I am surprised that no one mentioned 'speeder bleeders'. (https://www.speedbleeder.com)

Great little problem solver - has an internal check valve in the bleeder. Makes a quick, straight forward, one person job of bleeding brakes.

These fine folks market their product everywhere through aftermarket parts suppliers (big box, little indies, mail order & internet supply houses) as well as direct. I usually get them through conventional parts house, but once I got jammed up late on a Friday evening (OL's ride) and I was able to pick up the bleeders direct. (They are local and closer than the parts house.) If our sponsor doesn't have them, they should.

HA! Super pumped. This thing rocks. It doesn't feel underpowered -- it feels appropriately powered. No more than you need to get around, enough noise to still make it seem fast :D.

Rick, thank you so much for letting me borrow the pressure bleeder. That thing made all the difference in me getting this thing on the road.

Also, thanks for posting the pics... takes the onus off of me for now :D. I will start a thread this weekend.
http://cdn.meme.am/instances/23014512.jpg

This is AMERICA. We don't need no stinkin rules.

That actually looks really ingenious and simple. If they're only $7, I'll definitely give it a shot.

And John, thank you so much for this car. I think it's going to be one of the best things that happens to me this year.

No problem on the loan. You got it back to me the same day, so you're welcome. I highly recommend building one of your own. I've gotten a LOT of mileage out of mine over the years.

Can't wait to see what you do with the car.

I'm late to the thread, but it sounds like the problem is not yet resolved.

I have run into some really stubborn 123's that require the following method and it sounds like yours is one of them: the last resort that has solved the problem is using the two man method with engine running so that the brake booster doesn't run out of vacuum.

To do this, don't use a child or someone not totally savvy. Set the parking brake hard and leave it in park. The person in the drivers seat needs to understand the importance of paying attention. I have done this with car on lift and engine running which is obviously safer.

In this particular situation I just doubt that you will have any luck with vacuum at the calipers or a cheapie pressure bleeder. A full blown, expensive, pro brake bleeder would do it if you can get access to one.

The right helper, engine running and you can get it done.

Hope this helps.

Whoops! Looks like I didn't read closely enough and you got it done. Sorry.

No problem! Thanks for the input. Rick's pressure bleeder worked marvelously. I would set it up at a low-ish pressure to bleed one brake, go do something else for a bit, come back, find all the bubbles gone, go to the next, etc. My guess is that air was somehow getting back into the system even though I thought I was closing the bleeder valve right. The brakes in this thing are super tight now :).

The thing that gets me is that I have bled the brakes in our Corolla before with the assistance of my 17-year-old sister, and we had no troubles... so I think I know how to do it? Anyway, problem solved, hopefully I don't have to do it again for a while.

I'm late to the party and glad you got everything worked out.

I have both the vacuume tool and a motive power bleeder.

Two great tools. Once you own and use them, you won't do back.

I'm not too far from the OP either. So feel free to PM me if you need to borrow one.

Brian

The Motive is good for flushing brakes, but not as useful for bleeding brakes that have been opened for service. I have encountered some vehicles over the years that were really stubborn, requiring a good professional pressure bleeder or engine running two man process. In my case, living in the boonies, having two men when needed is a rare occasion, but when it comes to bleeding brakes, my wife does a great job.

A few weeks after I met her in 1973, I did a brake job on her old car and began the journey of her brake bleeding career. She now, most certainly falls into the category of seasoned pro.:)

LOL .... my wife holds pro-brake bleeder assistant cert since 1989 ... lol pump ... hold ... pump hold ...

Hard to believe two man would be better than motive.

Respectfully disagree. This past fall, just before I finally got my '83 240D on the road, I replaced most of the brake and clutch hydraulics. I replaced the following:

1. clutch slave cylinder
2. clutch master cylinder
3. brake master cylinder
4. all four brake calipers
5. all four brake rubber lines
6. all brake steel lines

As such, the system was essentially dry with all new parts and lines. With my pressure bleeder, I was able to fill and bleed the air out of the system in no time, all on my own.

I don't doubt at all your success. I am saying though that there will be situations where it wont cut it. There are some vehicles with ABS and traction systems where it will come up short.

I am glad it worked for you in your particular situation. It is a handy thing to have on hand.

Point taken. However, I doubt a standard 2-man bleed would work on those cars you mention with fancier systems.

Once again I am amazed by old mercedes. The only type of car car that with a brake system sitting open for 2 years through one of the hardest winters in the region and a capless reservoir, is able to be bled and function reliably with no new parts.