my grandpa cant walk, and my grandma cant push the brake hard enough, ive tried to get my brother but he is so stubborn all he wants to do is play video games even after ive offered him 20$
Nail in the coffin
- Thread starter Matthew Goeke
- Start date
- Status
Your brother sounds lazy.
No friends that would help?
If you can't find any assistance it's still possible to bleed them by yourself. The gravity bleed trick that PontiacGP mentioned works fine. It does take a little while but there's really no way around that.
Like I said, there are one man bleeder kits available for less than $20. I've never used them myself so I can't tell you how well they work. You'll have to research that avenue on your own.
You said something earlier about not knowing about the core charges. That's where time and experience come in. You're still young. You'll learn this stuff as you go. We all did. Just don't lose your patience and get frustrated. If you feel like you're getting to aggravated, walk away from it for a while and come back when you've cooled down, even if that takes a day or two. You don't have to be in a hurry with this car and it was a gift, right? If you sell it, it's all profit except for the tools you've bought and you're gonna need tools if you're gonna mess with cars in general so you can look at the tools as an investment.
I would bet that everybody on this forum has at least once threatened to quit on a project and then found themselves working on it again days later. It happens. I've threatened everything from selling a vehicle to just setting it on fire and watching it burn out of frustration before. When you get like that, it's time to walk away for a bit.
yea i know some people from my school that said they would help, but i dont want to drag them away for 1hr of driving to bleed the brakes, yea ill do the gravity method, for now im just bleeding the front brakes until i can figure out what i am doing with the rears.
Don't let a caliper defeat you that easily. Especially to the point of selling the car. You're going to have setbacks, you're going to break stuff, you're not gonna enjoy working on the car all the time. Its part of owning an old car. Take your time, do your research. Save money where you can, without cutting corners. Good luck.
I use a "Club" steering wheel lock that ratchets and put the handle against the seat and the other end on the pedal and on the third pump with it locked I extend it while I push down on the pedal and it stays tight, that's my one man bleeder set up.
I use a "Club" steering wheel lock that ratchets and put the handle against the seat and the other end on the pedal and on the third pump with it locked I extend it while I push down on the pedal and it stays tight, that's my one man bleeder set up.
See, if you're motivated and use your head, there's always a way.
Yep. I went so far as to create an ad for all my G body stuff..cars, parts, all of it. Then sanity prevailed, and I deleted it. Knew I'd regret it (again) down the road.
I've devised a one person bleed trick if you don't have self bleeders.Only try this if you're desperate
-first I gravity bleed, tap the cylinders to dislodge any bubbles and let it run out until the fluid comes clean
-making sure to keep resevoir topped up until all 4 cylinders are coming out clean
---here is the tricky part---you need a measured broom handle or dowel or similar, duct tape and an approx 12"x12" plywood piece at least 1/4" thick
- broom handle having a length measured from the brake pedal to the driver's seat base cushion with the seat rearward, add 2 -3 " more
-tape one end of the broom handle to the middle of the brake pedal
=attach the other end of the handle to the plywood resting on the floor propped against seatjust near the top of the seat base height
What you want to accomplished is wedge the broom handle against the downward pressed brake pedal and the other end pressing against the plywood which is pressing on the seat base edge. The compressed seat base is actually pressing down on the brake pedal, open the bleeder, the seat base forces pedal down expelling some fluid under pressure.
->bleeder closed, place stick in place(adjust seat to give pressure), open bleeder and watch fluid, close bleeder...repeat 2 times to ensure bubbles are expelled, you can see them.(make sure stick does not shift from pedal or seat position)
This is not the ideal method being slow and work intensive but it's slightly better than gravity and you have no one willing to help.
One caution: block the brake pedal so it drops no more than 1/2 way on an old master cyinder. Pushing a brake pedal to the floor may tear the seals on an old cylinder.
If at first you have air bubbles the pedal will have little resistance but will become harder once air is gone
Yah, I know fully well I'm nuts to think of this idea but I spend a lot of time alone with my cars. Simple ideas from a simple person.
This idea came from my truck driving days where an expandable aluminum rod was jammed between the truck brake pedal and steering wheel rim to pressurize air brake system to measure push rod stroke and check for air leaks.
EDIT: Mr 565bigblock has a similar, cleaner idea but I didn't want to stress the steering column assy.
-first I gravity bleed, tap the cylinders to dislodge any bubbles and let it run out until the fluid comes clean
-making sure to keep resevoir topped up until all 4 cylinders are coming out clean
---here is the tricky part---you need a measured broom handle or dowel or similar, duct tape and an approx 12"x12" plywood piece at least 1/4" thick
- broom handle having a length measured from the brake pedal to the driver's seat base cushion with the seat rearward, add 2 -3 " more
-tape one end of the broom handle to the middle of the brake pedal
=attach the other end of the handle to the plywood resting on the floor propped against seatjust near the top of the seat base height
What you want to accomplished is wedge the broom handle against the downward pressed brake pedal and the other end pressing against the plywood which is pressing on the seat base edge. The compressed seat base is actually pressing down on the brake pedal, open the bleeder, the seat base forces pedal down expelling some fluid under pressure.
->bleeder closed, place stick in place(adjust seat to give pressure), open bleeder and watch fluid, close bleeder...repeat 2 times to ensure bubbles are expelled, you can see them.(make sure stick does not shift from pedal or seat position)
This is not the ideal method being slow and work intensive but it's slightly better than gravity and you have no one willing to help.
One caution: block the brake pedal so it drops no more than 1/2 way on an old master cyinder. Pushing a brake pedal to the floor may tear the seals on an old cylinder.
If at first you have air bubbles the pedal will have little resistance but will become harder once air is gone
Yah, I know fully well I'm nuts to think of this idea but I spend a lot of time alone with my cars. Simple ideas from a simple person.
This idea came from my truck driving days where an expandable aluminum rod was jammed between the truck brake pedal and steering wheel rim to pressurize air brake system to measure push rod stroke and check for air leaks.
EDIT: Mr 565bigblock has a similar, cleaner idea but I didn't want to stress the steering column assy.
Last edited:
I know a guy that used to use a piece of broom handle between the brake pedal and the seat in his wrecker for a brake lock when towing cars. If you get the handle the correct length and get it wedged in there just right, it should work.
- Status
