DIY Car Maintenance: How to Bleed Your Brakes Solo with Two Proven Methods

Maintaining your vehicle’s brake system is a crucial aspect of automobile care, and bleeding the brakes is a key part of that maintenance. Bleeding your brakes helps to ensure that your brake system is free of air bubbles and is functioning at optimal performance. Here’s how you can do it by yourself using two different methods: the gravity bleed method and the power bleeder method.

If you’re a visual learner, then check out my video tutorial here to get a step-by-step walkthrough.

Method 1: Gravity Bleed Method

The gravity method is the most fundamental approach to bleeding brakes and can be executed solo, as the master cylinder is at the highest point in the car. This method utilizes the natural force of gravity to pull brake fluid through the system and is particularly suitable when you want to avoid the complexity of additional equipment​​.

What you need:

• New brake fluid (if doing more than a minor flush + your reservoir is not at max)
• Hose and fluid catch bottle
• Wrench for caliper bleed nipple (lookup appropriate size for your caliper)

Instructions:

1. Preparation: Start by ensuring your car is on a level surface and secure. Locate the brake fluid reservoir and top it off.
2. Open the Cap: Leave the brake fluid reservoir cap open to allow the fluid to flow freely.
3. Connect the Hose: Attach one end of a small hose to the brake bleeder bolt and place the other end in a bottle with a bit of clean fluid at the bottom. This setup prevents air from being drawn back into the system as fluid is drained​​.
4. Bleeding Process: Open the bleed screw at each caliper, starting with the one furthest from the brake reservoir and working your way to the nearest. As gravity does its work, you will notice the old, dirty fluid slowly being replaced by new fluid​​.
5. Time and Patience: The gravity bleed method may take up to an hour per caliper. It’s a slow process, so patience is key. During this time, you can periodically check to ensure the fluid level in the reservoir doesn’t get too low​​.
6. Closing Up: Once you see new brake fluid color, and no more air bubbles are present, close the bleed screws, and replenish the brake fluid reservoir to the appropriate level​​.

Method 2: Using a Power Bleeder

For those seeking a quicker method, a power bleeder like the Motive Power Bleeder can save time and effort.

What you need:

• New brake fluid (if doing more than a minor flush + your reservoir is not at max)
• Hose and fluid catch bottle
• Power Bleeder (Motive Power Bleeder or similar)
• Wrench for caliper bleed nipple (lookup appropriate size for your caliper)

Instructions:

1. Add fluid: Top-up brake fluid reservoir with new fluid.
2. Attach the Power Bleeder: Connect the power bleeder to your brake reservoir.
3. Pressurize the System: Pump the bleeder to approximately 15 psi to add pressure to the system.
4. Attach hose and bottle: Attach a hose and bottle to the caliper bleed screw to catch the old fluid.
5. Open the Caliper Bleed Nipples: With the system pressurized, open the bleed nipples on each caliper.
6. Look for a Steady Flow: Watch for a steady stream of brake fluid without air bubbles. This indicates that your brakes are being properly bled.

General tips for any bleeding method

• When closing the bleed nipple, you only need a small amount of force; typically the amount that you can generate with one finger
• After doing any brake job, it’s important to pump your brakes and do a standing brake test (pumping until the brakes are hard, then holding the pressure). If your pedal depresses slowly, then there is a leak in the system that needs to be addressed.

Proper brake maintenance is crucial for any vehicle, whether it’s your daily driver or your track toy. Learning a solo bleeding method will ensure that you have few excuses to complete a service when necessary.