"How-To" w/pics - Bleeding with Earl's SoloBleed bleeders
12-19-2004, 06:36 PM
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"How-To" w/pics - Bleeding with Earl's SoloBleed bleeders How-To - Brake Bleeding with Earl's SoloBleed bleeders on 1999 Firebird
by Robert Lumpkin (Bad30th) 12/19/2004
EDIT : If you're having problems seeing the images, links are now included at the bottom of the post.
Parts needed :
2 bottles Valvoline Syn-Power brake fluid (I got it at AutoZone)
torque wrench (100 ft/lbs) with 3/4" deep socket for lug nuts
rags
jack
jack stands (4)
funnel
jug to catch old fluid
tray to put under caliper to hold jug and rags
old turkey baster (you know you'll need a new one for cooking after this, heh)
3/8" vinyl tubing (got mine from Home Depot)
Earl's SoloBleed bleeders (Got mine from Thunder Racing
http://www.thunderracing.com/catalog...p&vid=3&pcid=2 - scroll down)
Part numbers :
151-280022 Solo-Bleed Brake bleeders (Rear pair), 1993-2002 LS1 / LT1 / V6 $12.95
151-280040 Solo-Bleed Brake bleeders (Front pair), 1998-2002 LS1 / V6 $12.95
7/16" wrench (for removing stock rear bleeders)
10mm wrench (for removing stock front bleeders and installing Earl's SoloBleed bleeders)
1) Remove lug nut caps if you have them, and loosen lug nuts on all 4 wheels
2) Raise the car onto jackstands
3) Protect the paint in your engine compartment around the master cylinder by covering the area with rags. Caution : Brake fluid is corrosive to paint, careful not to drip/spill !
4) Suck out as much of the old fluid as you can with the turkey baster into the jug. Again, careful not to spill/drip as brake fluid is corrosive to paint. Quickly clean up any spills/drips.
5) Fill back to "MAX" indicator with new Valvoline Syn-Power fluid, using funnel. Again, careful not to spill/drip.
6) Remove rear driver side wheel. The stock bleeders for the rear calipers are on the inside top of the caliper, under a rubber cap. Remove the rubber cap, and remove the stock rear bleeder with a 7/16" wrench. Keep your finger over the top of the bleeder to prevent as much air/fluid leak as possible. (It will still leak a little). Remove the rubber cap from the stock bleeder, and pop it onto the Earl's bleeder. Install the Earl's bleeder with the gold plunger side going into the caliper. Tighten snug.
CAUTION : brake fluid is also corrosive to caliper paint, so if you have painted brake calipers be very careful not to get brake fluid on them during this process (or else you'll be repainting them).
7) Cut a length of vinyl tubing that reaches from the rear caliper bleeder tip and extends into the fluid in the jug you "turkey baster-ed" out of the master cylinder. I used an old plastic refrigerator drawer to keep the plastic jug, rags, and wrenches handy under the wheel assembly and catch any fluid that drips out of the caliper/lines.
8) Open the Earl's bleeder 1/4 turn. Press slowly on the brake pedal, if it's too easy to push down the pedal you need to tighten the bleeder back up a little. If it's too difficult to push down the pedal, you need to open the bleeder a little more (make small adjustments). Once it's bleeding OK, you should see dirty brake fluid in the clear tubing. Repeat pressing on the brake pedal until clear fluid starts to appear in the clear tubing. The little spring loaded valve in the Earl's bleeder keeps air from going into the line when the pedal is coming back up. Keep a careful eye on the master cylinder to make sure it doesn't get too low. Once the clear fluid appears in the tubing, tighten the bleeder back down very snug and clean up the brake fluid with a rag and spray brake cleaner.
9) Move to the pass rear wheel and repeat procedure 6 and 8, using the same vinyl tubing from step 7.
10) Move to the pass front. On the front calipers, the bleeder valve is on the top of the caliper. Remove the rubber cap, remove the stock front bleeder with a 10mm wrench. Install the Earl's bleeder with the 10mm wrench. You'll need a longer piece of tubing for the front bleeders, so go ahead and move the jug over under the front pass caliper and cut a tubing line to fit from the top of the bleeder into the old fluid in the jug.
11) Repeat step 8 for the pass front. Once clear fluid appears, tighten the bleeder valve very snug and remove the tubing from the bleeder. clean with rags/spray brake cleaner.
12) Repeat step 8 for the driver front.
13) Make sure you use all the new brake fluid in the bottle, flush through more than needed if you have to to use all the fluid. Brake fluid has a very short shelf life once opened and spoils (absorbs water from the air) quickly. Here's a shot of the fluid that was removed :
14) Reinstall all 4 wheels, and hand tighten all lug nuts.
