2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum - View Single Post - Favorite Pressure Bleeder? Motive, Schwaben, something else?

ggggbmw · 04-11-2018, 10:12 PM

I bought the Schwaben pressure bleeder. I'm just a sucker for German tools (I bought a BMW after all), and my other Schwaben tools were decent quality. (Craftsman quality, not SnapOn/MAC quality.) Used it to put some Motul 600 in on Saturday for a complete flush. Overall, I'm happy with it. It's not perfect, but it did the job well.

The Good
The tank has nice wide base, so it doesn't tip. Despite another posters comments, it did not bubble through the fluid when I pumped it up. Had about 750ml in the tank, which was more than enough for the flush. The pressure pumps up quick, maybe 30 strokes to 15 PSI, and the largish tank holds pressure throughout the whole bleed process. The quick release on the hose is fluid tight, so it won't leak when you connect/disconnect it to the fill cap. The hose is clear and flexible. The pressure release valve was nice and made it easy to disconnect things without a mess.

The Bad
I bought the premium edition at ECS, which came with a pretty red aluminum cap. The aluminum cap was horrible. Although it had the same rubber seal as the plastic cap, I couldn't get it to hold air on the reservoir. It was also starting to chew up the threads on the reservoir. The plastic cap fit perfectly, and was air tight with a reasonable screw-on tension. Both caps now come with a thick, soft rubber gasket, so you don't need the O-ring trick anymore. (Although, I might try it with the aluminum cap.)

The Ugly
The pump top does NOT come off the tank. I accidentally tried to unscrew it when I first took it out of the box. (I always take things apart to see how they are built.) Couldn't get it off. Then I noticed the graphics on the side of the bottle saying not do that. (Same thing in the instructions.) That means you can't take it apart to manually clean the interior.

This also means that the only way to fill the tank is via the smallish (~1") fill port where the orange pressure release cap is. I have a funnel handy to fill the brake reservoir, and to pour used fluid into recycling containers, so not hard to fill. But you do have to think about it and not just pour it in the top. (I also bought some orange funnels so that they would never go back in the kitchen.)

I used the suggested denatured alcohol method to clean the tank, and that worked great. Poured about 4 oz in, swished it around and shook the tank, and then pumped it out the hose with the cap on. The alcohol did a fantastic job of cleaning the brake fluid. It got rid of that greasy, gooey brake fluid feeling anywhere I used it. And it sure seemed to clean the tank out nicely. No more dripping brake fluid, and the alcohol will evaporate without leaving any appreciable residue if you leave the fill cap off. The tank was bone dry after airing out.

So, with the alcohol cleaning I don't have any concerns about future fluid contamination with gook in the tank. But it would still be nicer to be able to take it apart for a thorough cleaning to be absolutely sure. You could use the tank dry, and keep refilling the reservoir. I started doing it that way. But it was so much easier to just pour the fluid in the tank and let it fill the brake reservoir as necessary. And zero worries about letting the fluid get too low.

Other Thoughts
I also bought the Schwaben Catch Bottle. Very nice. The fitting and hose were perfect. Fit tight on the brake nipple, and clear enough to easily judge the quality/color of the fluid coming out. The bottle has volume markings to keep track of how much fluid you've bled. Has an optional hook to hang it, but the hose is long enough I didn't need to. The bottle will expand to go from ~700ml to a full liter if you want to. I'm split on this feature. Upside, if you need the volume, you can easily pop it open to keep fluid from spilling on the floor. Downside, the ridges make it harder to clean, and not sure how often you would need more than ~500ml in a single bleed anyway.

I'm also wondering how people drain the brake reservoir to get as much old fluid out first. I was able to get the orange rimmed filter screen out easily enough. If you pry from an outer edge with a small screwdriver it pops out. But, the fluid level float assembly totally blocked access to the tank. I couldn't get my turkey baster past it, and was only able to suck out maybe 10% of the used fluid. You would need a really tiny tube to get past the float.

