Speed Brakes

 		 Project date: 8/19/2004

Project: Installing Speed Brake Bleeders

Project Time Duration: approx. 3 hours

Personal Satisfaction: Not Bad, I can live with it

I  like  my  truck,  and  from  time  to  time  find  some  small  change  I  can  make  to  hopefully  make  it  last  a  little  bit longer.   These  speed  bleeders  are  a  great  idea.    You  can  bleed  your  brakes  by  yourself  in  no  time.    I  also  went  ahead  and  changed  the  brake  fluid  out  and  replaced  it  with  synthetic  brake  fluid.   Which  does  not  burn  up  as  quickly  as  regular  brake  fluid.   Depending  on  who  you  ask,  you  are  suppose  to  change  your  brake  fluid  out  either  every  year  or  every  other  year.    Regular  brake  fluid  breaks  down  at  something  200  degrees. Your  brakes  get  much  hotter  than  that  I  can  assure  you.    AND!  regular  brake  fluid  absorbs  moisture,  which also  degrades  your  brake  fluid.    So  I've  decided  to  go  with  synthetic  brake  fluid  and  the  speed  bleeders.  And will  change  out  my  brake  fluid  once  a  year  just  because.    Here  are  the  steps  I  took  with  pictures.
 

 

  
Items You'll Need To Complete This Project

Two pair of pliers
A 2 liter bottle (empty and clean folks)
Tubing ( I bought 20 feet of air hose for fish tanks)
Garbage bags
Something sharp to make holes in the 2 liter bottle's cap
Plenty of new brake fluid

 

CLICK ON A PICTURE TO SEE A LARGER PICTURE
 



 
 

I bought my speed bleeders on line.
Cost me about 7 bucks each.
I also got some thread sealer for 10
more bucks.  I would pass next time
on the thread sealer.

Here's the speed bleeders out
 of their package.  Notice the red
stuff, that's  the sealant that
I bought and didn't need.
 

Here's a picture of the brake fluid catcher
I made.  Basically I drilled 3 holes in the
cap of the 2 liter bottle.  So that I could
have 2 lines going to either the front
or the back set of brakes.  The 3rd hole
is so that the air can escape from
the bottle when  the brake fluid
comes from the brakes into the bottle.

  

 

 

The red circle marks where the
old bleeder value is located.
As you can see its rusted and
will take a delicate touch to get
off.  Be careful, twice I thought
I had broken the value off but
was lucky.  I got all four out
without a breakage.  Put your
pliers around the bleed value
and gently turn counter clock
wise.  Once the rust breaks
 free it will unscrew easily.
 

Here are the new and old
 Bleeder values next to each
other.

Here you see how I took
the end of the tubing from
my brake fluid catcher and
pushed in over the bleeder
value head.  The new bleeder
values simply screw on and
then you tighten it with
your pliers.  		 

 

 

Here you can see the brake
fluid catcher in play.  Notice
the color of the brake fluid
going into the fluid catcher.
It should be a yellowish
almost transparent fluid.
Here its black. Meaning
it has been burnt up and
pretty useless.

Here's a closer shot.  Notice in
the picture to the left that garbage
bag by the back tire.  You will
get some fluid spillage.

Here's the bleeder for one
of the front disc brakes.		  
 


     I'm pretty happy with the outcome.  I would suggest you use a little tape to tape up
the garbage bag to the tire.  I got some fluid on the ground around a couple of the tires.