JMiles_T

When I last bled my brakes using a Mighty Vac, some air got in the lines because I could never get an adequate seal between the bleed screw threads and the caliper.

I decided to try the pressure bleeder made by Motive Products. With this product it didn't matter that the bleed screw threads don't seal because there was no way for air to get in with pressurized fluid constantly coming out.
The one problem is they haven't developed an adapter for Honda master cylinders so I had to use their universal adapter.

After reading multiple reviews, the consensus is the universal adapter doesn't seal well enough to be usable on its own.
The solution that worked for me was to supplement the included chain tensioner with using two Dewalt Trigger Clamps (one 6-inch for $11.97 and one 12-inch for $17.97).
I used Super Tech (Walmart) brand DOT 3 fluid.

For those who are wondering, DOT 4 has a higher boiling point but is a bit thicker at low temperatures than DOT 3.

If you get brake fluid on your paint, wipe it off right away or you'll be sorry.

Motive Products

Trigger Clamps
Dewalt 6-Inch Trigger Clamp
Dewalt 12-Inch Trigger Clamp

In order to make everything fit I had to remove the strut tower brace, but that's no real chore.






With the clamps holding the adapter to the master cylinder, I manage to get relatively high pressure in the system to get the fluid moving.


I wasn't mindful of the brake fluid on my hands and let this happen to my door handle. Thankfully it's not a location with high visibility and I have touch-up paint.

Here's the kind of fluid flow you can expect.

LoveMyTL-S

Thanks for sharing...…..

andrewg

Thanks for this.
I've done this a few times without the extra clamping, and learned to keep the pressure to (a slow) 10PSI maximum.
Higher PSI settings have resulted in a few big messes. Extra clamping and 20PSI is very tempting.

t-rd

clear tube submerged in old brake fluid in a clear jar + grease around the bleeder thread, then gravity bleed. And I do 2 calipers at the same time. That's all you need.

zeta

iTrader: (1)

t-rd, is it safe to use a little teflon tape, around a leaky bleeder screw, at the top of the threads to quell seepage from the caliper?

t-rd

Did you mean during fluid bleeding? If fluid leaks normally from around the bleeder screw, then you should change out the bleeder screw. What happens is that the aluminum bleeder screw mates with a surface inside the caliper which is cast iron and the aluminum surface wears out, then fluid seeps through the threads. Changing the bleeder screw involves nothing other than just taking it all the way out then screwing in a new one. You do not let air in this way either as long as you don't touch the brake pedal during the screw swap.

On the other hand, I think pressure bleeding is way overrated. Motive even had a contest for people to design a cap that would work for Honda's back in the days but nothing came of it. As long as you understand what you are doing with simple tools, and hydraulics about what not to do, it will bleed fine. Does gravity bleed take a long time? YES. Does it work? YES. Does it cost a lot? NO. You unscrew the bleeder screw a quarter turn and just stand and wait, fluid flows out with no chance of air getting in as long as the hose is submerged in the clear jar with old fluid and you stay away from the pedal, top off the master cylinder whenever you see fluid go down.

SilentWrath

Gravity bleeding works great if you have the time.

Russell Speedbleeders are another option that works well and are very cheap. I paid $25 for all four. They really do speed up the one man bleeding process.

zeta

iTrader: (1)

Hey t-rd, thanks for the response. In a nut shell, this is what I encountered. I replaced the factory one piston calipers, on my project CL-S, with the two piston remanufactured 95 GS Legend calipers, so they came with, supposedly, new bleeder screws . The right and left calipers for the Legend have to be reversed, when installing on the CL-S brackets to get the bleeder at the top. When I gravity bled them and clamped down on the bleeder screw, I noticed 'slight' seepage and thus decided to place just a little Teflon tape at the higher end of the bleeder screw threads to stop it. It does not extend down (teflon tape) the full length of the bleeder screw cavity, thus keeping it out of the caliper reservoir cavity and exposed to brake fluid.

t-rd

I once purchased Russel speedbleeders, but they ended up sending me the wrong part so I never installed or bought them again. There are many inline check valve devices you can hook up externally for bleeding. But my point is that, you don't even need a check valve device as long as you keep the clear hose submerged in old brake fluid in a jar and use grease around the bleeder screw to prevent air from being sucked through the threads. I have done gravity bleeding and one-man pedal press with hose submerged. Whenever you use a manual vacuum hand pump like the Mityvac, the many air bubbles you see in the hose when pumping is from air seeping through the bleeder screw thread. That is not air getting into the system. Vacuum bleeding is nice but you need to have a perfect seal at the master cylinder reservoir or you are seeping air through with a low psi, back to the same problem.

I have seen guys getting creative at the reservoir by the Honda Odyssey guys, one used pieces of foam to create a seal at the cap with a bunch of chains also.

thoiboi

I might be misinterpreting this, but why do you feel a seal at the reservoir necessary? I use a Mityvac with the brake bleeder attachment and just have some ensure that the resevoir is full at all times and use the vacuum at each wheel to suck out all the old fluid. I haven't any issues using this method. Am i doing something wrong?