DIY Power Bleeder
 

Ok, the off the shelf Power Bleeders look fine, and i am sure work well, but i like doing my own thing and adapting them to fit my needs better. the off the shelf units tend to have universal adapters to clamp on the master cylinder, and don't seem to work all that well (from what i've read). plus they cost about 63.00 plus tax and shipping (7.00 or so). so i looked online and found that others have done similar things. here is what i did;


parts used; (all prices incl tax)

Home Depot;

1) 1 each: RL Flowmaster 1 gal sprayer, 10.75 (the only half gallon sprayer i could find was 15.00)

2) 1 each: ¼ barb x ¼ MIP, watts LFA-192, 3.58 (to go in MC cap)

3) 10 feet: 1/4 ID vinyl tubing, watts SVGE10, 3.35 (came in a roll 10')

Napa;

4) 1 each: NTH90-2003, 3-60 psi tire gauge, 9.15 (couldn't find one with back fitting, plus 0-30 would have been better)

5) 1 each: WH 3500x2, 90 degree 1/8 FIP, 4.30

6) 1 each: WH 3325x4x2, 1/8 MIP x ¼ MIP, 3.55

Local Chevy Dealer;

7) 1 each: 20819283, M/C cap, 3.95 (i put this one on the car, and used the one from the car for the bleeder)

total; 38.63, saves approx 31.00!!! plus the satisfaction of doing it myself.

tools;

drill
crescent wrench
7/16 drill bit
1/4 pipe thread tap
teflon tape
exacto knife

first; i decided i was going to replace the sprayer hose on the exterior part, but leave the orig pick up hose internally. cut off the hose from the adapter piece and remove it, slide on the vinyl hose.

http://i383.photobucket.com/albums/o...o/P2050001.jpg

second; i drilled the M/C cap, stepping up to 7/16, the cap is soft and got pretty chewed up, didn't think it would take a tap very well, but it did just fine. installed the barb fitting into the cap with plenty of teflon tape, then cut a hole in the rubber gasket to fit around the fitting. connected it to the other end of the clear tubing.

http://i383.photobucket.com/albums/o...o/P2040001.jpg

http://i383.photobucket.com/albums/o...o/P2040002.jpg

http://i383.photobucket.com/albums/o...o/P2050003.jpg

http://i383.photobucket.com/albums/o...o/P2050002.jpg

third; i drilled a hole near the top of the sprayer bottle to mount the pressure gauge. if you can find a gauge with a rear fitting, you could do away with a couple pieces of brass, i wasn't gong to travel all over to find one, or order one, i wanted to get it built. (funny, i found a 0-30 psi gauge in my garage later, but it was a lot bigger diameter, sticking with the one i bought for now.) the plastic the tank is made of drilled pretty good, and was thick enough to tap pretty easily. installed the adapter, elbow and gauge with plenty of teflon tape.

http://i383.photobucket.com/albums/o...o/P2040004.jpg

http://i383.photobucket.com/albums/o...o/P2040005.jpg

fourth; assemble and test the whole thing. i put it all together and covered the end of the fitting coming through the M/C cap with my thumb, pumped up the pressure to 12 psi, and looked for leaks. found a couple small ones, one around the o-ring for the pump, and the pressure relief. put a bit of grease (silicone) on the o-ring and snugged up the pressure relief valve. holds air pretty good!!

http://i383.photobucket.com/albums/o...o/P2040006.jpg

the final product;

http://i383.photobucket.com/albums/o...o/P2050007.jpg


in summary; i chose this sprayer because it has a pressure relief valve built in, if you can't find one with it, you could add one near the gauge.

i tested the bleeder with 1 gallon of water and pumped it up to 12 psi, it flowed 28 oz of water before the pressure was depleted, not bad at all!!

probably don't need all 10 feet of hose, i'll trim it later when i get ready to do my brakes.

NOTE; make sure to get all of the plastic shavings and water out of the bleeder before using on your vehicle!!

hope this helps someone.

Good job! It looks like you put a lot of thought in this.

thanks