First Brake Flush pressure brake bleeder?

Looking at the brake fluid on my 97 tacoma looks pretty bad. It looks very simple to change the fluid. I've never done it would it be worth while to buy a decent pressure brake bleeder? It looks to be the easy way to do it by yourself.

If so what brand would guys suggest? All my cars/trucks are toyota/honda. Also should i use toyota fluid or is any dot 3,4 good.

I have 3 other cars to change it on wouldn't take long to pay for it self. Dealer wanted $99 to do it on my honda.

 

I tried vacuum bleeding but never got it to work right. Wife stepping on the pedal works really good, I crawl around under the truck and crack the fittings. Spend your money on a flare nut wrench set and have a spouse/friend work the pedal.
Don’t forget the proportioning valve above the rear axle.

get a big container of brake fluid, you will go through quite a lot.

 

I use a 20ml syringe i bought for a couple bucks and suck all of the fluid out of the master. There is a screen you can remove so you can get all of it out even from the front reservoir. Then i fill it with fresh fluid and bleed the brakes put a loop in some clear tubing and crack the bleeder loose and bleed it one wheel at a time making sure not to run out of fluid. It works well and only cost about $3 for the syringe. I also use this syringe for sucking power steering fluid out of reserviors when i do a power steering fluid change.

 

I have a “Motive”. You still need to pump the brake pedal, but it does make it a one person job.

 

As long as it is clean fresh brake fluid than any brand will do. But don't go too cheap or too expensive. Prestone brake fluid is inexpensive at walmart and is a quality product. You can do dot 3 or dot3/4 mix or dot 4. It doesn't really matter as long as you keep it fresh it will always perform. The cheapest dot 3 fluid that is clean will outperform the most expensive dot 4 that is saturated with moisture.

If you get some clear hose from a aquarium supply store or something like hobby lobby you can even do the gravity brake bleed method (what I use). It can be done by yourself but does take a lot longer than other methods. Just youtube a few videos.

 

I really like my handheld

$88 MityVac MV8500 Silverline Elite Automotive Test Kit Provides both Vacuum and Pressure to Perform Engine Performance Diagnostics, Brake Bleeding, Fluid Transfer, Evacuation, Windshield Repair Jobs

MityVac MV8500. It works, but it takes longer than having someone pump the brake pedal because air likes to get sucked in between the threads on the bleed screw when you loosen it, so you get less fluid per cycle. I've heard some people wrap their bleed screws in teflon tape to prevent air from getting in that way, but I haven't tried it yet.

If I had to buy again, I might go with the pressure-vessel type, like the

$161 MV6830 Professional Pneumatic Air Operated One Person Brake and Clutch Bleeder; Bleeds up to 2 Quarts (1.9 Liters) Per Minute with Simple and Efficient Operation

MV6830. These can hold a lot more volume and can build up more vacuum.

Go with Prestone DOT3 or whatever is cheapest.

 

And people wonder why their brakes suck.

Get a good quality DOT 4 fluid with the highest WET boiling point you can find. We're talking a couple god damned dollars here.

 

So not many suggest a pressure brake bleeder.

Sometimes getting someone to help can take longer.

Is it the end of the world if you get air in the lines? I guess you would re-do the whole process to get it out.

 

I didn't think you had to pump the brakes if you used one?

 

I don't drive fast enough or brake hard enough to boil my brake fluid.

 

I use dot 3 fluid in my old slow taco and my brakes work just fine thank you very much

 

Untill they don't. Untill some rental SUV does a brake stand on you near the bottom of LCC after your brakes are already hot.

Look, we can speculate and theorize till we're blue in the face. I'm really happy for both of you that you don't need to panic stop often, but again: We're talking a couple god damned dollars here. Cheapest brake "upgrade" you can do is a high boiling point quality fluid and good pads. So why would you skimp? You buying knock off tires too?

 

I appreciate your concern

 

Hey, just remember. You've got the life of a 1st gen in your hands. They're not making more...

 

I just followed the ChrisFix and EricTheCarGuy videos and made a one-person bleeder. Total cost about $5 for the 1/4" ID silicone tubing and Nestea Maintained 3 vehicles over 9 years this way. The tubing hardens over time and needs replacement every 5 years or so (you'll notice when it doesn't seal well around the bleeder nipple).



I just use Toyota-branded fluid which is only available as DOT3. Toyota-branded fluid has some lubricants in it that can maximize seal life in the braking system. Some aftermarket brands have lubricants, too, if you want to spend time researching.

 

I have been using a Air operated Vacuum brake bleeder for years since for the most since I don`t know any people smart enough to pump the pedal around in the wee morning hours. I am no longer sure just what make K-D Tools ?

The fact one needs Air I guess might not work for quite a few

There are a few tricks to getting the best results in the operators manual

Brake Fluid I just buy what Napa has on sale It works .Like anything else seems my brake fluid is always being changed just like coolant I doubt either makes it more then a year for one reason or another.

Yes I buy the house brand tires of my tire dealer as well

 

Speeds up the process. YMMV

 

One thing that I noticed on the Tacoma and other cars in recent years is that I start changing the brake fluid in the reservoir a few weeks before I do the bleed. I extract the fluid from the reservoir with a turkey baster extractor. Somehow the old dark fluid works its way back up into the reservoir after a few uses. Then when the reservoir is all clear, then I finish bleeding the system and add fluid as needed along the way.

 

I'd always thought the hydraulic fluid is somewhat stationary in the brake fluid system? Not sure how fluid would really cycle through. And the black stuff has gotta be seal material from the master cylinder that's right there and floats up. I'm guessing. I'm gonna have to investigate a little bit.
When you guys get to see all the cool stuff? You're gonna share pics I imagine right?

 

I’m about to tackle this on my 03 pretty soon. Might do it at the same time as the trans and diff.