I built a bleeding system that functions similar to Dennis', but I'm  not attaching a photo - too embarrassing :-).  I found a small  plastic bottle from the kitchen and, with the help of a little RTV,  installed a tube fitting in the bottom.  A long piece of clear soft  plastic tubing (Tygon) was used to connect to the bleeder fitting on  the brake cylinder and the bottle with hydraulic fluid was held  higher than the reservoir.  I opened the bleeder fitting and waited  until the fluid rose in the master cylinder.  That works well for the  first time it is filled, but after that you may have to do like  Dennis, connecting an overflow tube to the reservoir as it may  overflow before any bubble gets pushed out.  I don't know how you  then lower the reservoir level back to the correct level, probably by  simply draining some back out of the wheel cylinder.  I took some  care to make sure all the lines were either very small or were sloped up toward the reservoir - otherwise an air bubble could remain  trapped in a high spot in the system.  The designers of automotive  systems used to rely on the tubing being small enough that a air  bubble could be pushed out the bottom of the system.  These days,  with complex passages inside the antiskid systems the only reliable  way is with vacuum.  The good thing about that is that it only  requires a connection at the reservoir.  Vacuum applied to the  reservoir could also work on our systems, but I don't know if the  master cylinder seals would hold against a vacuum.

Gary Casey
On Mar 13, 2008, at 3:00 AM, Lancair Mailing List wrote:

I've experimented with a variety of ways to bleed the brakes on my Legacy.  Some worked, some didn't.  Here's one that worked:


The galvanized steel bucket is a pressure pot I bought at a garage  sale. House painters use them.  If you're not lucky enough to find  one at a garage sale, Harbor Freight often has a two quart model on  sale for $30, which includes a paint spray gun, too!  The two quart  pot would actually be a little more convenient than this big and  heavy five quart pot.

Here's how it works.  Put a quart or so of brake fluid into the  pressure pot and tighten the lid.  Connect one end of a plastic  tube from the outflow of the pressure pot and connect the other end  to the brake bleeder fitting #87-5.  Tighten the #87-5 fitting to  the brake bleeder on the Cleveland brake assembly.  Remove the plug  on the top of the brake fluid reservoir on the firewall and replace  it with a threaded fitting and a piece of plastic tube that empties  into an empty oil can. Apply 15 psi air pressure to the pressure  pot and open the brake bleeder a quarter turn.  The air pressure  slowly forces the brake fluid out of the pressure pot and through  the brake lines and out the reservoir.  Let it flow out the  reservoir until all the air is gone, then close the brake bleeder  and remove air pressure from the pressure pot.  Remove the plastic  tube connected to the reservoir and use a syringe to suck about half the brake fluid out of the reservoir.

I did it by myself without any trouble, but you might want an  assistant the first time you try it.  Do not allow the pressure pot  to run empty, which will force air into the brake lines.  Then  you'll have to do it again to get rid of the air.  Don't put too  much pressure on the lines. Keep one eye on the pressure pot and  the other eye on the overflowing fluid coming out of the  reservoir.  Have plenty of rags on hand, just in case.

Good luck,
Dennis Johnson
Legacy, first annual inspection complete and back in the air!

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