well...has for nearly a century.
Brake fluid should be pretty new and shielded from moisture... The power bleeders I have seen use a lot more brake fluid ....
AND if you do not use nitrogen or something like that to power it you have compromised the excess fluid left in the bleeder...
And isn't there usually spillage when disconnecting the power bleeder cap from the MC ?

So the cheapest most boring but PROVEN effective method of bleeding the brakes is the two person method.

I have seen some funky stuff in the brake lines and sometimes real pressure is needed to get it broken loose... but the idea of pressurizing the TOP of the MC reservoir worries me...
The part pressurized when using two people is ONLY that part which is designed to have high pressure applied to it... Sometimes pressure and velocity are helpful for something which has high and low spots in the fluid path.

I use the 2 person method but the other person is a stick, cut to length and wedged between the steering wheel and brake pedal. The stick is reliable and never screws up.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

.....not when there are mistakes being made communicating with the pedal pusher.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRvnxMA2oJ8&feature=related

I've yet to have a mis-Q with my hand pump I paid maybe $6 bucks for, 15 years ago.

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

How does that work ?
Is the stick spring loaded.... how does it push down and stay in place as the pedal goes down ?

Yep, I have used the stick method too.
I cut it so it was a very tight fit after pumping up the brake pedal and it usually remained in place after cracking the bleeder and then closing it.
Running the power bleeder at low pressure[5-10 lbs] provided a steady, controllable bleed and after total flushing of the system which took maybe
10 minutes I poured the remaining fluid back in the empty BF bottle. I doubt it attracted much moisture in the short time it was exposed to the air.

__________________
1981 240D 143k 4 spd manual -SOLD

2004 VW Jetta TDI 5 speed 300k -still driven daily

Not spring loaded. Cut it to a length so it will stay firmly wedged betweem steering wheel and a depressed peddle. Pump the peddle a few times, wedge the stick in place, open bleeder-close bleeder. Repeat.
Stick makes a good weapon too.

__________________
85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

LOL,
In addition to wondering how it is going to provide pressure for the distance it needs to.. it just hit me that you are going to have to get up from under the car and repump after every squirt from the bleeder....
I think a little effort finding someone to assist in pumping .... one who can call for help if something happens .... might be prudent.... and faster .... I do not get up and down so easy anymore...

My experience has been that the pedal travels a couple of inches when doing this... so you must be putting some serious load against the steering wheel.

Would we be able to identify your car by the bent steering wheel it has ?

Not much force on the steering wheel is needed. They are pretty strong also. I've use this method exclusively all these years and never had a problem.

__________________
85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

I was being funny about the bent wheel...
but you do have to get up from under the car for each pump up...
I say " make some friends with feet "....

You forgot the Anyway it really is a quick method for me. I can get out of the car then under the car and loosen the nipple then tighten it then back in the car pumping in less than 15 seconds,

__________________
85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked