Wheel cylinders - bleed valve

[studeclunker]

I just had a very frustrating problem. I was just about done bleeding the brakes on my Daytona Wagon. Then... The bleeder valve broke on my right front wheel cylinder. It tightens up and still squirts brake fluid. I guess this means the seat at the bottom isn't any good. @#*%##@@@ rust!

Anybody else have this kind of problem?

I was reeeeally looking forward to driving this wagon too.

Lotsa Larks!
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Studebaker!
Ron Smith

[gecoe]

When I redid my brakes awhile back I discovered that one-way bleeder valves are now available. They look exactly like the old type but allow bleeding by yourself without messing with the tube and fluid filled jar. Just open them, use some type of hose & container to keep things clean and pump away. When it's bled, tighten it up and move on. The best part is they're cheap.

Gerry
NE Colorado

[studeclunker]

Tube and fluid filled jar? You mean there's an easier and less messy way to do this miserable job?

How do you fit the tube on to the valve? Can I use rubber hose, the clear kind like for Aquariums? This forum is, like Mum used to put it, absolutely kippers!

Am I displaying my ignorance and inexperiance?[:0] Good!

By the by, Gecoe, you made my day! Thanks.
Now... How exactly does one set up that hose? What kind of hose does one use?


Lotsa Larks!
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Studebaker!
Ron Smith

[Skip Lackie]

Transparent aquarium tubing will do fine, as long as it makes a nice airtight seal on the bleeder -- buy a size that's a tight fit on the little nipple end of the bleeder. Put the other end in a jar half filled with brake fluid -- the end must be below the surface. Bleed till no more bubbles are visible in the tube (that's why two people are valuable). If you route the hose so that it goes UP from the bleeder, you can usually do it with one person, as the bubble(s) will still be visible in the hose. If the hose is still immersed in the fluid, any suck-back into the cylinder will be fluid, not air. BTW, they sell cheap little kits at most FLAPS whose principal attribute is that they keep the hose end immersed in fluid.

Ignorance and inexperience? You think you're the only one?
Skip Lackie

[hank63]

Well, I use a clear thin-walled plastic hose that has a snug fit over the bleeding nipple. The hose is long enough to go into a plastic bottle standing on the ground (floor). I bought the hose in the local hardware store (verrry cheap). Thin and flexible hose means less mucking about with the spanner you use to open/close the nipple.
With a clear hose one can see the fluid as it squirts out, and the fluid doesn't end up all over the place. But, watch how you move about, it's rather easy to knock over the bottle and un-do all the good, environmentally friendly work.
/H

[gecoe]

Pick up a set of those one-way bleeder valves at your FLAPS and this job gets close to being fun. They won't allow air to suck back when the pedal is let up. Therefore, you don't have to continually open and close the valve between pedal strokes. Just leave it open until you're through. I should have mentioned the clear hose as it allows you to see when there are no more bubbles. As has been mentioned here, cheap clear hose that just slips over the nipple works great.

Gerry
NE Colorado

[ROADRACELARK]

FWIW...loosen the bleed screw just enough for the fluid to come out... if you loosen it too much, air can be sucked back in around the threads. That's why "pressure bleeding" is the prefered method when you have the right equipment. Hope this helps.
Dan Miller

[img=left]http://static.flickr.com/57/228744729_7aff5f0118_m.jpg[/img=left]
Road Racers turn left AND right.

[Laemmle]

Russell Speed Bleeders...they are magic!

[studeclunker]

You guys are the greatest! Thanks. I'll try all of this on my pickup. The wagon will have to wait. New cylinders will simply be too dear right now.

Now the pickup on the other hand...

Lotsa Larks!
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Studebaker!
Ron Smith

[chrysleritis]

Using clear plastic tubing (aquarium like stuff, Tygon) and DOT 3 brake fluid causes the tubing to get rock-hard rigid after a bleed job or two when you've let the hose sit a couple months. Must be some chemistry thing with the DOT 3 attacking the softening compounds. Then when you go get the tubing out of the cardboard box in the garage to do another one, the tubing just doesn't slip over the bleeder screw nipple and form a seal. But using surgical style silicone tubing seems impervious to the DOT3 brake fluid. I also enthusiastically recommend the Speed Bleeders, which have a little ball check valve in the bleeder screw. Turns it into a one person job even without a pressure bleeder. Always be careful not to overtighten any bleeder screw.

[StudeRich]

Dot 3? ... who's using that moisture absorbing junk in a Stude with $250.00 worth of new Hydraulic cylinders on it? I know it's contraversial since the auto makers have refused to approve it, BUT many of us have been using Silicone Dot 5, for over 25 years with no more servicing or replacement of cylinders required. Could it be that they just want to sell new cylinders? nah... they wouldn't do that...would they? [}][}]

quote:Originally posted by chrysleritis

Using clear plastic tubing (aquarium like stuff, Tygon) and DOT 3 brake fluid causes the tubing to get rock-hard rigid after a bleed job or two

StudeRich
Studebakers Northwest
Ferndale, WA

[studeclunker]

Will dot5 affect the tubing the same way? Is it possible to get through the job without problems? If so, I'll just throw the tubing away when done.

What are Russel Speed Bleeders and where does one get them?

Lotsa Larks!
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Studebaker!
Ron Smith

[StudeRich]

Ron; YES, Dot 3 absorbs water, Dot 5 Repels it! So if moisture condenses in your system, it will rust not only cylinders, but steel tubing as well. Only two cautions, though. YOU MUST throughly clean and remove all traces of Dot 3. That means all 5 cylinders need to be clean and or replaced, rinse out lines with alcohol or BrakeClean, then dry with compressed Air before installing Dot 5 for best results. Item 2, in 6 mos. to 1 year you may have stoplight switch failure, it seems that a plastic part or something in the switches fails, no big deal. You can make a bracket to mount a GM or Ford (normally open)plunger type stoplight switch under the pedal, very easy on '61-'66 Lark types. NAPA has quarts of Silicone Brake Fluid, I do not know anything about the special bleeder valves, I do it the old fashioned way, by begging someone to pump the pedal while using the bottle and hose, it is still the most reliable, safest way.
OHHHH ! [:0]I'll bet you're talking about the PLASTIC bleeder tubing! NO, I do not believe it is affected by silicone.
StudeRich
Studebakers Northwest
Ferndale, WA

[hank63]

Who cares if the plastic hose deteriorates. It's so cheap, it's no hardship to buy another piece. The hardware price is cents per meter or yard, not dollars.
/H

[curt]

I do not like the thought of DOT 5 in my car. The position of the master cylinder sats H20 in the system.