15) Using the jack, remove the jackstands and lower the car.
16) Tighten all lug nuts to 100 ft/lbs with torque wrench. Reinstall lug nut caps if you have them.
17) Pump brake pedal a few times. The pedal should have good resistance and not bottom out or feel "squishy". Once confident all is well, take a quick test drive and confirm no leaks or spongy brakes.
18) Clean up and pop open a cold beer !
Edit : LINKS FOR BROKEN IMAGES :
Parts, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, Step 5, Step 6a, Step 6b, Step 7, Step 8, Step 10, Step 11, Step 13
----------
Enjoy ! As usual, neither I nor LS1tech is responsible if you goof up your car following (or not following) these instructions.
Cheers !
Rob (Bad30th)
by Robert Lumpkin (Bad30th) 12/19/2004
EDIT : If you're having problems seeing the images, links are now included at the bottom of the post.
Parts needed :
2 bottles Valvoline Syn-Power brake fluid (I got it at AutoZone)
torque wrench (100 ft/lbs) with 3/4" deep socket for lug nuts
rags
jack
jack stands (4)
funnel
jug to catch old fluid
tray to put under caliper to hold jug and rags
old turkey baster (you know you'll need a new one for cooking after this, heh)
3/8" vinyl tubing (got mine from Home Depot)
Earl's SoloBleed bleeders (Got mine from Thunder Racing
http://www.thunderracing.com/catalog...p&vid=3&pcid=2 - scroll down)Part numbers :
151-280022 Solo-Bleed Brake bleeders (Rear pair), 1993-2002 LS1 / LT1 / V6 $12.95
151-280040 Solo-Bleed Brake bleeders (Front pair), 1998-2002 LS1 / V6 $12.95
7/16" wrench (for removing stock rear bleeders)
10mm wrench (for removing stock front bleeders and installing Earl's SoloBleed bleeders)
1) Remove lug nut caps if you have them, and loosen lug nuts on all 4 wheels
2) Raise the car onto jackstands
3) Protect the paint in your engine compartment around the master cylinder by covering the area with rags. Caution : Brake fluid is corrosive to paint, careful not to drip/spill !
4) Suck out as much of the old fluid as you can with the turkey baster into the jug. Again, careful not to spill/drip as brake fluid is corrosive to paint. Quickly clean up any spills/drips.
5) Fill back to "MAX" indicator with new Valvoline Syn-Power fluid, using funnel. Again, careful not to spill/drip.
6) Remove rear driver side wheel. The stock bleeders for the rear calipers are on the inside top of the caliper, under a rubber cap. Remove the rubber cap, and remove the stock rear bleeder with a 7/16" wrench. Keep your finger over the top of the bleeder to prevent as much air/fluid leak as possible. (It will still leak a little). Remove the rubber cap from the stock bleeder, and pop it onto the Earl's bleeder. Install the Earl's bleeder with the gold plunger side going into the caliper. Tighten snug.
CAUTION : brake fluid is also corrosive to caliper paint, so if you have painted brake calipers be very careful not to get brake fluid on them during this process (or else you'll be repainting them).
7) Cut a length of vinyl tubing that reaches from the rear caliper bleeder tip and extends into the fluid in the jug you "turkey baster-ed" out of the master cylinder. I used an old plastic refrigerator drawer to keep the plastic jug, rags, and wrenches handy under the wheel assembly and catch any fluid that drips out of the caliper/lines.
8) Open the Earl's bleeder 1/4 turn. Press slowly on the brake pedal, if it's too easy to push down the pedal you need to tighten the bleeder back up a little. If it's too difficult to push down the pedal, you need to open the bleeder a little more (make small adjustments). Once it's bleeding OK, you should see dirty brake fluid in the clear tubing. Repeat pressing on the brake pedal until clear fluid starts to appear in the clear tubing. The little spring loaded valve in the Earl's bleeder keeps air from going into the line when the pedal is coming back up. Keep a careful eye on the master cylinder to make sure it doesn't get too low. Once the clear fluid appears in the tubing, tighten the bleeder back down very snug and clean up the brake fluid with a rag and spray brake cleaner.
9) Move to the pass rear wheel and repeat procedure 6 and 8, using the same vinyl tubing from step 7.
10) Move to the pass front. On the front calipers, the bleeder valve is on the top of the caliper. Remove the rubber cap, remove the stock front bleeder with a 10mm wrench. Install the Earl's bleeder with the 10mm wrench. You'll need a longer piece of tubing for the front bleeders, so go ahead and move the jug over under the front pass caliper and cut a tubing line to fit from the top of the bleeder into the old fluid in the jug.
11) Repeat step 8 for the pass front. Once clear fluid appears, tighten the bleeder valve very snug and remove the tubing from the bleeder. clean with rags/spray brake cleaner.
