Any one have any suggestions on how to remove a stuck bleeder valve on a brake cylinder? I have a 1979 F250 and the rear driver side bleeder valve will not budge. I tried bleeding it from the brake line, but this was not successful. A neighbor told me that I would likely have to replace the wheel cylinder. I would rather not have to go that far. I am afraid of twisting it off and having more of a mess on my hands.

 

Same thing happened on my brother's truck. Just replace the cylinder. It will cost you some $, but save you alot of time and aggravation. My brother spend 2-3 days trying to get the bleeder valve off, completely stripped it and it wouldn't budge. He then found out that the replacement bleeder valve was $8 (couldn't get just one, had to buy a little kit with different sizes) and the replacement caliper was $15 (after core return).

 

How hard is it to replace? It appears that I might have to dissasemble the whole brake drum and all. Do you know how long it will take and what special tools I will need? The shop manual wasn't very specific.

 

Sorry, not good with drum brakes. I didn't mean that the exact same thing happened to my brother, but the same situation. He's got a chevy and it was on the front caliper, so it was easy R/R.

 

Tried applying Liquid Wrench for a few days? Ya, some might get into the line, but since you're bleeding it anyway....

Othe rnuts/bolts I'd heat them up with a torch, but brake fluid fumes are toxic, so I don't know if you want to do that. Anyone have experience trying this?

As for changing the wheel cylinder, yes you'd have to remove the whole wheel, but when the brakes are not applied, the shoes rest on the post above the wheel cylinder. If you can open one of the other bleeder screws, you may be able to squeeze the pistons in a bit to clear the shoe body. Then it's just a question of clearing the emergency brake arm. Wonder if it would swing up out of the way once the cable's un-hooked.

Of course, personally, if I were going to go to all the trouble of stripping my wheels down to the bare axles - I mean, you have to remove bearings and everything - I'd take the opportunity to do an overhaul. Spring kits are about $30, and new shoes. Add your new wheel cylinder and you have a brand new rear brake system.

 

Do not heat the bleeder value or be extremely careful by the time you heat it up it may and probaly will melt the rubbers in the wheel cylinders.
Best move, repalce wheel cylinder , be careful if the bleeder is seized the brake line probally is to. I suggest to spray the line b-4 you move ahead and try to loosen it.
Take Fred_79250 advise and at least strip the shoes off and clean replace parts as needed. Only do one side at a time so you have a map when re-assembling.
Best of luck
ps rule of thumb - with brakes what you do with one side you should do with the other - not including bleeder value.

 

Looks like I will be doing an overhaul. If I am going to have it apart, I will take Fred_79f250's advice.

What special tools will I need to do the overhaul, and are there any parts that I should look for a head of time? I know that sometimes it is hard to find parts. I don't have a manual at work with me so I will have to look at it when I get home to see what all I need to consider before tearing it down. Any suggestions would be appreciated though.

This is my weekend driver, and I need it while traveling to the cabin on the weekends. It may be a couple of weeks before I can get to it which will give me time to look for parts and pick up tools.

Looks like I will need at least:
Shoes
Wheel cylinder
Spring Kit

Oh, and thanks for the warning about Heating the valve. I will heed the advice.

 

If you're going to replace one cylinder, you should replace both. There's a good chance it will pull afterwards if you don't.

I've never done rears on a Dana 60 before, but you will likely need a couple special tools. They won't be expensive, but they will make the job MUCH easier.

Other than that, take your time, keep all the parts in order, and only do one side at a time. That way you have a reference if you forget how things go back together.

FWIW, replacing the cylinder is the right way to go. If it's so old that the bleeder is frozen, there's a good chance it's leaking internally anyway.

 

Oh yeah, I was definitly planning on doing both. Any idea of the specific tools I will need? I have to make a trip to Sears anyway. I have convinced my girlfriend that tools are an investment, so there is no problem there.

Sorry for the silly request, but I have never done the breaks on the truck.

 

I had some success using a screw extractor.