The $2 brake vacuum

[Macguyver]

I was upgrading my lines to stainless lines and couldn't find my brake bleeder, so I went on the hunt for a pump!(no, not that kind)

Gather materials
-chunk of clear hose
-empty hand sanitizer bottle

Assemble Brake Bleeder
-remove pump from bottle
-fit the clear hose over the tubing on the pump(I suggest at least a 2' piece, the 1' was a little akward to use)
-assembly complete

Get to Work
-slide the other end of the hose over the bleeder screw and begin pumping, after a bit of vacuum builds up, loosen the bleeder screw
-keep pumping to draw the fluid and air bubbles through the lines until the fluid is clear of bubbles, making sure to pump waste fluid into a container to be disposed of properly

***Make sure your resevoir does not go dry, if it does, you will need to repeat the process to clear the lines of bubbles again!***

-tighten bleeder screw, remove hose, repeat for other caliper
-you may need to vacuum the lines a couple times to make sure no air is hiding in them, I got lucky and it was one time each

Always make sure to "bench" test the brakes after you bleed them, any small air bubble will greatly decrease your braking ability. Also be sure to clean off any brake fluid on your parts, this stuff will peel paint in a matter of seconds.

There you have it, very cheap, yet effective brake vacuum. This will not take the place of a mighty vac in your toolbox, but is way quicker than just letting gravity drain the lines for you.

Hope this Helps.

Note: The next day I found my brake bleeder set hiding in my box of extra brake parts...DOH!

[Macguyver]

Fruits of my labour

Here's a pic of the completed stainless lines install.

The dual banjo hydraulic brake switch was a snap to install, the only tough part was getting the dual lines to run through the original bracket. I had to remove the rubber grommet, run the lines and the wiring for the brake switch through it, then through the bracket, and ever so gently use a small flat headed screw driver to work the grommet back into place.

[don_gibb6512]

Your name sure fits!! Thanks for the tip.

[Macguyver]

Anytime

Hey, no problem, anything I can do to make it easier for people to work on our classic GS's.