How would you remove a stuck brake bleeding valve? This is on a 98 chevy (it's not mine!)truck, font driver's side caliper. We needed to bleed the brakes and got all the other's but this one was slightly stripped already. We tried wd40 and vise grips but no luck. Now it is completely stripped and still can't get it off. It will obviously be replaced, but how do we get it off!?

 

The easiest and often cheapest is to replace the caliper.

 

Yea, that is easier, but it's not gonna happen.
Anyone else

 

Search on my name and "bleeder", I posted about that a while ago. You have to remove the caliper to have any hope (50/50) of not messing up the threads. I have only been able to save 1/2 the ones I work on.

 

Try soaking the bleeder with Kano-Kroil or the aerosol version "Aero-Kroil".
Give it a good shot, let it sit about 30 minutes, then another shot - wait 30 minutes, then have at it.

Extremely good at getting through rust and 'boogered up' threads.

If that doesn't break the bleeder loose, you just might have to bite the bullet and replace the caliper.

To me, this would approach the limit of time-vs-money debate.

My 2¢.

 

try an "easy out"

 

easy out doesnt work too well. i broke one of my bleeders once down to the caliper, then tried an easy out, broke that too in the caliper. i used pb blaster too.

 

loosen the brake hose and bleed it

 

I have always had good success with heat - lots of it. I use an acetylene torch and heat the casting around the bleeder until the bleeder screw glows red. I don't direct the flame at the bleeder but the envelope of the flame heats the screw. Then I cool it fairly quickly with a spray bottle of water. I use a mist/spray setting rather than a stream and keep spraying until the water no longer evaporates on contact. The thermal cycle breaks the "seize" on the threads.

I always seem to get them out, but often have to replace them after this treatment because it's pretty easy to start melting them. I have never melted the seals doing this, but I strongly recommend COMPLETELY flushing the brake system once all the bleeders are free. A coat of anti-seize on the threads of the bleeder screw helps a lot, but care must be taken not to get any on the cone (seating area) as it may contaminate the brake fluid.

FWIW, I live in the rust belt (Southern Ontario) and I have not had to replace a caliper or wheel cylinder due to bleeder screws or internal pitting due to "wet" brake fluid for over 10 years.

Good luck with your repairs.

Cheers,
Eric

 

why is it "not gonna happen?" Lemme tell you a story. I had a bad brake hose on my delta, so I took it off. Put the new one on, and time to bleed it, right? snapped the ******* right off. $20, and I got a new caliper, after screwing around trying to collapse the piston and bleed it that way, and all that garbage. Took me 15 minutes to throw on.

2 weeks later, the other hose took a dump. Walked into the auto parts store, got a hose and a caliper right off the bat. tried to take out the bleeder screw, and rounded it off. "f*** this" I think, and throw the new caliper on. it takes me 15 minutes to swap calipers on that car, and another 5 minutes to bleed the brakes by myself, as opposed to who knows how long screwing around with the old bleeder screw.

 

Yeah I once spent the time and money to rebuild my own caliper. Turns out it would have been cheaper to just take the on the shelf rebuilds with warranty.

A rebuilt caliper is not that expensive. I think the ones for my 94 F250 were something like $25 with core exchange. I spent more money and several hours messing with the caliper from my truck. getting the piston in was a beach at leas on my truck.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

my boss tried bleeding his brakes with a vice grip. (not very mechanicaly inclined but he was in a bind) he successfully bled them but turned out he needed a new master cylinder. he bought the part and i changed it out. when it came time to bleed the passenger side front, the valve was all the way stripped and wasnt coming off with anything, wd 40 vice grips nothing. i will be replacing that caliper this afternoon. while i am at it, where can you buy them little bleeder valves anyhow? we asked at advance and autozone and they both told us that they sold a universial set that had to be ordered. is this true? or were they trying to get a caliper sold instead of a 40 cent part?

 

I was thinking about heat, but didn't seem like a good idea


It's not gonna happen because it's my brother's truck, and I KNOW he would rather spend a whole day trying to get that thing off than throw more money at it. Anyway, the truck is braking fine after another bleed so I guess it will stay that way for now.

Thanks for all the ideas!

 

the very first thing i do with brake bleeders is give them a good coat of neverseize. 13 years later i did the brakes again on the superduty, and they broke loose rite away real easy.