How to Bleed Brakes Using Speed Bleeders
You’re out in your garage and you just installed new brake calipers, but now you have got to bleed your brakes. So what does a guy do when he is all by himself and he needs to bleed his brakes? You call up your buddy Bob, but he is busy shopping with his wife. Then you call Jim and he is out golfing. You go through the list and everyone is busy.
You might start to think that you’re up a creek without a paddle and then, BAM! It hits you, speed bleeders! Speed Bleeder Bleed Screws are essential for the do-it-yourself-er that needs an extra hand when they don’t have one.
Simply put, speed bleeders replace the original bleeder in your brake caliper. They contain a small ball and spring that pushes up to release the air and old fluid when you pump the brakes, and then automatically closes back down to prevent the old fluid and air from re-entering. I personally recommend installing speed bleeders in all four calipers to make the process much easier, however, if your master cylinder is a split reservoir, such as Speedway's Dual Feed Brake Master Cylinder, you may choose to replace only the front or rear calipers as needed.
Start with the wheel furthest from your master cylinder, crack open the speed bleeder, attach a hose to bleeder and install it into a catch can or bottle. An old pop bottle with a hole drilled in the lid works great. Now, go into the cab and pump the brakes about 10 to 15 times. Don’t forget to check the fluid level in your master cylinder in between switching calipers. Next, go to the second furthest wheel and repeat the process. After going through the process, I like to repeat the steps over again.
Once you have gone through the process twice with each caliper, you will need to test your pedal feel. If it still feels spongy or squishy, then go back to the first caliper and open the speed bleeder pump about 5 to 10 more times. Go back up and pump up the brakes, testing the feel of the brake pedal. Continue this process with bleeding each caliper and testing the feel until you are satisfied with the firmness of your brake pedal.
Once you are all finished you can simply leave the speed bleeders installed in the caliper for next time. Speed bleeders come in several different sizes so go to www.speedwaymotors.com/speedbleeders or call 1-800-979-0122 to see if we have speed bleeds for your application.
