brake bleeder screw

[rallydiesel]

I tried that with my downpipe to turbo stud and I snapped it, leaving a nice hard metal chunk in the drilled out stud  :x . All four studs had snapped so with another one I tried an extractor and that snapped  :x  :x  :x . Now I am having a hell of a time drilling into these super hard chunks of metal lodged in the turbine housing  :x   :evil:  :x  :evil:  :x  :evil:

Just thought I'd share my frustration  :cry:

[jtanguay]

I tried that with my downpipe to turbo stud and I snapped it, leaving a nice hard metal chunk in the drilled out stud  :x . All four studs had snapped so with another one I tried an extractor and that snapped  :x  :x  :x . Now I am having a hell of a time drilling into these super hard chunks of metal lodged in the turbine housing  :x   :evil:  :x  :evil:  :x  :evil:

Just thought I'd share my frustration  :cry:

sounds like you're having a worse time than me.  for now i've left the old wheel cylinder (doesn't leak at least) but the car does pull to the new wheel cylinder side when hard braking (so no hard braking unless necessary).  i did however change shoes & springs and turn drums on both sides.  feels good to have braking power again  :oops:

just to get me from point a to b.  what i'm going to do is get some new bolts to hold her in at CCS and just drill out the old bolt... that'll be that.  the other problem is the brake line.  i'm probably just going to buy a straight piece from c-tire and bend it myself.  anti seize and or teflon tape is definitely going on!

[bigblockchev]

The answer is as near as your Princess Auto store. I just got a broken coolant flange stud out of the side of a head. I drilled it and managed to break the drill in the bottom of the hole. No amount of chiseling would remove it. The problem was hard drill bit in somewhat softer steel in really soft aluminium. I went to my friendly PA and bought a couple of sets of 1/8" diamond burrs for $3.99 ea and went home to find my dremel. It took an hour of burring and blowing out the dust to get the stud out but it is very easy to  control. I then cleaned up the hole with a tap and voila fixed. I used up about 4 of the 20 bits in the set.  You probably can't do this in the vehicle. Good luck Dan

[rallydiesel]

I will have to try that because the cobalt bit I have been trying hasn't been doing a thing.

[fatmobile]

I usually spray PB blaster inside the bleeder and give it time to work on the threads from the inside,... a little on the outer threads too.
 Hammering on the top of the bleeder usually ends up with it broken at the surface so I stick an allen wrench down the hole and tap on it so the energy goes to the deep threads.
 I've had several of the allen bolts, holding the wheel cylinders on, strip out lately. I take a cutoff wheel to the wheel cylinder where the bolt goes through, getting as close to the backing plate as required.

 With your luck the brake line will probably freeze in the nut and twist the line when you try to loosen the nut,... after you break it loose just turn the wheel cylinder instead of the nut.
 
Be sure to put some antiseize between the brake line and nut as well as on the line nut threads,... while you have the antiseize out.

[jtanguay]

I usually spray PB blaster inside the bleeder and give it time to work on the threads from the inside,... a little on the outer threads too.
 Hammering on the top of the bleeder usually ends up with it broken at the surface so I stick an allen wrench down the hole and tap on it so the energy goes to the deep threads.
 I've had several of the allen bolts, holding the wheel cylinders on, strip out lately. I take a cutoff wheel to the wheel cylinder where the bolt goes through, getting as close to the backing plate as required.

 With your luck the brake line will probably freeze in the nut and twist the line when you try to loosen the nut,... after you break it loose just turn the wheel cylinder instead of the nut.
 
Be sure to put some antiseize between the brake line and nut as well as on the line nut threads,... while you have the antiseize out.

i'm just going to buy another brake line... probably overkill but it really pissed me off and its rusty anyways (but not too rusty.. i've seen worse!)

i was thinking of grinding off the allen bolt, but i'd rather get some carnage in there so i've decided to drill the bolt out from the other side... oh yess REVENGE is mine!!!  :twisted:.....  oh yea and definitely will goop up those fittings etc.

[Dieselrunner]

If you break off a bleeder screw ,a left hand drill bit is successful about 75% of the time . If not ,then the heat generated from drilling is enough to use an easy out. This does work !!!!!!

[jtanguay]

If you break off a bleeder screw ,a left hand drill bit is successful about 75% of the time . If not ,then the heat generated from drilling is enough to use an easy out. This does work !!!!!!

i would definitely try this for a caliper, but for a wheel cylinder, it wouldn't be worth my time.  i will be bleeding my fronts soon... i'll spray penetrating fluid every day or two before a drive to help loosen them up.

[LeeG]

Ex brake shop mechanic's tips to not breaking bleeders:
1) always put the rubber caps on them
2) a little never seeze on threads only is extra insurance
3) A sharp tap on end of any suspect bleeder to persuade it.
4) before using so much torque that you break it, heat the wheel cylinder from the brake side  just above the bleeder to a nice dull red, then wrench on it  (for calipers heat it just below the bleeder, you want to aim for end of bleeder)

If it breaks:  Take an old file and grind tang down so it is tapered, has nice sharp edges and the end will fit into bleeder.  Pound it in, heat as above and turn with a wrench.

It is possible to bleed some wheel cylinders using a thin wire pushed past the edge of the wheel cup.  Dont cut the edge of the cup though

For stuck line nuts, try a pair of good vice grips, the clamping action will deform nut a bit and often break the rusty bond, otherwise heat and  penetrating oil.