vacuum brake bleeders - good?

[brp914]

I have cheapo $10 bleeder I bought 30 yrs ago which actually works well mostly but they don't sell those anymore.

I have a Motive power bleeder but they kinda suck. You have to pump them up except the seal is iffy and leaks with age, so more pumping. And they come with crappy tubing which burst recently spewing brake fluid all over. And you have to get different adapters for different cars. So, I saw these vacuum bleeders. Are they good?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/lil-75000?seid=srese3&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9O-6qfmlggMVHFUNCh1lmg6PEAEYASABEgL2AvD_BwE

[LEAKYSEALS951]

wasn't there another thread about this a while back?

I've got this-

https://www.harborfreight.com/pneumatic-air-operated-brake-bleeder-with-auto-refill-kit-57057.html?_br_psugg_q=brake+bleeder

I use it for sucking all sorts of fluids from diff gears/aoc haldex units/ etc on newer cars that don't have drain plugs. Also use it for brakes.

It has a fairly heavy duty sucking pot, and some refill pot that you are supposed to put over the brake reservoir to refill the fluid. I find the sucking pot good, and the refill pot not so good (it doesn't fit into the spaces on any of my cars, but oh well- I like to manually add stuff anyway)

Overall, works fine. The big thing is that it can suck so much, it will pull in air at the nipple so it will look like you are still pulling out air bubbles from the system. The key was to have the clear tubing go straight up from the nipple so once the vacuum is off, gravity will let you see the nipple is totally in fluid before you tighten it back down.

That said, when the other thread was here, iirc- other people jumped in with totally cheaper and/ or better ways to do things.

edit- On my last oil change, I even used it to suck the oil out of the engine through the dipstick. Worked well, but, I couldn't get the tube in deep enough to get the last couple of quarts oil, so I went ahead and pulled the oil plug anyway- but that's not the vacuums fault. I was impressed.

Overall, it's been a good purchase.

[pwd72s]

Never used one, but watching toolbox tours on youtube, I see a lot of pros with a similar system in their rollaways. That might mean something..

[David]

Motive is the bomb! Not sure why yours not working so well. I don't put any fluid in the Motive, just what's in the master cylinder reservoir.

[KFC911]

^^^^ This!

[aschen]

I think pressure bleeding makes more sense and like the motive as well. Maybe just get a new adapter if yours are crapping out, they arnt too expensive.

[Dixie]

Why not just gravity bleed your brakes?

[herr_oberst]

Another vote for the Motiv used dry.

[peppy]

I have both and the motive is the easiest one for me(had it for about 5 years). I only use the mityvac to suck fluid out of reservoirs now.
The one you had linked needs something to collect the fluid, and the cones that go in the bleeders never seal well and I would get air sucked by.

[wdfifteen]

I like my Motive! I don't put fluid in the tank, it wastes fluid, plus I use 3 different kinds of brake fluid in the various cars. Cleaning the tank every time I work on a different car would be a pain. I use the tank only to pressurize the fluid in the reservoir. I've never spilled a drop of brake fluid.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by David

Motive is the bomb! Not sure why yours not working so well. I don't put any fluid in the Motive, just what's in the master cylinder reservoir.

This, and check level frequently

I worry about rubber line with pressurized brake fluid in it near painted surfaces