Brake bleeding.  I had this dreadful chore on my list due to my aversion of replacing calipers, master cylinder and most importantly, the ABS unit.  I got a MityVac hand pump to ease the chore only to be disappointed in the bubbles leaking around the threads on the brake bleeder screw.  The instructions suggested a layer of grease to seal the thread leakage but that didn't seem right, grease=thickened oil and oils are bad for brake systems.

What did I use?  Plumber's putty.  Cheap, on hand and worked for the remaining three corners.  I rolled a 1/8" diameter "rope" and wraped this around the screw/caliper joint.  Perfect seal and easily removed.  No chance of it migrating to inside the brake system.

Just got back from a test run.  Could not get the wheels to lock.  And that is a good thing because the pedal is rock hard and the ABS is working properly.

That's a great tip!

I had the same problem several weeks ago. I tried using a vacuum pump, but eventually ended up pumping the master cylinder by hand instead...Damned bubbles!

Speaking of vacuum pumps, I see a lot of used moisture aspirator pumps at thrift stores around here. They're powered by 120 VAC, are commonly used for relieving medical respiration problems, and normally generate positive air pressure (essentially, a glorified aquarium pump). However, the two of them I bought also had a vacuum side fitting on the pump motor that wasn't connected to anything. All I had to do was open the case, move the air hose over to this fitting, and viola: A vacuum pump for $5!