bleeding Matco brakes

[beeryboats]

I wish I had a mini-lathe for what I want to make to bleed my brakes. I have the Matco brakes that have their own reservoirs. I have seen this style many years ago but I cannot remember how I pushed fluid up without making a mess on the cockpit floor. I was thinking of taking a 10-24 cap screw and drilling it out, then J-B welding a short length of copper tubing to the top so I could put a hose on it and catch the mess. Or am I reinventing the wheel? I don't think I've ever seen a hose barb fitting with a 10-24 thread.

[HighWing]

Jay,
I'm game on a prototype. Send me an address PM and I will have one in the mail. You be the beta tester.

[GWright6970]

Jay I wrapped several paper towels around it and held them together with tape.

Lowell... what is really needed is a fitting that one can attach a brake line hose to, that can replace the capscrew on the top. This will allow the use of a remote reservoir if you can then seal the top of the reservoir brake unit!

[HighWing]

Grover,
Like you suggested, I am not sure the top could be sealed. I think it would need a new top as I doubt the piston rod has a seal where it penetrated the top. I made a device as Jay suggested this morning. Then thinking about the lack of a seal on the top, I wonder if it would work - would the fluid exit the screw in fitting, or would it just seep out the periphery making the mess. I'll have to try it.

[beeryboats]

I bought three 3/4" cap screws, in case I screwed up twice. I also bought an old squeeze type oil can and some super flexible tygon tube that will just barely fit over the oil can nozzle. I need to drill out the center of the screw and smooth the cap end so the hose will fit over tightly. I plan on oil canning pressure from the bottom with half the tube, and use the other half the tube over the screw in the master cylinder into a catch can. When I was a young tech, I think I also did the rag around the cylinder. Very, very messy. If I get a leak at the screw I can always get a nut and oring to create a seal at the top. But I bet the threads will slow it down to a trickle. Now, if I only had a mini lathe.....
Jay

[beeryboats]

Jay,
I'm game on a prototype. Send me an address PM and I will have one in the mail. You be the beta tester.

I tried to PM you, but your inbox is overloaded and it will not send.
Jay

[GWright6970]

Jay... I'm in the hanger looking at mine... is it possible to just drain the system from the top through a small hose at the caliper catching the fluid in a super clean jar; and then refilling the system up to the reservoir matcos from the bottom at the caliper? That is how I filled mine originally.

[beeryboats]

Hi Grover,
Usually you pressure bleed from the caliper up. It pushes the bubbles right out. On aircraft with a firewall mounted reservoir, it's really easy with a pressure pot. I've done it at least a hundred times at the FBO I used to work at. But at home....I'm talking low budget shade tree stuff. I just don't want to make a huge mess in the belly of my new (to me) Kitfox.

[WWhunter]

Go to Harbor Freight and buy yourself a $25 brake bleeder vaccuum pump.

Another way I have done it to use a cheap old style pump oil can filled with brake fluid. The type used years ago for adding oil to motors or bolts etc. I put a small hose over the spout and placed it over the bleeder on the wheel cylinder. Loosen the master plug and then lightly loosen the bleeder screw. Pump a few strokes and then close the bleeder. This will push the air bubble out the top.

This is the type I use.
www.etsy.com/listing/185913857/wonderful-old-rusty-pump-handle-oil-can?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_listing_promoted&utm_campaign=vintage_low&gclid=CMiSjN-Hh74CFZNlOgodNVYAkA

[jiott]

I used one of those $1.50 plastic syringes that Kitfox sells to dispense Hysol. It works great for brake bleeding with a piece of left over Tygon tubing on the spout.

[n85ae]

Ebay to the rescue, search "One Man Pressure Brake Clutch Bleeder"

I've seen a lot of people just use a pump oil can with a hose jammed on the
end. Fill from the bleeder up.

Jeff Hays

[HansLab]

I used a bicycle air-pump with a piece of hose. Put the hose onto the nipple, poor some brake oil into the pump, and just push it in.
Make shire you have somebody yell at you when the oil meets the max, and keep some towels ready, but it works...

[beeryboats]

Thanks for the link. The oil can trick worked fine. The problem is when you empty and overhaul the whole system, you can get a lot of fluid on the floor while bleeding all the air out of the system. I am working on a tool to drain the excess fluid into a catch can to stop the mess.
Jay

[Wheels]

I bled the right brake today. I did manufacture a threaded fitting for the brake at the bottom fitting for the grove gear. I attachesd tygon tubing to the fitting I made with a 10/24 threaded insert. I used the syringe trick talked about in the thread and had great success with the clean filling of the brake fluid. but, the right brake still seems a little spongy. Can anyone tell me a step by step for dummies way to bleed the brakes on a matco brake system in the Mod IV? Im a dunce but Im teachable.

[n85ae]

wonder if you could use the master cylinder bleeding trick from cars, which is
route from the outlet (bleeder) a small tube right back into the reservoir,
and just keep pumping until all the air is out of the system? Granted you'd
need several feet of small diameter tubing but it would probably work.

Regards,
Jeff

[Slyfox]

if you are using the red fluid, kind of like trany fluid, than it's thicker than regular brake fluid. so getting the air out is a little more difficult. I found on my rv that there was air that just wouldn't come out. so I made sure the reservoir was all the way to the top and just open the most bottom fitting or the bleed screw, what ever works and let it gravity out . if you have the clear line you can see the air very easily, if you have the braided line, not so. if you can see the air, you can crack open a fitting just below the air, worked for me. it also helps to take something small and tap on the lines to help the air move. hope this helps

[dholly]

I tried the cheapo oil can pump and just ended up injecting more air into the system. Then I used a clear plastic squeeze bottle like those made for ketchup and mustard. Worked great, but I found I had to jack up each side to really get the bubbles moving. Was able to accomplish without overflowing the remote reservoir.

[Wheels]

Thanks for the replies. I"ll get on it again today and try cracking a connection near the air and I"ll try the "re circulate" trick. I"ll let you know.
Wheels

[Slyfox]

when I did the gravity trick and had air next to a connection I ended up taking that connection all the way off and the air came right out.

[beeryboats]

When I worked on larger aircraft with a remote reservoir, we used a large pressure pot hooked to one or both calipers. You would remove the oil from the reservoir with a turkey baster to keep it from overflowing. I think the volume and pressure we used pushed the air out with ease. I do remember a few brakes that gave me issues though.

I received my master cylinder kits from Matco today. Gotta love the price!