Jfrahm

I have the Mitivac kit and found it to be a challenge to use for bleeding brakes. Slow going, and sealing issues at the bleeder screw made it tough. Tried it 2-3 times and never again.

-Joel.

F451

The one time I tried to use my Mityvac it was a royal pain to get the hoses sealed properly. I'm sure there was user error involved so I'll have to give it another try.

dr bob

FYI, I think Harbor Freight has the metal MitiVac-style pump with the beelder cup and attachemnts on sale for around $20 right now. I think I paid almost twice that for the kit I have from Sears a few years ago, exactly the same unit except for the Craftsman name on it. It replaced an original PVC plastic genuine MitiVac I'd had for some 35 years that had worn out pump seals.

I confess that I've never used the MitiVac successfully for bleeding brakes though. Too many leaks around the bleeders and, frankly, too much hand pumping needed. I have degassed power steering and brake systems with vacuum, but generally do that with engine vacuum or an external pump from the filler cap rather than the wheel end.

Back to the OP's subject. I think the exploding hose subject has been covered here at least once before, and the recommendation for the better reinforced hose was made at that time.

I'll also remind users that it makes a whole lot of sense to cover the area with some plastic masking to minimize the chances of getting even a casual dribble of brake fluid on any painted parts. I usually take a plastic garbage bag and some masking tape, and shield the fender and the area under the hood with it. Poke your fingers through the bag to make a hole that will fit over the MC reservoir and pull the plastic around that so it makes a nice little bib. Any dribbles or oopses will land on the plastic rather than painted parts, easily swabbed up with no risk of damage. It will not contain the spray from a ruptured hose that lets loose under pressure though. The whole bleeder will empty itself under pressure in a matter of seconds, and you can't respond quickly enough to avoid paint damage.

Bill Ball

Well, I got lucky then, as my kit had a fitting that sealed well against the bleeder and it would hold vacuum and required very little pumping. I pulled 1 1/2 quarts through the system pretty quickly.

Marine Blue

Great tip Bob.

For those who have had brake fluid leak on paint, did paint damage occur immediately or have some of you successfully removed it before the paint was damaged? Bobs suggestion above may buy enough time that even a rupture will provide enough time to wipe up the mess before it eats through paint.....or is it truly catastrophic with fluid spraying everywhere?

Ron_H

I posted in the last thread on this subject that my hose exploded at the point where it exits the bottle and it was EVERYWHERE. I was able to get to the fluid on the paint before any damage occurred but it was a mess and took a long time to clean all over the engine compartment. Never again. I was off to Home Depot for some reinforced hose and a screw on clamp; I will change it once a year from now on. And I agree that Bob's suggestion would have prevented all of that work and panic. Easy fix for a potentially disastrous problem.

mark kibort

Im still confused. are you guys not using the mitivac for pressurizing the reservior and then just opening the bleeder screw to let the fluidl flow? If you are, if you blew a line, the line is just air and there would be no mess. I use it this way, with a few pumps the traditional way before I lock down the bleeders.