I am bleeding my brakes, and mad. (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Jan 25, 2007
Threads
66
Messages
578
Location
Winter Park, CO.
OK, so bought one of those vacuum assisted brake bleeders. 20 bucks. I am using it to bleed my brakes to flush the system. I start with the passenger side rear wheel. Everything goes fine:). I move on to the next wheel and after sucking out only a little fluid, the flow stops. The pressure is dropping on the vacuum guage, yet nothing is flowing into the cup. I close the bleed nipple, and the pressure holds stable. Turns out, it is sucking in air from around the threads of the nipple. :mad::mad::mad:. I try this on another wheel, same thing.:mad::mad::mad:.

Has this happened to anyone else? HELP!
 
yeah, there is no one around or I would have done that. bummer.
 
For whats it's worth, sometimes even the most experienced person can have trouble with bleeding the brake lines. It's not uncommon to have to do it a couple of times to clear them of trapped air ....
 
... Turns out, it is sucking in air from around the threads of the nipple. :mad::mad::mad:. I try this on another wheel, same thing.:mad::mad::mad:.

Has this happened to anyone else? HELP!

Yep. This is pretty common. Once the nipple is loosened, air can creep in around the threads. This is especially true when using the vacuum method rather than the two-person "pressurize the line by stepping on the brake pedal" technique.

There are a few things you can do.
1. Loosen the nipple as little as possible. Crack the nipple open just enough to allow a slight drip of brake fluid to form. If it is free flowing, that is too much. This allows the fluid to drain but keeps as much of the nipple threads engaged to prevent air sfrom seeping in.
2. Since you are bleeding the entire system already, you can pull the nipple completely and wrap the threads with some teflon tape.
3. Replace the factory nipples with speed bleeders. Next time when you try to do this single handed, it will be a simple process.
 
Right. Speed bleeders. They rock. I was having the same or similar problem. I'm going to try the teflon tape idea. When you get the speed bleeders - remember there's a nipple up at the LSPV. I didn't and now don't have one there.
 
i have speedbleeders and it makes fluid changes a no-brainer.
 
I just went through Land Cruiser brake bleeding hell myself. When everyone says the 80 is hard to bleed, it's no joke. I finally just gave up after 4 days and numerous attempts using different methods and had the dealer do it for me.

One of the key points is to remember to bleed the LSVP. I personally think most of the headache comes from air that is trapped in the LSVP or it's return line or the lines to the ABS system. There's something about the LC80 brakes that causes air to remained trapped and really needing a machine to blow it all out.

Also, if the level gets below the master cylinder, it needs to be bench bled. If bleeding doesn't solve the problem, there's an adjustment between the master cylinder and brake booster that if often forgotten about. That helped my situation a good bit.
 
I'm assuming the size for the bleeder on the LSPV is the same as the brake calipers? Also, where's the cheapest place to pick up speed bleeders?
 
So I used my 'phone a friend option' and had him come over to be the pedal pusher. Everything after that was easy. Air was definately in the lines from the earlier issues. I just bled the lines until the fluid came out clean and then done. One thing that I don't understand is if it is imperative that you bleed the LSP after you have bled all four wheels. I have read 2 things that say to do it this way with no reason why.

Thanks for the info guys! Next time I do this I will look for some bleeders.

Also, it looks to me like the nipples are the same for the calipers as the LSP. They all use a 10mm wrench anyway.
 
Last edited:
Looking at my 1991 FSM the last step in the bleeding process is to "Bleed Load Sensing Proportioning and Bypass Valve)"...
 
That's exactly what happened when I bled mine as well. The easy solution for me was to put some grease around the nipple. This prevented any air from getting sucked through the threads. When I was done, I tightened the nipple and wiped off the grease:D
 
I hate my vacuum pump. It got stepped on and the gauge was broken shortly after i bought it and i really dont care. With the exception of engine work, its useless. If you want something that actually works, use that little jar with the one way valve in it, it works like a charm and is like 5 bucks.
 
teejnut: The LSPV is a different size. I don't know what size it is though. Sorry. I figured it was the same size and bought an extra set of the Speed Bleeders so I could use one up there. When they arrived - I found out that the LSPV was a different size completely and it wasn't listed as a part they carried where I got mine. (if you figure out the LSPV size would you post it?)

Cheapest, easiest and quickest place to get 'em that I found is Summit Racing. Part Number: RUS-639560. There's 2 to a pack. Same front and rear. I don't know if this will take you there - but here's a link:
http://store.summitracing.com/egnse...94845333+4294907680+4294907015+115+4294924744
 
Last edited:
I have had really good luck with the Motive brake bleeder. I have bled my LC brakes 3 times, all the way around, without issue. They are not cheap, but are built pretty well and mine has held up well for the last three years. You have to use common sense, though and I would think that 35 lbs of pressure would not be good :) Good luck!
http://www.apexperformance.net/cartgenie/prodInfo.asp?pid=46&cid=8
 
With A Vacuum Bleeder Take The Cap Off The Reservoir And Turn A Bottle Of Your Favorite Brake Fluid Upside Down.
Also You Can Take The Bleeders All The Way Out And Put The Vac Line Straight To The Empty Hole, But When You Are Done With That Corner Make Sure It Gravity Bleeds For A Second, Because When You Pull The Vac Line Off The System Can And Usually Will Suck Air Back In.
 
teejnut: The LSPV is a different size. I don't know what size it is though. Sorry. I figured it was the same size and bought an extra set of the Speed Bleeders so I could use one up there. When they arrived - I found out that the LSPV was a different size completely and it wasn't listed as a part they carried where I got mine. (if you figure out the LSPV size would you post it?)

Cheapest, easiest and quickest place to get 'em that I found is Summit Racing. Part Number: RUS-639560. There's 2 to a pack. Same front and rear. I don't know if this will take you there - but here's a link:
http://store.summitracing.com/egnse...94845333+4294907680+4294907015+115+4294924744


Thanks for the link.

Just ordered some. They kinda "beat you up" on the shipping and handling don't they?
 
I've always bled the wheel closest to the master cylinder first (drivers side front), working away, that is: then passenger front, drivers rear, and finally passenger rear. If you begin passenger rear, you potentially have air in-between, in other lines. Had no problem with my 80. :cheers:
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom