Looking for the best brake bleeding method and brake bleeder kit? Start with the best brake bleeder and work from there – IMHO the nicest and easiest to use is a power bleeder. Of course the cheapest solution is to do this with a buddy, although I think mine will be happy that I am no longer bugging him. You can buy vacuum and pressure or power bleeders to do this as a one man operation, although I think the coolest is this solution. It’s called a “dry” method and it uses a power bleeder. The normal operation or “wet” method would involve putting fluid into the power bleeder, but then we have a mess to clean.

Brake Bleeder

We’re going to modify a power bleeder that pushes fluid through the brake reservoir. I got model 0117 which has fitment for my Subaru BRZ, but also fits Ford models. “0117 BLACK LABEL FORD / JAPANESE AND KOREAN IMPORT 3-TAB POWERBLEEDER” – looks like it should fit a lot of cars. For domestics the similar model appears to be the “0118 BLACK LABEL GM / LATE MUSTANG 3-TAB POWER BLEEDER KIT”. There is a cheaper version of this kit with a plastic top, although I chose the version with the nice aluminum top.

We’ll need some tubing to connect the valves. I got some food grade stuff, but don’t use your brake bleeder in the kitchen! 5/16″ inner diameter, 7/16″ outer.

To make sure the valves are sealed up nice and tight and avoid leakage, I got some Oetiker clamps – these are the same size as already used. Size 15/32″

I didn’t have a clamp tool already. Something else in the garage probably would have gotten the job done but my brother is happy when I buy more tools we don’t have.

Optional: not part of modifying the kit, but the bleed hose it comes with is pretty small. We had some more hose in the garage to use. You could pick up some hose or a nice bleeder bottle to bleed into.















Finally, of course, we also need some valves. I couldn’t find these guys on amazon though. I got these from quickcouplings.net – you can get metal ones, but I got plastic parts. 2x PLCD22005 – 5/16 Hose Barb Valved In-Line CPC Coupling Insert and 2x PLCD17005 – 5/16 Hose Barb Valved In-Line CPC Coupling Body.

Then put all these babies together and get to bleeding!

How To Bleed Brakes? What Order To Bleed Brakes?

You can check for your car but I don’t think it’s ever any different – you want to get the wheels off to get to your bleed screws unless you can sneak in their with some accommodating ones. Note calipers like those on Big Brake Kits will have bleed screws on both sides. You start with the caliper furthest from the master cylinder and work your way in, which on most US cars is going to be:

Rear passenger Rear driver Front passenger Front driver

The actual bleeding part is pretty straightforward – attach your bleeding tube to the bleeder screw and turn counter-clockwise to loosen them up. Make sure they are nice and tight when you close them to avoid leakage. On a track car, you might have cooked the fluid and had some brake fade, and you’re looking for the bubbles to go away here. If you’re doing a more complete bleed or flush of the system, hopefully you have a visual cue to go off of – either a different color fluid or simple just cleaner/newer stuff coming through vs. darker. Although that’s not so clear on the pink tinted hose we had in the garage.

Note also the actual brake fluid is pretty nasty corrosive stuff – try to avoid getting it on anything, and clean it up well and quickly if you do.

Hope you find this tool mod helpful. No easier method to clean up once you’re done!