Brake Bleeder Product Review - Bleeding Brakes on RAV4.3

The title say RAV4.3 but this could apply to any generation, any Toyota and maybe most vehicles

With 100K on my 2012 RAV4 Limited, it was time to flush the brake lines and put in new fluid. I've done this in the past with other vehicles and other Toyotas - frequently using the 2-person method - the other person pumping the brakes while I was operating the bleed screw. This time, I decided to rush head-long into the 20th century with a semi-automatic brake bleeder.

* It's not just a job. It's an adventure! *

I bought a cheap brake bleeder on eBay - $14.00. It was 99% crap... but what would you expect? Reading the truly incomprehensible instructions was worth the price alone. And the 1% non-crap part of this tool was so interesting, I would buy one again! There are plenty of sellers of this item on eBay. Search for 'brake bleeder'. Go by the picture and price.



I planned to use this device with an air compressor, using air flow through the venturi or orifice plate inside the bleeder body to suck out brake fluid (remember your high school physics?). That's what seemed to be pictured in the eBay listing (the picture above is from the listing).

First, I discovered the silver airline adapter supplied doesn't fit anything I've ever seen - certainly not a standard American airline female connector. So, I installed a standard 1/4" NPT male airline connector.

Then, I discovered that the valve body was leaking badly. I would have guessed this valve body was brass, but it was really brass plated pot metal (even magnetic!) with two brass nuts braised on the ends. The air leak was at one of the braised seams.



Undaunted I went to Handyman Hardware and bought a new 1/4" F-F brass ball valve. BTW, install this valve with the handle pointing away from the venturi body. Here's a picture of the final setup.



After this truly rough introduction, the little bleeder gadget worked like a charm. It will suck down one corner of the vehicle in 3-4 minutes - 6-7 minutes for the first bleed of the right rear corner. You attach the rubber hose to the collection bottle, put a black rubber connector on the other end of the hose, attach the connector to the bleed screw, open the air valve, open the bleed screw and... sit back and eat chocolates as you watch the old brake fluid collect in the bottle. Top up the master cylinder reservoir as needed. The fluid level does not go down very fast.

You can also suck out the master cylinder reservoir... in about 3 seconds. The reason it takes longer to do a vehicle corner is restrictions in fluid flow plus air leaking into the bleeder around the bleed screw connection.

Here are some pictures of the whole process:















The only other tools needed in this bleeding project are an 8mm box-end wrench (for disc brakes) or a 10mm box-end wrench (for drum brakes) plus a jack and lug wrench, etc. for lifting the vehicle and removing the wheels. You can also do this job with the wheels on - with the vehicle on ramps - but it's not that much work to remove the wheels for better access.

I used almost one full quart of Castrol brake fluid for this job. I will keep the remaining fluid on hand for a few weeks - to top up if needed. Then it's gone - I don't like to keep opened brake fluid containers.

I carefully washed my brake bleeder and put it away in storage. It ought to last a long time. The kit had 2 black rubber tips that fit over the bleed screw (these tips are available separately if one should fail). Ditto for the rubber hose. This hose is very soft like stethoscope tubing.

After rebuilding, this device seems solid enough so it should be ready for the next brake bleed.
Next time it will still be a job, but not so much an adventure!