12) Repeat step 8 for the driver front.
13) Make sure you use all the new brake fluid in the bottle, flush through more than needed if you have to to use all the fluid. Brake fluid has a very short shelf life once opened and spoils (absorbs water from the air) quickly. Here's a shot of the fluid that was removed :
14) Reinstall all 4 wheels, and hand tighten all lug nuts.
15) Using the jack, remove the jackstands and lower the car.
16) Tighten all lug nuts to 100 ft/lbs with torque wrench. Reinstall lug nut caps if you have them.
17) Pump brake pedal a few times. The pedal should have good resistance and not bottom out or feel "squishy". Once confident all is well, take a quick test drive and confirm no leaks or spongy brakes.
18) Clean up and pop open a cold beer !
Edit : LINKS FOR BROKEN IMAGES :
Parts, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, Step 5, Step 6a, Step 6b, Step 7, Step 8, Step 10, Step 11, Step 13
----------
Enjoy ! As usual, neither I nor LS1tech is responsible if you goof up your car following (or not following) these instructions.
Cheers !
Rob (Bad30th)
Last edited by Bad30th; 12-20-2004 at 08:44 AM.
12-20-2004, 08:29 AM
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I don't know what the deal is with the linked images from CarDomain lately, having problems I guess. I'll double-check the links.
Thanks for the nice comments guys - it's good to give back to the site I've learned so much from.
Cheers,
Rob (Bad30th)
Thanks for the nice comments guys - it's good to give back to the site I've learned so much from.
Cheers,
Rob (Bad30th)
12-20-2004, 08:38 AM
#7
A word of caution about those solo bleeders, from my experience ...
They don't last forever. Heat cylcling seems to cause problems for the check valve ... at least it did on mine. After releasing the pedal, air would be sucked back into the system.
Now, my brakes see some intense temps and that may be the whole issue. I don't know. But, just a word of caution.
Rob, you might want to submit the write up to Eric at installuniversity.com. I have a couple of brake related "How Tos" on the site.
They don't last forever. Heat cylcling seems to cause problems for the check valve ... at least it did on mine. After releasing the pedal, air would be sucked back into the system.
Now, my brakes see some intense temps and that may be the whole issue. I don't know. But, just a word of caution.
Rob, you might want to submit the write up to Eric at installuniversity.com. I have a couple of brake related "How Tos" on the site.
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12-24-2004, 08:30 PM
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Thanks for the great instructions! I'm assuming you can go ahead and pump more fluid (flush) the brakes with this method as well? Also, are there any tricks with the abs? I recall someone saying to take the car out and activate the abs and then rebleed.
12-27-2004, 01:22 AM
#10
Good write-up. Unfortunately those solo-bleeders eventually wear and start sucking fluid when you bleed.
I switched to using either the Motive pressure bleeder or the Mityvac vacuum bleeder. Works much better, and is easier and quicker. You bleed right from the caliper itself, no pedal pushing.
Dope
I switched to using either the Motive pressure bleeder or the Mityvac vacuum bleeder. Works much better, and is easier and quicker. You bleed right from the caliper itself, no pedal pushing.
Dope
12-27-2004, 08:43 AM
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Thanks for the info - although I'm unsure why/how they would wear out...
Must be the spring that wears out ? It's only a small metal piece to block the fluid orifice held in place by a small spring...
I wonder if anyone has given any feedback to the manufacturer...
Good info, thanks.
I suppose they could always still be used the "old fashioned way" with one person on the brake and one opening/closing the bleeder with a wrench (but that kinda misses the whole "SoloBleed" thing, eh ?).
I also kept the stock bleeders in case of emergency.
Also, I found this info for 98 and newer cars with ABS/TCS :
"The ABS/ASR changed in '98 from Delco-Moraine ABS VI to Bosch 5.3 ABS, which uses 2 completely separate rear brake lines to control each caliper individually (ASR cars only, non ASR cars still have a single common rear brake line), instead of the single rear circuit in the ABS VI system. This is to aid in torque transfer in case only one wheel is slipping. With ABS VI, both wheels brakes were activated even if only one wheel was spinning. (This is why '98-up cars with ASR braided line kits have 6 lines, while all non-ASR cars and '93-'97 ASR cars have only 5.) Other than that, the ASR systems operate similarly."
So really, for 98 and up we're only bleeding half of the brake lines to the rear of the car. The ABS/TCS has its own set of rear brake lines, which only the dealer (or someone with a Tech II device) can bleed/flush.
Lastly, a handy tip - supposedly you can use a 1" x 3/8" bolt and nut to keep the banjo fitting on the brake line closed if you have to remove them from the calipers, which prevents the lines/MC from draining. They will still need to be bled when reinstalled to ensure no air got into the lines.
