Topic: Bleed the brakes with a...

[jacquesleclochard]

Great solution. I didn't try it myself yet, but I found the picture and just had to spread the gospel.

[EMS541A]

These syringes work great for a lot of things, including measuring out fork oil from bottles without marks on the side. If you want a free one, ask your local ER or ambulance/rescue squad if they have any expired D50 (50% dextrose) because you want the syringe. This #$%* expires faster then milk (tastes worse then expired milk, too) and they're pre-packaged with those gigantic syringes and a vial of D50. And a lot of places keep the expired meds for classes and stuff like that. Just clean the plunger after you use it or you're gonna have a #$%* of a time pushing it out, they have crappy little threads in the rubber.

While you're using it, try not to imagine that syringe pushing 50% sugar directly into your blood stream through a gigantic catheter...

[CycleRanger]

The brake fluid will make the rubber in the syringe swell up after a while and render the syringe useless.
You'll find that out after you use it to bleed your brakes and then throw it in your toolbox and pull it out six months later to use it again.

Tractor Supply is a great place to get various size syringes btw, since they have many supplies for medicating large farm animals.

[zackblack]

Buy them cheaply from your local CO-OP store and then throw them away after use.

[Mars]

What advantage does a syringe give over using the master cylinder?

[HondanutRider]

What advantage does a syringe give over using the master cylinder?

I believe the method in using a syringe is to push fresh fluid up the system from the caliper end, through what is usually called the "bleed screw".  The master cylinder isn't used to pump the fluid out in this method.  The advantage is that the possibility of introducing air bubbles in the line are reduced, and any air that is in the system should be more easily pushed up and out the reservoir, rather than trying to pump it down and out the bleed.

[70CB750]

Yup, used a syringe to bleed my jeeps brakes, works resonably well, better than asking my wife to help me   

[knochgoon24]

I had one that lasted for years of brake bleeds using DOT-3/DOT-4 fluid. It wasn't until I tried to use to for gas that I killed the rubber plunger.

I'd use a piece of fuel hose to connect the syringe to the brake bleeder, then I'd hang the syringe with the "needle" end pointing down. Then all I'd have to do is pump the brakes (car or bike). It's essentially a 1-man bleeder. The clear syringe made it very easy to see when I had new fluid flowing out.

The one I had was a 60cc syringe, too. Very very similar to the one posted.

[zackblack]

I hook up the syringe as per the OP picture, pump the brakes a couple of times to get the fluid flowing then I pull on the syringe until there is no more air.
Easy-peasy