Pretty stupid oversight (on my part)...and a question

[alchemist]

OK, got everything buckled up yesterday on the brakes, and this morning I was setting out to bleed the entire system. Master cylinder then wheel cylinders and finally calipers. So I posted last nite complaining that the brake warning light connector was hard to remove (thinking I would be bench bleeding the master cylinder). But shit, I completely overlooked the fact that Ford made a provision for bleeding the MC! There's a friggin' bleed screw right on the side of the MC!! I took the thing off, had it in my vice and even had the M10 fittings screwed in! But then I saw the bleeder screw! Anyway, put it back on the car, and bled it right there.

Here's the question:

Does everyone here go with bleeding the MC using the supplied bleed port? I ask that because I've never owned a car or truck that has one of these. My 95 Impala SS, 96 Roadmaster, 74 F100, 77 F150, and 98 Chevy Suburban all don't have bleeder screws. My 2008 Suburban may have one, but I haven't had to put on an MC and haven't paid it any mind. I seemed to see bubbles, 1 or 2, even after 8-10 cycles. I told my son to push down very slow and seemed to subside.

[sly]

I bench bleed it with a turkey baster. Force fluid into the reservior from the ports where the brake lines go. This works when there's still fluid in the lines. If there's no fluid in the lines... bench bleed it and then fill the tank, install it, and bleed the hell out of all the lines.

[alchemist]

Thanks Slymer. So you don't trust the built in bleeder screw? Or did your MC not have one? I typically bench bleed MC's by installing plastic fittings/nipples on MC oulets, connecting tubing and running the tubing back up to reservoir (and submerging tubing ends under fluid). Then you push the piston in several times till u see no more bubbles. Our MCs have 3 outlets.

But I didn't do the above today. Before I even started I saw the bleeder screw and just decided to go with that method.

[GM_Guy]

^ thats the only way I know of for bench bleeding.

Alex.

[alchemist]

^ thats the only way I know of for bench bleeding.

are you saying using the bleeder screw on the MC is the only way you know?

[sly]

I used the turkey baster trick... I don't know the "proper" way of bleeding them.

here's the method I used...

[jaywish]

If you have the bleeder port you just put a hose from the bleeder back into the MC and bleed until there are no more bubbles. That is assuming it is a new cylinder. If it is an old cylinder just put the hose into a container so as to flush out the old fluid. If you do not bleed the cylinder the bubbles will come out through regular bleeding but you have to pump out all the fluid from the cylinder all the way to each wheel.

Normally I like to flush the fluid anyway, unless I have a very impatient assistant working the brake pedal.

[GM_Guy]

No, the tubes in the exit ports looped back into the reservoir.

Alex.