Figured out a trick for bleeding brakes alone after 3 tries

Honestly I've been fighting with bleeding my '97 Civic's brakes for weeks. I don't have a helper to pump the pedal so I tried those cheap one-way valves from AutoZone and they barely worked. Then I watched a video about using a big syringe and some tubing to push fluid from the bleeder screw back up. Ngl I bought a 60ml syringe for $8 and some vinyl hose and it worked on the first wheel. The fluid came out clean with zero bubbles and my pedal feels solid now. Has anyone else tried the push method instead of the traditional pump and hold?

1 comments

1 Comment

christopher_singh9210d ago

The whole "push method with a syringe" thing sounds good on paper but I don't trust it for getting all the air out of the system, especially on a older car like your Civic. Brake lines can have hidden pockets of air that gravity and pushing fluid from the bottom just won't pop loose the same way pumping the pedal does. That pedal might feel solid now, but wait a month and see if it doesn't get spongy again from trapped air working its way up. Plus those cheap syringes can leak air at the plunger and you'd never know it. Did you actually get a full clear stream with no tiny bubbles at all, or did you just see clear fluid and call it good?