Bleeding , flushing brake fluid
 

I've read posts suggesting that when flushing brake fluid, you can attach clear tubing to the bleed screw and immerse the other end in brake fluid while you do your flushing. What size tubing would this be?

Thanks,

glenmore
1991 300CE

The tube should be about 1/4 in dia - to fit snug over the bleeder.
For my car I replaced all OEM bleeders with Speedbleeders (www.speeedbleeder.com). Earlier this week I did my annual bleeding and it took only 20 minutes. I believe it is worth it $30-40 I paid for them.

Here's another option....The motive Power Bleeder.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-benz-sl-discussion-forum/62499-92-300sl-brakes-go-floor.html

I'll be making my own unit as I have most of the parts but for $45 this seems to be an excellent product that is praised by many.

I have a Motive bleeder as shown above and it works perfect for a small shop. It's near as good as one of the expensive commercial models, but it gets the job done quite well.

If you are looking to use hose immersed in fluid, make sure nothing comes loose or the hose end gets above the level of the fluid. I don't like this method for flushing myself. When you pump and then release, you suck a little fluid back up the hose.

If I didn't have the bleeder, I would prefer the speed bleeders, or good old fashion two man bleeding over the immersed hose method. That's just been my experience.

Good luck,

Larry, don't the speed bleeders permanently attach to the calipers? If so I'd venture to say that the Power Bleeder is more desirable as it can be used on any car at any time.

Glenmore, I have the Motive Bleeder, like I told you this morning, you can use it. The best time was this morning when you had the Benz jacked up after doing that GREAT complete front end brake Job..........

I use 3/16" vinyl tubing as you need a tight fit on the nipple to avoid leaks and keep the hose from falling off. Vinyl tubing is quite flexible and with stretch quite a bit. As it ages and hardens I sometimes have to stretch the end using a pair of need nose plier tips as a mandrel.

If you have a manual transmission, don't forget to flush the clutch circuit when you do the brakes.

Duke

Motive Power Bleeder available locally?
 

Any chance of buying one of these things locally in Los Angeles?

Richard,

If you're out there give me a call
323-466-3983

glenmore

Re: Motive Power Bleeder available locally?
 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by glenmore
[B]Any chance of buying one of these things locally in Los Angeles?

They're widely available on the internet, expect to pay around $40$45 plus shipping.

I'll offer another option for bleeding - gravity and patience.

I finally got around to doing my 560SEL today by this method and it worked fine. I started by putting the rear end on stands and removing the wheels for easier access. Then I drained the resevour (sp?) with an old turkey baster and removed it for further cleaning and replacement of the grommets. Once the resevour was back in place and full, I put a clear hose on the right rear bleeder and cracked it open. I then set my watch for ten minutes and went about some other things on the car. After ten minutes the fluid was starting to run clear so I topped off the resevour again and let it go another ten minutes while continuing my other projects. After the second ten minutes it was clear so I closed it off and moved to the next wheel and repeated the process.

The whole thing worked well and was done in two hours. Mind you that during that two hours I also:
1. flushed the PS system and replaced the filter
2. cleaned the differential and suspension control valve
3. disconnected the suspension control lever for testing
4. watered my entire lawn (convienently using the same 10 minute intervals to move the sprinkler :) )

jlc

flushing brake fluid
 

I use a master cylinder cap with a Schrader valve installed in its center. I attach my frame mount bicycle pump to the valve and open a bleeder screw. The pump pressurizes the system and forces the fluid out the bleeder valve. Just be careful (no matter what method you use) not to let the fluid level get so low as to allow air to enter the system.

Randy

Randy, could you expand on your explanation of how you made your setup? I'm interested in perhaps doing the same on my car. Did you attach the schraeder valve to the stock cap on the master cylinder, or did you fabricate a different cap? How did you make the attachment?

JLC, I also sometimes use the gravity system. It is most useful for when you replace components such as brake lines and have a lot of air to displace before using the pumping method. At times I found the gravity method to be so efficient that pumping wasn't needed and I got a firm pedal right away.

The cap on my 380SL is the same as the caps on the master cylinders of my Volvos (240, 740 series). I have extras from parts cars. I drill a hole in the center of the cap and then slowly enlarge it until the schrader valve pulls tightly into place . The vent system built into the Volvo caps requires a piece of the underside of the cap to be removed and the rubber gasket is then very loose but if you are careful it isn't a problem (I supposed I could cement it into place). I never use the brake pedal to bleed brakes anymore in any of my cars. As soon as the seals on the master cylinder travel farther than normal down the bore there is a great chance that rust or build up in the lower reaches of the bore will damage the seals and then you are looking at a new master cylinder.

Randy

Great place to order the Motive Bleeder on the net is

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/autocat/load_page.cgi?page_number=1&bookmark=3&model=911E&currsection=brakes.

888-280-7799 Toll-Free - US

Mailing address:

Pelican Parts
111 Eucalyptus Drive
El Segundo, CA 90245

Motive bleeder
 

This is $62.95 for the import version.

http://www.drivewerks.com/catalog/shopcart/DWKS/POR_DWKS_BLEEDR_main.htm

It takes a bit of fiddling to get to this point: a search will not reveal it.

Looks like a clever gizmo.