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Gravity bleeding Saints

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
What does that gain you?

I do bleed mine back and forth (pulling down from the funnel) but it's not gravity that does the moving, it's plunger suction. Pulling down does help get caliper pockets out.

Actually I think shimano might even tell you to do this.
 
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yetihenry

Monkey
Aug 9, 2009
241
1
Whistler, BC
Open the bleed screw, install funnel, flick the lever whilst ensuring the fluid level doesn't drop too low in the funnel, and your golden. Unless you haven't bled for while and need to flush the whole system then this is more than adequate to get a solid bleed, I believe in most part due to the one way calipers.
 

yd35

Monkey
Oct 28, 2008
741
61
NY
Shimano tech docs recommend pushing fluid through the system with a syringe from the caliper up, and then they also say you should do a lever down gravity bleed. I'm incapable of independent thought so I've only done it this way, but I imagine you could get away with the just the gravity bleed. Give it a try!
 

SylentK

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2004
2,287
854
coloRADo
The newer ones.
Any reason you can't just install the funnel on the lever and open the bleed screw on the caliper until things run clear?
Isn't that the same bleed method used/recommended on the original XT 4 pots? Can't see why it wouldn't work.

BTW - An Avid syringe threaded hose connector thingy will thread onto Shimano's brake where the funnel would normally go. May make things easier.

Last time I bled mine I did bottom up with an Avid syringe at the caliper pushing up into the funnel. The fluid was SUPER dirty. Like shock oil. Brakes have been great so far. No weird bite points, no lever to the bar. Awesome as it should be.
 

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
23,926
14,438
where the trails are
I got some new 820s and had the rear caliper fail after 1 shuttle run. After getting a new caliper from Shimano Most Awesomeist Warranty Dept.® I rebuilt and re-filled from the caliper, up. The rear felt much better than the front w/factory setup. Results are great. Caliper --> lever is the way to go when starting from scratch, IMO.
 
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SylentK

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2004
2,287
854
coloRADo
Yeah, I think we have to bleedn'kleen every so often to keep things tip top. Kinda like changing oil on a marzocchi fork. Thank goodness it's that easy.

As for technique - pick one and be a dick about it :D
 
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yetihenry

Monkey
Aug 9, 2009
241
1
Whistler, BC
The fluid was SUPER dirty. Like shock oil. Brakes have been great so far. No weird bite points, no lever to the bar. Awesome as it should be.
If you suspect this will be the case, or do your first brake and are about to do the other. Remove the lever, and push the fluid up and just let it spirt out the hose. All that crap can get stuck up inside the lever and destroy it, due to no seals being available the basically means new lever time. With the one way caliper the same thing won't happen at the bottom.