RHD Brakes,Vacuum bleed or pressure bleed ?

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Barry.b

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Hi guys
I have been trying to bleed my RHD brakes all week now and I keep getting bubbles coming out through the bleeder.
I have been bleeding the brakes for about 15 hours at this stage
I am using a vacuum bleeder which I did think is very good , it’s just that it’s taking so long to do that now I’m beginning to wonder if maybe the system is somehow not suitable to be Vacuum bled but should instead be pressure bled .
Has anyone succeeded in bleeding a RHD system using a Vacuum bleeder before ?
I am following the sequence of bleeding as per the photo attached :
 

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I bled my brakes by just pumping the pedal the old school way! I don’t remember following any particular pattern for bleeding the front calipers, i bled the servos at the end - I figured most cars seem manage without bleed nipples on those so reckoned if you could not push fluid through those while bleeding the calipers, you had a problem. I think it used about a litre of fluid and had in done in under an hour.
 
I had a similar issue with a Datsun. Reverted to just having my son pushing the pedal and it worked much better
 
I have never been able to use vacuum or power bleeders successfully, probably user error on my part but old school gravity and assistant pump techniques have worked for me.
 
I have a vacuum and a pressure bleeder. When using the vacuum bleeder I will get bubbles unless the bleeder screw threads are 100% air tight. That usually requires a thick consistency non-hardening sealer compound on those threads. That sealing compund usually only works for a few years and then it starts to fail (eg pass air). For this reason, seeing a few bubbles is often OK when using a vacuum bleeder. Test for air by the firmness of the brake pedal, not the absence of bubbles.

I use my pressure bleeder and the old pedal-pump much more often than the vacuum bleeder. Some brake system designs do not work well with pressure bleeders, but the E9 does respond well.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys.
I have given it another go this evening .
I put PTFE tape on the bleed nipple threads this time, so when I just open them to let fluid flow , it prevents air from being sucked in around the threads.
So after vacuum bleeding all again I now have a soft pedal , which gets harder if I pump It fast .
That is definitely progress.
I am happy with that as at least I can see I have no leaks and also by using the brake pedal I am hoping to overcome the brake proportional valve resistance and force any air trapped in the long brake line running along the transmission tunnel out to the bleed nipples in the rear of the car.
I don’t think the vacuum pump is strong enough to overcome the spring in that valve .
I just need more patience more rags and maybe a cold beer or 2
Thanks again.
 
I agree with some others about the old school down up method, as I just went thru a bunch more than 15hrs and over 2 quarts of fluid and that was on a LHD car. Had zero luck with vacuum. It did suck the fluid but also sucked air from around the bleeder fitting. Grease and Teflon tape did not work for me


Jjs2800cs
 
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