brake Caliper bleeder

[bizzs]

Hi guys,

Anyone know a trick on how to unloosen a broken bleeder valve. I have enough room to get vice grips on it, but the grips keep on stripping the outer part of the valve. The valve is very soft, and the vice grips seem to crush it. I tried heat with negative results along with power blaster.

Thanks
bizzs

 

[Mr Dubya]

Have you attemped to use a 6-pointed socket? If necessary, take one size smaller of a socket (jumping between metric or standard, whichever is the most snug) and hammer it on. Buy a fresh replacement bleeder valve at the store.

Do not attempt this with a 12-pointed socket.

I did this for two calipers the first time I ever serviced them.


-Dubya

 

[bizzs]

Thanks for the reply. I did that method with a 6 point socket first and it would not work. It actually broke part of the valve. I can get a pair of vice grips on it but the bleeder is very soft and it the grips crush it.

 

[Mr Dubya]

Sorry, I must have skipped over the word broken - I can see now that you did mention that. My recommendations would be one of the following options, A, B, or C:

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A1) Disconnect the caliper from the banjo-bolt - clamp the brake hose with a pair needled vice grips with rubber lining on their teeth.

A2) Take the caliper to a bench to work on.

A3) Heat the caliper up around the area of the bleeder valve - avoid heating the valve itself.

A4) As it's cooling, use a washer and nut to weld on the (cleaned) bleeder valve end.

A5) Take an impact gun to the newly-welded nut.

A6) When it breaks off the valve, clean the area and start again. Repeat with the impact gun.

A7) This is the most sure-fire way of getting it out, however it requires the most equipment. If this is not a possibility for you - see Option B. If the valve becomes irremovable - or the caliper threads destroyed - see Option C.

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B1) Buy a bolt extractor kit at your local tool store. Set the caliper on a bench and secure in a vice, like before.

B2) Pre-drill a small hole - perfectly centered - within the bleeder screw. Do not let it drill off-center.

B3) Heat the caliper up around the area of the bleeder valve - avoid heating the valve itself. Let the caliper cool a bit before proceeding.

B3) Use the appropriately-sized extractor bit in your drill, and set to reverse (it is a reverse-threaded drill bit, which cuts into the valve's/bolt's/whatever's center and turns it out.) Too big of a bit and you'll just annihilated the valve, aim smaller.

B4) When it fails (it likely will) - see Option C. When the bolt extractor breaks inside the f%&#ing valve, demand your money back from the store you bought it at - and see Option C.

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C1) Buy a new caliper (with new valve included) at your local parts store, and exchange the old one with the broken valve for the core charge.

C2) Open a beer and ask yourself why you didn't just choose Option C in the first place.






In all seriousness, that situation leaves you with few creative options. Your vice grips will NEVER remove that broken valve if a six-point socket failed. That's the plain truth.


-Dubya

 

[D Hook]

Go straight to option C.