Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 998 / 996 / 916 / 748 > Bleedin brakes

[smilo006]

Went to track day. Progressively lever lost feel and finally pulled back to bar.
Bled brakes with me mityvac. Went fine but no change. Bloke came along and seemed to open the bleed nipple very slightly, pull back the lever, close the nipple. He repeated this about 20 times. Result rock hard brake lever for rest of day.
Can anyone confirm what he was doing and why it made the difference it did?
I did not watch closely enough...git.

[guest1]

Originally posted by smilo006
Went to track day. Progressively lever lost feel and finally pulled back to bar.
Bled brakes with me mityvac. Went fine but no change. Bloke came along and seemed to open the bleed nipple very slightly, pull back the lever, close the nipple. He repeated this about 20 times. Result rock hard brake lever for rest of day.
Can anyone confirm what he was doing and why it made the difference it did?
I did not watch closely enough...git.

That's normal for bleeding brakes innit? Except I've only ever seen it done that way when no tube was available and we needed to get my mate off the motorway.

[Felix]

Yup, done this myself a few times. I usually use the vacuum pump method as well, but every once in a while the last bit of air won't come out, and then pushing out the air with the lever seems to work well, especially at the master cylinder. Just make you ALWAYS close the nipple before releasing the lever.

[Mr_S]

That's why I fitted speedbleeders to mine, instead of buying a mityvac.

Process is basically

squeeze lever
open bleed nipple slightly
When lever runs out of travel, close nipple
release lever

repeat until done, then swap sides. Using a piece of clear hose lets you see if there's any air bubbles coming out, and keeps the area clean of fluid.

Strangely enough, I've just bled mine with 5.1 this morning. Had a problem on a trackday with the reservoir hose kinking and not allowing the M/C to fill, so got progressively more lever travel until it was spotted. Hose is now braced...

[smilo006]

Cheers. Felt like a muppet for asking really. As usual however answers are informative and helpful.

[nathanTX]

Very normal way to bleed brakes. I only use a pump when I'm doing something major like swapping the calipers out or installing new lines or something. I always finish with manual bleeding as you describe. You can also get the last little bit of air out by putting a zip tie squeezing the lever overnight. Just run it around the lever and the grip and pull it until it's firm (but not so tight that it gouges the grip or anything). In the morning, do one last squeeze/loosen/tighten/release.

[PDL]

Yep thats the way to bleed with no hose/anti return valve.

[sharpo]

Yes the best way without doubt, just time consuming.

[moto748]

Ha! Having bled my back brake with my mityvac this afternoon, and got it rock-solid, thought I'd try this short-cut method on the front, which wasn't *quite* as good as it could be.

Little bit more, little bit more.....


Soddit! Got air in the bloody thing: lever coming right back to the handlebar with no resistance whatsoever.


Oh well. Thought this meant I'd better do the damn job properly. So off with fairing and nose-cone. Not essential, I know, but I prefer it cos it makes access to the reservoir cap and the master cylinder bleed nipple a breeze. The master cylinder bleed nipple in particular I always find a right pig; the throttle cable always gets in the way.

I bled and bled and bled, and now it's better than ever.
I think part of the trouble is the bleed nipple's a bit worn; the hexagons are rounding off a bit, making it difficult to tighten. I'm sticking to using a ring spanner in future.
Must remember I'll get a new nipple fitted at the next service.

[Edited on 25-6-2005 by moto748]

[Mr_S]

Just get these

http://www.speedbleeder.com/

I swear by them.