Power Bleeder Blues

[pdub]

Friday I dived into getting Red ready for Track Day(s) next weekend. Gonna flush the brake calipers. I've done two track days since a flush and "they" say to do it after every track day. You don't have to change the fluid, just flush out what's inside the calipers, so "they" say.

I've got the power bleeder and Red uses the Motul DOT 4 stuff for his Stop Tech front brakes. Pricey, 15 bucks a bottle.

The pressure bleeder fitting/cap kept blowing off of the fluid reservoir after I walked away from it. One of cap "feet" on the reservoir is worn. Determined, I kept trying, and finally got it done but not before putting three bottles of gold on the garage floor.

And then my nearly-a-toy air compressor zorched while I was trying to inflate the tires. New air compressor ensued.

All to say, as a wannabe not-a-car-guy-or-a-mechanic, the folks who just "watch" cars go around or go fast in a straight line.....they have no idea.

EDIT: I didn't tell it all.

MISSION: 11:00 a.m. Bleed Red's brakes. No worries. Easy. Unit was blissfully watching TV in the house.

All those things, getting bruised up crawling under the car to mop up all the spilled brake fluid....always a thought- the car is up on jack stands and if it falls now I'm pizza. Every time I crawl under the car, realistic or not.

All I need is an 11mm wrench to bleed the brakes. I bought lots of tools to put Red's front brakes on, didn't have any before.

In the drawer is the little rack for the metric wrenches - 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13......where the heck is the 11? Gone.

Off to the store. The shelf at the closest store looked exactly like my little rack - 7, 8 , 9, 10, 12, 13. They don't have one. Had to go 3 miles south to find one.

At 6:00 p.m. I came into the house, covered in brake fluid and bruised.....Unit says, "I can't remember that job taking so long."

Yeah, me either.

[milner351]

pdub - I have had both kinds of power bleeders - I've found the one that "pulls" the fluid from the caliper screw works much better than the first one I had that pushes fluid at the master cylinder. I had some issues with the "bug sprayer pressure bleeder" like you describe - it would push fluid out of the master due to a less than great seal.

I got my "suction bleeder" from greg smith equipment out of Indy - its a jonesway brand and was pretty cheap as I recall, just hook it to your compressor (hope you got a better one this time) to provide airflow (venturi effect) to create the vacuum, and you're a one man bleeding machine.

This is similar to the one I have:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Pneumatic-Brake-Fluid-Bleeder-/280719305989?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item415c2cad05&vxp=mtr

[DanStokes]

11mm=7/16". Almost exactly.

Dan

[pdub]

Thanks Dan! Experience is what you get 30 seconds after you needed it...

[BigAL]

PW, read this article, it'll explain a lot. It's a good read.

http://www.bira.org/fluids.html

[pdub]

PW, read this article, it'll explain a lot. It's a good read.

http://www.bira.org/fluids.html

Thanks Big Al, that IS a great read! Except when I fried Red's stock brakes/fluid the first time out at AMP, the pedal didn't go to the floor. It was still there, felt the same but Red wouldn't stop.

After that, the brake fluid looked like coffee when I bled it. This time after two track days, the back ones (the fluid) looked new. The StopTechs up front, yeah that stuff was a bit dark. But they never let up. With the cooling hoses, I think I've got overkill going on, and that's a great thing going into Turn One.

It's Always Turn One. Why do they almost always put the tightest, slowest turn on a track after the long straightaway? ((Exception- Road Atlanta - that turn is BEFORE the big straightaway....

[Barry Donovan]

11mm=7/16". Almost exactly.

Dan

+1.
I leave a few blank spots on the metric side, even owning a Subaru. one of those boxes that snap in sae and metric on two sides.

what would a mustang do with 11mm anyway.


I also upgraded to DOT4, now I knew times were changing, I popped a brake line and a wheel cylinder after adding. the thud in the cold for the non rheostat old style drum brakes is well worth it..I sure as hell know they are working, cannot freeze. No regrets, the expensive fluid.

[NewEnglandRaceFan]

wife in driver seat,
1) sue pump them,
2) hold them
3) turn bleeder, then close
4) repeat,

are you really, hot dog'n it enough to need to "flush" the fluid this offen?? if you are, good for you.. I think you might not be at that level yet, to need to do this after every track day(s) w-end..
ever entertain adding cooling ducts? not as hard as you'd think, and only a circle track parts catalog away for the parts to diy, the made for your car set up's might be pricey, real simple if your mustang has fog lights..

[BigAL]

ever entertain adding cooling ducts?

Right from Ford Racing.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Racing-Mustang-GT-Brake-Cooling-Kit-2005-2009-FORD-RACING-PART-M-2004-A-/300956282019?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3AMustang&hash=item4612646ca3&vxp=mtr

[Deaf Bob]

He already got em...
That boy's a crafty one... Acts all dumb as a fox!

[fast Ed]

Mustangs had 11mm hardware on them as far back as the aero nose Foxes, for a bunch of the lamp retaining hardware.

As far as North American automotive stuff goes, it is a bit of an odd wrench size. Remember that Peewee has aftermarket front brakes on his car, they are not OEM calipers.


Peewee, good to see you digging in to the maintenance required for upkeep when doing track days, and not letting it get the better of you!!


cheers
Ed

[BigAL]

He already got em...
That boy's a crafty one... Acts all dumb as a fox!

Ahhh you see that to

And thanks PW, with all this talk about your brakes, I got the itch to upgrade the one's on my Camaro, it's really something I should do since I have bigger rims than stock, but damn the Price of these kits!!!!, but then I prefer Wilwood and they are a little pricey.

And PW you ever think about getting an adjustable proportioning valve??, by what you were saying about the color of the brake fluid from front to rear being different, that indicates to me that the rears aren't working as hard as the fronts. I know on Camaro's the rear brakes engage before the fronts do, they do that to help the car from nose diving under hard braking, I usually go through two sets of rears to one set of fronts.

[pdub]

Ahhh you see that to

And thanks PW, with all this talk about your brakes, I got the itch to upgrade the one's on my Camaro, it's really something I should do since I have bigger rims than stock, but damn the Price of these kits!!!!, but then I prefer Wilwood and they are a little pricey.

And PW you ever think about getting an adjustable proportioning valve??

proportioning valve.......hmmmmm, rocket science. Something else to make me wreck while I'm trying to learn how to drive!

I know less than a little but I thought Wilwoods were just for older muscle with not-anti lock brakes. Red's just about new enough to have anti-locks, hence StopTechs. Yep, pricey no matter what.

The pads that came with the kit were all-street. To tell the truth after all the cost and work of putting them on I was a bit disappointed. Red's a mighty heavy car. I wanted to get thrown through the windshield, what I thought I was buying after all. The second trip to Atlanta Motorsports Park, they didn't overheat with themselves and the cooling kit, so it was a success in that regard. But they kind of slowed the car down like the stock brakes did.

Before I went to Barber, Superman talked me into putting on Hawk HP Plus pads. NOW we're talking. Coming down the straightaway into Turn One, the instructor said, "Hit the brakes hard at 400 feet and let's see what you've got." I did. He said, "Ewwwwww, next time, run wide open and hit em at 200 feet...you've GOT brakes!" What a difference getting around the track.