Vacuum Brake Bleeder

OK, so I received a defective unit yet I still rate it 5 stars...WHY???Because this thing is awesome! First one I ordered was trashed during shipping... with the air port sticking out of a hole the box when it arrived. NO THANKS! I decided to return that one because I figured it was probably damaged somehow by the idiots also called UPS. Second one I bought was in better shape when it arrived, so I used that one. Like others said in their negative comments, it does pull air in to the rubber bleeder adapter, but so what. It still pulls plenty of fluid, and there is NO way any of that air is getting in the caliper. You would need a negative pressure in the lines for that to happen, and this thing is always pulling a vacuum when activated.I did have two other issues though, but again, it worked so well that it still gets 5 stars. First issue is that after using continually for about 10-15 minutes, it started spitting and sputtering from the exhaust and the vacuum stopped. I had to let it sit for a few minutes and then tried it again. It then worked for a minute or two and then started spitting and sputtering again. Was barely able to finish the second caliper because of this. NOW, this may be caused by water in my air line or maybe not... I do not know what the cause. After a few days I tried again and it worked fine. I do have a line drier installed but it may not be working well enough for a continuous compressor run. This thing pulls a pretty awesome vacuum at 120 psi, but obviously your compressor will have a harder time keeping up, as mine barely did. Second problem is that mine leaked brake fluid from the vacuum port on the lid while in use. Not sure if the fitting in the lid was not installed tightly, but it did leak fluid onto the lid when in use. I did not see a way to tighten the fitting, as I was unable to remove the lid to check the underside. Did not leak a ton, but in my opinion, it should not leak at all. SO... in the end, I returned it because of that. In spite of the leak and spitting/sputtering issues, I absolutely will buy another when I need it. This thing is hands down AWESOME, and easily allows a 1 man bleed job. The fluid pull is slow enough that you can lock on the handle and stand at the reservoir to keep it topped off. Add a little extra above the max fill line, and by the time you get back to the caliper to tighten the bleed screw, your reservoir is right where it needs to be - and the job is done. I bled all 4 calipers on a 2008 Mitsu Lancer with the spongiest brakes I ever felt, and the pedal is now ROCK SOLID!!! Thank you Capri Tools! Again, I will absolutely buy another... hopefully one that does not leak.

I was genuinely surprised at how well this vacuum bleeder worked. I installed a new master cylinder in my Tempest so I knew I was going to have to bleed the whole system again. I've always done the old-fashioned two-person brake bleed and it's always been slow, annoying, and you actually have to have a friend (something I'm terrible at doing). I looked at quite a few one-man bleeder systems, most of which seem pretty cheap, flimsy, and had hit-and-miss review scores. I didn't want to buy something that didn't work well enough only to have to do it the old-school way anyway. All the positive reviews on this unit just told me to buy it, try it, and be unnaturally optimistic.The unit arrived fully assembled and ready to rock-and-roll. The pneumatic quick-release fitting was already attached and it secured to the quick-release Milton fittings on my air hose just fine with no audible leaks. It's incredibly straightforward to use. Hook rubber hose and nipple up to the brake bleeder valve, crack it open, press the button on the vacuum and watch the fluid and air bubbles get pulled out of the system. It all drains into a very generously large reservoir; it will hold way more fluid than you'll reasonably pull from any brake system. All the parts seem to be good quality and I can see that it will likely last quite some time. The rubber/silicone hose may need to be replaced at some point but clear plastic hose is readily available at pretty much every hardware store. The hose that is on the unit isn't completely clear like I was expecting or accustomed to using during a bleed job. It's a translucent white color. You can still see through it fine but I'm used to completely clear vinyl-like hose. No big deal, it gets the job done just fine.The only thing that made using this vacuum system a bit awkward was judging when the air is actually purged. The fluid comes out of the bleeder valve much faster than when using the old-school method that it's sometimes hard to tell whether there are air bubbles or whether it's just fluid rushing by so quickly that it LOOKS like air. Regardless, I decided each wheel was done when I stopped seeing BIG bubbles for a solid 10 seconds or so. I suppose you could turn the air pressure down on your compressor and it would probably pull more slowly. I left my compressor at 90-100 PSI and nothing blew up. I did all 4 corners of my car in less than a half hour. It took longer to get each corner of the car off the ground, the wheel off, and the frame on a jackstand than it did to get the air out of the line. Brake stuff now doesn't seem like a big chore to me and I'm glad I can do it myself whenever I need to!