Just found a way to bleed brakes without a special kit

I was stuck at home last weekend with a spongy brake lever on my mountain bike and no bleed kit in sight. Used a big syringe from the pharmacy, some tubing from an old aquarium, and a bottle of mineral oil. Hooked it up to the caliper bleed port and pushed the fluid up from the bottom. It took three passes to get all the air out but the lever feels solid now. Has anyone else rigged up a budget bleed setup with random stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_davis311d ago

That syringe method works but did you have any trouble getting a good seal around the bleed port? I tried this once with a cheap plastic syringe and it kept leaking mineral oil everywhere, made a huge mess in my garage. A proper bleed kit has those screw-on fittings for a reason - one wrong angle and you're just pumping air back in. What did you use to keep the tubing tight on the caliper?

samk771d ago

Man I feel like I was practically baptized in mineral oil the first time I tried this. I wrapped the tube with like six layers of Teflon tape and it still wept all over the place, ended up using a tiny hose clamp from a fish tank air pump and that held surprisingly well. Nothing like slippery fingers and a big oil stain on the driveway to remind you why the bleed kit costs twenty bucks.

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max2231d agoTop Commenter

@claire_davis31, did you try wrapping plumber's tape around the syringe tip first?