The $150 brake bleeder that made my 4 hour job take 20 minutes

Picked up a cheap vacuum bleeder kit off Amazon for my 98 Civic after fighting with a friend holding the pedal for way too long. First try on the rear caliper, fluid was flowing clean in under a minute with zero bubbles. Anyone else switch to a one-person bleeder and never look back?

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jamiew8311d ago

My 1998 Civic had a seized bleeder screw on the driver side rear that no amount of PB Blaster and heat would budge. That vacuum kit saved me there too, because I could crack it loose with a six point socket and let the vacuum pull the fluid while the screw stayed just barely open. But here's the angle I don't see people mention: those cheap kits are also great for testing for other vacuum leaks in the brake system, like a bad master cylinder seal or a weeping caliper boot. If fluid keeps bubbling even after you close the bleeder, you know the problem is upstream, not at the caliper. I've also used mine to pull old fluid out of the reservoir first, so I'm not pushing contaminated junk through the new parts. It's not just a time saver, it's a diagnostic tool for the whole system.