Motive Power Bleeder 1108 vs 1118 reservoir caps

[grey fist]

Thought I'd give everybody a heads up.

Way overdue to bleed the system on my 2019, fluid looking pretty murky. Dug out my 30 year old Motive Power Bleeder and clamped an 8mm bolt in the hose to see if it would still pressurize. All good, plastic a bit yellowed but still works.

Which adapter? Searched all the threads on here, consensus either the plastic 1108 or billet 1118, same configuration just different material, though some reports of the plastic 1108 failing to seal. Went with the $20 cheaper 1108, I like a challenge.

Showed up, tested it, failed to seal. Not that it failed completely, just wouldn't seal consistently, any slight jiggling of the cap while pumping and it would leak. First tried the obvious, thicker gasket, apart from making the cap extremely difficult to install, no significant difference.

Noticed the underside of the cap wasn't flat, molding process had excess material at each of the 3 tab locations that extended onto the sealing surface. Ah ha moment, this would be the difference between the 2 caps, machined billet would be completely flat. May also explain why some had no issues with the 1108 if different tooling for the mold. Wrapped some 200 grit paper around a stick and went at it, 20 minutes later completely smooth. Worked, with the thicker of the 2 supplied gaskets seals fine.

Verdict, if you already have a 1108 it is possible to make it work, if you're ordering just get the 1118 and save yourself the headache.

One other comment, if you haven't bled your system yet, do it now, brakes are noticeably better, but the clutch is a revelation, significantly improved the shifting.

 

[jhs-ma]

I've got a 2014 and I've tried a few different types of adapters (including the universal which just clamps down on it) and haven't had any luck getting a seal yet. I got the 1118 and it just doesn't snap into place when you turn it on the reservoir like the actual cap does. The 1118 has 3 tabs but they are just flat whereas the OEM cap has 3 tabs but a little notch that clicks into place when you turn it.

I was either gonna try to just clamp down the universal adapter with some quick grip clamps or just go back to the old fashioned have someone step on the brake pedal while I open the bleeder. Bummer as I was able to get the power bleeder to work on an older car I had years ago when I bought it. I didn't expect there to be so much variability in brake fluid reservoir caps haha.

 

[arlisscm]

I've got a 2014 and I've tried a few different types of adapters (including the universal which just clamps down on it) and haven't had any luck getting a seal yet. I got the 1118 and it just doesn't snap into place when you turn it on the reservoir like the actual cap does. The 1118 has 3 tabs but they are just flat whereas the OEM cap has 3 tabs but a little notch that clicks into place when you turn it.

I was either gonna try to just clamp down the universal adapter with some quick grip clamps or just go back to the old fashioned have someone step on the brake pedal while I open the bleeder. Bummer as I was able to get the power bleeder to work on an older car I had years ago when I bought it. I didn't expect there to be so much variability in brake fluid reservoir caps haha.

I use the 1118 adapter on my 14. I switched to the thicker rubber gasket (not sure if they all come with 2), and you have to push down a little while turning. There is no stop point on the tabs, so you have to be careful and make sure you turn it just enough to have the tabs overlapping correctly. It was difficult the first few times, but has gotten easier over time. I've used it for ~9 years now, so unless they've changed the design, you should be able to get it.

 

[jhs-ma]

it didn't seem to me like it would work to seal well enough but maybe I just need to try again. thanks for the tip!

 

[arlisscm]

it didn't seem to me like it would work to seal well enough but maybe I just need to try again. thanks for the tip!

Yeah, I was skeptical at first as well, but you just need to push down a little and make sure the tabs on the adapter are all the way up the "ramp" of the tabs on the reservoir. It will make sense when you give a try.