Has anyone tried these to bleed their problem brakes?
Looks pretty foolproof.

https://www.holley.com/brands/earls/...s/solo_bleeds/

Jim

 

Those look cool. I have a little thing with a check valve in it. I slip one end over the bleeder and then open it up. I then stick the other end in a catch bottle and then I go pump the brake pedal until all the air is out. Always works for me. I've had this gadget for 30 years or so and I have no idea where to get another one. Those things look like they would be even better to use but more expensive. You'd need $80-100 worth but my little gadget cost only a few bucks. here's one I found on Ebay. O'Reilly has a similar device.

Brake Clutch Bleeder Hose Kit One Way Valve Tube Bleeding Tool Car ATV UTV | eBay

 

I have been using a few feet of clear tubing, check valve and a Mason jar since about the early 60's or when we only had drum brakes.

I leave a loop in the tubing so it is always under fluid but still I like to use 2 people,

I close the screw before the upward stroke, without doing this you still suck in a minute amount of air on the upward stroke through the slightly loose bleeder screw threads.

 

Thanks for sharing, Jim. I'm curious as to how your link to those bleeders would differ from the Dorman speed bleeders I'm using, with the built in check valves.

I totally understand about air getting in on the upstroke, thru the threads. With my speed bleeders, I still tend to use your method, with 4' of clear tubing looped over the axle springs into a clear plastic container with it partially filled with fluid. Having no one to assist me, I have a self locking, extendable shaft, that has one end that hooks onto the steering wheel and the other end is propped against the brake pedal. It is a Lyle product, made exclusively for that task, along with checking brake lights, brake switches, etc.

It has seemed to work for me. Sometimes, if I'm not too frustrated, I'll slap some syl glide over the exposed threads to help keep from air infiltrating in via the threads.
I must say, out of all the maintenance type of tasks I do to this vehicle, I dread bleeding out brake lines. There's always the thought in the back of my mind if I had gotten every air bubble out, even if I see nothing but clear, bubble less fluid in my tubing. My last bleed job, two weeks ago, I went thru a gallon and a half of fluid, LOL, trying to center the metering valve in the distribution block, in my quest to rid of that pesky brake light coming on everytime I step on the pedal. Finally gave up. It's centered, I have no air in the system, but it still comes on.

 

Earl's are always better than Dorman. With those air getting around the threads dosen't hurt anything as the check valve is ahead of the threads on the fluid flow.
These are the best check looking valve bleeders I have seen yet. That said I haven 't tried them yet.

I use Teflon tape on the regular bleeders for an air tight seal while bleeding.

 

I have started to gravity bleed the brakes and it sure seems to work well. It takes a bit longer, but it works as well as any other method that I have used. When I replaced my rear calipers recently, I just opened the valve and waited. About 10 to 15 minutes for each corner, no muss no fuss...Mark

 

I used to use my MityVac when it worked. I had to Teflon tape the bleeder threads.

 

Yeah, I destroyed my first mighty vac by sucking brake fluid into it, that is some nasty stuff. ...Mark

 

I use a Mity Vac. My biggest complaint about it is the little catch bottle is way too small to be useful. Also the pressure side could be better. But Ya, those check valve bleeders look interesting.

 

Does anyone know the size that fits stock calipers? Would there be differences between year/model?

 

I made a bigger catch bottle out of a mason Jar. Worked great.

 

I'm trying to keep all the grass alive so I take my used fluids to O'Reilly's since they will dispose of them for free. I wonder if they'll take oily rags as well. I don't like keeping them around because of fire danger and I don't like putting them in the dumpster.

 

Lube oil is not a spontaneous combustion hazard. Oils that oxidize, like linseed oil, will heat up and catch fire under the right circumstances. Those oils solidify by oxidization, and are used in paint.

 

The only things that can spontaneously combust are of organic origin. Like you said, linseed oil is the common culprit, but there is a good reason that farmers keep their hay supplies covered. We used to use linseed oil on our wooden ladders and one time the genius firefighters didn't put their oily linseed soaked rags into the provided air tight containers and they ended up having the most embarrassing thing that can happen to firefighters, a first alarm assignment heading to their fire station. oops! When I was a fire investigator, it was fairly common to here people say that their oily mechanics rags must have spontaneously combusted, Try again sport ...Mark

 

I bet fire investigation was a really interesting job.