Quick trick for bleeding brakes alone without a helper

I was working on my buddy's 04 F-150 last weekend and nobody was around to pump the pedal. Tried the old jar and tube trick but kept getting air in the lines. Finally grabbed a bungee cord and wedged the pedal down against the seat frame. Cranked it enough to hold pressure, cracked the bleeder, let it close, then released the bungee. Did four wheels in about 45 minutes with zero drama. Has anyone else rigged up a one-man bleeder setup that actually works?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamieperez1mo ago

My dad used to do something similar with an old floor jack handle and a 2x4 wedged against the seat, but he always said the real trick was to crack the bleeder before the pedal hit the floor. I tried that bungee method on my Jeep once and it worked way better than the vacuum pump I bought at Harbor Freight. Now I just keep a couple heavy-duty bungees in my tool bag for all the bleeding jobs.

grace4191mo ago

Three weeks ago I was bleeding brakes on my old F150 in the driveway at 9pm with a flashlight in my mouth, and that bungee trick saved me from losing my mind. JamiePerez, I bet your dad would have gotten a kick out of seeing me try to hold the pedal down with a lawn chair and a rock before I finally broke down and bought some proper straps.