Thanks NEWTOTHETWO

Im just south of you in the Clemson area.

 

I'm old school and have always preferred the traditional bleed method with someone pressing the brake while I open and close the bleeder. Power bleeding via the ABS pump seems like a neat trick and it definitely is a convenient tool but understand that all you are doing is replacing the person pushing the brake pedal (and eliminating the reverse travel of the master which could introduce air) by pushing positive pressure through the line with an electric pump. You are not "bleeding the ABS" or accomplishing anything else that an ABS system would need over a non-ABS system. As mln01 points out, there's no voodoo or additional hydraulic circuit that connects the ABS to the brakes. ABS simply creates or removes fluid pressure in the braking system via an inline pump faster than a human can do it.

As an anecdote, when I put my second Disco back on the road after a lengthy dormant stage the passenger rear caliper locked and needed to be replaced (or rebuilt). Since I had already gone through this with the driver's rear on the first truck I had a brand new caliper on it, however it was for the opposite side. This meant the bleed nipple would be on the bottom instead of the top when installed, but the caliper was otherwise identical. I moved it from the driver's side of the old truck to the passenger side of the new truck, opened the bleed valve and used a coathanger wrapped around the coil spring to let it dangle with the bleed nipple as the highest point. After 10-15 minutes of alternating between bubbles and fluid the fluid ran clear so I closed the nipple and bolted the caliper in place. Done. Simple gravity will also bleed ABS or non-ABS brakes.

Replacing the master is an altogether different job with regard to bleeding the system and requires a lot more than gravity. Using the ABS pump is a slick way to turn a PITA large job requiring two people into a relatively simple job that can be done by one person. You might even argue more reliably as well because you're eliminating a lot of margin for error. Your neighbor did not get all the air out of the system and this caused you to have no brakes. The amigos could have come on for a lot of reasons however there may in fact be nothing wrong other than the system needs to be bled fully, properly, whatever. If your neighbor is truly any good at auto mechanics he would know that you start at the caliper farthest from the master (pass rear) and then work your way around the truck until you get to the caliper closest (driver's front). If he didn't at least do this then you're wasting your time having them help with your brakes. The other piece of advise I'll offer is that once you're done bleeding them, try them out on a safe flat area first before heading into a downhill intersection and hoping they work.

 

That one man bleeder tool is pretty good. Used it last week on my Subaru and disco and it’s so simple. Just wish I got a bigger bottle. After 5-6 foot pumps the bottle is full

now my wife doesn’t have to complain about helping me

 

I manually bleed the system by hand first, then power bleed it via my Nanocom (jump lead & toggle switch if you don't have a Nanocom).

 

Bench bleed the MC, install MC, bleed lines to WABCO unit, then manual bleed, then power bleed.

 

This is why, if you've worked on the brakes in any fashion, you always, always, ALWAYS check their function with the engine running before you move the vehicle. Heading down a hill towards an intersection is NOT the time to be testing them.

 

Could have been worse I guess, with the very famous 7 mile downhill, with no fuel only to find out = no power brakes due to an engine shut off from no fuel!!

 

Very dangerous design!!

 

i remember that one head scratcher