Apparatus for flushing, replacing fluid and bleeding hydraulic systems

An apparatus for flushing, replacing a fluid and bleeding a hydraulic system including a master cylinder and at least one component having a bleeder valve, said apparatus comprising:

• a) a holding vessel for old fluid;
• b) a supply vessel of new fluid;
• c) a fluid selector valve coupled to said holding vessel and to said supply vessel for receiving the old fluid from said holding vessel during system flushing and the new fluid from said supply vessel during system fluid replacement and bleeding;
• d) a pump coupled to move the old fluid from said holding vessel through said flow selector valve during system flushing and to move the new fluid from said supply vessel through said fluid selector valve during fluid replacement and bleeding;
• and
• e) a flow reversing valve coupled to said pump and to said holding vessel and having a master cylinder line and at least one bleed valve line both for connection to the hydraulic system to be serviced, said flow reversing valve having a first position wherein the fluid from said pump is directed through the system in a first direction and returned to said holding vessel and a second position wherein the fluid is routed through the hydraulic system in an opposite direction and returned to said holding vessel.

A method for flushing, replacing a hydraulic fluid and bleeding a hydraulic system comprising the steps of:

• a) replacing a cap of a master cylinder of the hydraulic system with an adapter having a master cylinder line extending through said adapter into a reservoir of the master cylinder;
• b) attaching a different bleeder valve line to a bleeder valve of each of a plurality of components of the hydraulic system;
• c) opening the bleeder valves;
• d) energizing a pump to draw a fluid from a holding vessel through a fluid selecting valve and through said pump to a flow reversing valve, said flow reversing valve having a first position wherein the fluid from said pump is supplied to said master cylinder line for movement through the hydraulic system in a first direction and returned through said bleeder valves lines and said flow reversing valve to said holding vessel, and having a second position wherein the fluid from said pump is supplied to said bleeder valves for movement through the hydraulic system in an opposite direction;
• e) actuating said flow reversing valve between the first and second positions thereof for flushing contaminants from the hydraulic system;
• and
• f) actuating said fluid selecting valve to a second position whereby said pump will draw fluid from a supply vessel of new fluid, through said fluid selecting valve, through said pump and through said flow reversing valve into the hydraulic system for replacing the old fluid and bleeding the air out of the hydraulic system.

A method for cross-flushing a pair of hydraulic system components that are interconnected so as to be in fluid communication with each other, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) coupling a first three-way valve to a bleeder valve of the first one of the interconnected system components and a second three-way valve to a bleeder valve of the second one of the interconnected system components;
• b) opening the bleeder valves of the interconnected system components;
• c) energizing a pump to draw fluid from a holding vessel and supply it to the first three-way valve;
• d) actuating the first three-way valve to a position wherein the fluid supplied in step (c) is sequentially directed through the interconnected system components into the second three-way valve;
• and
• e) actuating the second three-way valve to a position wherein the fluid received from the interconnected system components in step (d) is returned to the holding vessel.