Maybe just replace the hose as often you replace the timing belt would a good rule of thumb... :)
Another word of warnng on pressurised bleeders - I have a similar kind of thing only it gets its pressure fro a tyre. You deflate the tyre to around 15PSI. a cap goes on the reservoir that connects to a bottle of fluid that has an airline that connects to the tyre. Used it several times on my 328. Last year I used it (for about the 3rd time) on my VW Passat daily driver thing. As soon as I connected the airline to the tyre (which was only at around 13/14PSI) the fluid reservoir swelled up and split with a very loud bang - frightened the life out of me! And yes, it was full of fluid :-( Fortunately it split horizontally just above where the fluid level was so not too much came flying out - but some did & in the general direction of some paintwork. I still use the thing, but at 10PSI max. It might take a little longer but rather that than split another reservoir.
This is why I would never use a pressure system-- I am simply not willing to risk my paint to save a few minutes labor. I got the tall vacuum cylinder device from Griot's Garage and like it very much.
+1, this is how I do it also. On my 348, only had to refill the reservoir once or perhaps twice. No mess!
I use easy-bleed nipples with the little ball bearing. Just unscrew, pump the brake, go back and tighten and that's it! If anyone is interested, Google Easy-Bleed.
Last year I bought a Motiv bleeder for my race mechanics, but they never use it because they still prefer the classic two man method with the engine running. They tell me it's the best way to ensure a hard brake pedal.
DOT 3 & 4 brake fluids are glycol ester based hydraulic fluids. They are hydroscopic which means they will soak up water. Water absorbed into the fluid lowers the boiling point of the fluid and can give you a soft pedal when your brakes are hot. The water in the fluid boils and the resulting microbubbles make the fluid more compressable. So: Never use an old opened container of brake fluid, buy new fluid in sealed container. Dont buy more than you need. Never mix DOT3 and DOT 4 unless its marked as both. Never ever use DOT 5 in a DOT3 or DOT 4 system and vice versa. DOT 5 is silicone based and is not compatible. Swap it out every couple years. Dont get it on your paint as it will eat it. Rubber too.
Pegasus (pegasusautoracing.com) has a one way valve type of bleeder screw. It allows fluid out, but nothing back in. It allows one man bleeding without a compressed air source. I still like the compressed air type. I did a little on-line search and found that brake fluid of DOT3, 4 and 5.1 is polyalkaline glycol ether. A clear, flexible tube that might work with it is Tygon 2075. It costs about $2.00/ft for the 1/4" size. Any chemists out there who can comment on this?
Someone asked what is in this stuff?..don't know but sort of on the subject, I just changed the brake switch on my kit car for the third time in two years. I was thinking my supplier had some cheep junk when I read in the current issue of Classic Auto Restorer of two people who were having the same problem with switches on different cars...seems DOT 4 eats DOT 3 brake light switches..go fig!
Hmm, I would not expect such a problem with DOT 4 vs 3. Are these switches lifted from Fords? They've had an ongoing recall for many models that had a design issue with cruise deactivation switches that could leak. The big issue being that the cruise deac circuit was always live (to make it more robust) and the fluid wicking up the wires could cause a fire in a manner that I've forgotten. So if these are Ford-based switches, maybe a re-source might help.
Yup. I use the motive as a starting point but usually you have to finish up with the two man method. The check valves at the calipers same thing. Air bubbles like to hide and a nice fast flow is needed at times to flush them out. Sometimes air will be in the fluid in the form of very small bubbles so you may need to come back and bleed the system again after driving the car or if it just sits for a while, like overnight. Bob S.