04-11-2018, 10:12 PM	#16
ggggbmw Lieutenant 433 Rep 442 Posts Drives: 2017 M2 Manual Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Minnesota iTrader: (0)	Schwaben Review I bought the Schwaben pressure bleeder. I'm just a sucker for German tools (I bought a BMW after all), and my other Schwaben tools were decent quality. (Craftsman quality, not SnapOn/MAC quality.) Used it to put some Motul 600 in on Saturday for a complete flush. Overall, I'm happy with it. It's not perfect, but it did the job well. The Good The tank has nice wide base, so it doesn't tip. Despite another posters comments, it did not bubble through the fluid when I pumped it up. Had about 750ml in the tank, which was more than enough for the flush. The pressure pumps up quick, maybe 30 strokes to 15 PSI, and the largish tank holds pressure throughout the whole bleed process. The quick release on the hose is fluid tight, so it won't leak when you connect/disconnect it to the fill cap. The hose is clear and flexible. The pressure release valve was nice and made it easy to disconnect things without a mess. The Bad I bought the premium edition at ECS, which came with a pretty red aluminum cap. The aluminum cap was horrible. Although it had the same rubber seal as the plastic cap, I couldn't get it to hold air on the reservoir. It was also starting to chew up the threads on the reservoir. The plastic cap fit perfectly, and was air tight with a reasonable screw-on tension. Both caps now come with a thick, soft rubber gasket, so you don't need the O-ring trick anymore. (Although, I might try it with the aluminum cap.) The Ugly The pump top does NOT come off the tank. I accidentally tried to unscrew it when I first took it out of the box. (I always take things apart to see how they are built.) Couldn't get it off. Then I noticed the graphics on the side of the bottle saying not do that. (Same thing in the instructions.) That means you can't take it apart to manually clean the interior. This also means that the only way to fill the tank is via the smallish (~1") fill port where the orange pressure release cap is. I have a funnel handy to fill the brake reservoir, and to pour used fluid into recycling containers, so not hard to fill. But you do have to think about it and not just pour it in the top. (I also bought some orange funnels so that they would never go back in the kitchen.) I used the suggested denatured alcohol method to clean the tank, and that worked great. Poured about 4 oz in, swished it around and shook the tank, and then pumped it out the hose with the cap on. The alcohol did a fantastic job of cleaning the brake fluid. It got rid of that greasy, gooey brake fluid feeling anywhere I used it. And it sure seemed to clean the tank out nicely. No more dripping brake fluid, and the alcohol will evaporate without leaving any appreciable residue if you leave the fill cap off. The tank was bone dry after airing out. So, with the alcohol cleaning I don't have any concerns about future fluid contamination with gook in the tank. But it would still be nicer to be able to take it apart for a thorough cleaning to be absolutely sure. You could use the tank dry, and keep refilling the reservoir. I started doing it that way. But it was so much easier to just pour the fluid in the tank and let it fill the brake reservoir as necessary. And zero worries about letting the fluid get too low. Other Thoughts I also bought the Schwaben Catch Bottle. Very nice. The fitting and hose were perfect. Fit tight on the brake nipple, and clear enough to easily judge the quality/color of the fluid coming out. The bottle has volume markings to keep track of how much fluid you've bled. Has an optional hook to hang it, but the hose is long enough I didn't need to. The bottle will expand to go from ~700ml to a full liter if you want to. I'm split on this feature. Upside, if you need the volume, you can easily pop it open to keep fluid from spilling on the floor. Downside, the ridges make it harder to clean, and not sure how often you would need more than ~500ml in a single bleed anyway. I'm also wondering how people drain the brake reservoir to get as much old fluid out first. I was able to get the orange rimmed filter screen out easily enough. If you pry from an outer edge with a small screwdriver it pops out. But, the fluid level float assembly totally blocked access to the tank. I couldn't get my turkey baster past it, and was only able to suck out maybe 10% of the used fluid. You would need a really tiny tube to get past the float.
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