Rob (Bad30th)
Must be the spring that wears out ? It's only a small metal piece to block the fluid orifice held in place by a small spring...
I wonder if anyone has given any feedback to the manufacturer...
Good info, thanks.
I suppose they could always still be used the "old fashioned way" with one person on the brake and one opening/closing the bleeder with a wrench (but that kinda misses the whole "SoloBleed" thing, eh ?).
I also kept the stock bleeders in case of emergency.
Also, I found this info for 98 and newer cars with ABS/TCS :
"The ABS/ASR changed in '98 from Delco-Moraine ABS VI to Bosch 5.3 ABS, which uses 2 completely separate rear brake lines to control each caliper individually (ASR cars only, non ASR cars still have a single common rear brake line), instead of the single rear circuit in the ABS VI system. This is to aid in torque transfer in case only one wheel is slipping. With ABS VI, both wheels brakes were activated even if only one wheel was spinning. (This is why '98-up cars with ASR braided line kits have 6 lines, while all non-ASR cars and '93-'97 ASR cars have only 5.) Other than that, the ASR systems operate similarly."
So really, for 98 and up we're only bleeding half of the brake lines to the rear of the car. The ABS/TCS has its own set of rear brake lines, which only the dealer (or someone with a Tech II device) can bleed/flush.
Lastly, a handy tip - supposedly you can use a 1" x 3/8" bolt and nut to keep the banjo fitting on the brake line closed if you have to remove them from the calipers, which prevents the lines/MC from draining. They will still need to be bled when reinstalled to ensure no air got into the lines.
Rob (Bad30th)
Last edited by Bad30th; 12-27-2004 at 10:07 AM.
12-28-2004, 01:09 PM
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I'm assuming the wearing out of the bleeders would only occur during the actual bleeding/flushing process. Couldn't they just be replaced after a certain number of bleed/flushes as a precaution (since they're relatively cheap)...
Also, I found this with respect to ABS in the service manual (2000 Camaro/Firebird):
After bleeding/flushing, "test drive the vehicle, checking for brake pedal sponginess or softness. Ensure that the vehicle exceeds 5km/h (3 mph) for ABS modulator actuation (self-test) which will purge any air from the secondary circuit of the modulator. If after ABS modulator actuation the pedal is still soft or spongy, then re-bleed entire system."
I didn't see anything yet with respect to traction control, but I'll keep looking...
Thanks!
Also, I found this with respect to ABS in the service manual (2000 Camaro/Firebird):
After bleeding/flushing, "test drive the vehicle, checking for brake pedal sponginess or softness. Ensure that the vehicle exceeds 5km/h (3 mph) for ABS modulator actuation (self-test) which will purge any air from the secondary circuit of the modulator. If after ABS modulator actuation the pedal is still soft or spongy, then re-bleed entire system."
I didn't see anything yet with respect to traction control, but I'll keep looking...
Thanks!
Last edited by MrEddie; 12-28-2004 at 10:39 PM. Reason: additional info
12-29-2004, 01:23 PM
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May I add an alternative to the Earl's bleeders?
I bought a bleeding "hose" from NAPA years ago that had a one-way valve in it and about 1' of tubing. you just slipped the short end of the tubing over the stock bleeder and opened the stock bleeder and pumped away.
Works great!
Additionally, denatured alcohol is a fantastic brake fluid solvent and it's cheap! I always keep a pint or two in the shop for anytime I work on brakes.
P.S. Good post and good pics
I bought a bleeding "hose" from NAPA years ago that had a one-way valve in it and about 1' of tubing. you just slipped the short end of the tubing over the stock bleeder and opened the stock bleeder and pumped away.
Works great!
Additionally, denatured alcohol is a fantastic brake fluid solvent and it's cheap! I always keep a pint or two in the shop for anytime I work on brakes.
P.S. Good post and good pics
Should be a sticky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
09-12-2009, 01:28 PM
#16
sorry to bring this topic back from the dead....but...
i just installed the solo bleeds and flushed my brake fluid today. took me about 1-1.5 hours from start to finish to install and to flush all my brake fluid. next time, i could probably flush all my fluid without even jacking up the car or removing the wheels. write up on this page is helpful and i couldnt be happier.
this link had the same write up, but the pics work:
http://www.ls2.com/forums/showthread...ing+the+brakes
i just installed the solo bleeds and flushed my brake fluid today. took me about 1-1.5 hours from start to finish to install and to flush all my brake fluid. next time, i could probably flush all my fluid without even jacking up the car or removing the wheels. write up on this page is helpful and i couldnt be happier.
this link had the same write up, but the pics work:
http://www.ls2.com/forums/showthread...ing+the+brakes
