Brake bleed nipples
Discussion
... and these bleed nipples keep giving!
Used lots of Rustoff and WD-40 on mine and 1 came undone, 1 sheared and 2 still undecided which way they want to go.
Reading back through the thread it seems the heat up and cool down method is the way to go - any best suggestions for the snapped one or magic formulae to remove these?
Used lots of Rustoff and WD-40 on mine and 1 came undone, 1 sheared and 2 still undecided which way they want to go.
Reading back through the thread it seems the heat up and cool down method is the way to go - any best suggestions for the snapped one or magic formulae to remove these?
Thanks chaps - sounds like a common problem but you don't half feel p*55*d off when one snaps in your hands!
I popped into my local mechanic and they recommended not to bother with the tap in / reverse drill out tools as they've never had much luck with them, but to take them off (at least the sheared one) and take it to their machine shop who does heads for them when they need them - Middlesex Reboring Co Ltd
Do the brake feed lines have similar problems with shearing as I'll now have to remove those too to take the calliper off (also looks like you can only do those with a spanner due to the pipe etc.)?
I popped into my local mechanic and they recommended not to bother with the tap in / reverse drill out tools as they've never had much luck with them, but to take them off (at least the sheared one) and take it to their machine shop who does heads for them when they need them - Middlesex Reboring Co Ltd
Do the brake feed lines have similar problems with shearing as I'll now have to remove those too to take the calliper off (also looks like you can only do those with a spanner due to the pipe etc.)?
pmessling said:
Still time to use the heat method with some easy outs. If not then they will need to be drilled out and retapped.
You'll snap an "easy-out" that small as soon as look at it (imho) then you will be in the sh#t!Here's what you need ............. Nipple Therapy Kit
And for the brake pipes one of these.......... or cut the pipe, use socket or ring spanner and have a nice new pipe
Edited by phillpot on Thursday 16th August 20:58
I always use a manual impact wrench. The type you hit with a hammer. Never had a problem with them snapping even on a set that hadn't been touched in five years and the car had been stored outside. Once they loosen you can go back to using a spanner.
Reverse drill bits might help to get a snapped one out.
Reverse drill bits might help to get a snapped one out.
phillpot said:
You'll snap an "easy-out" that small as soon as look at it (imho) then you will be in the sh#t!
100% this, almost guaranteed to make your bad day even worse. The one good thing about bleed nipples is they have a nice pilot hole right down the centre which increases the chances of drilling them out without ruining the threads in the caliper.gruffalo said:
I had a couple break on me a while back, got them spark eroded so fit an allen key inside the broken bit and then they just came out leaving the threads nice and clean, no drilling and tapping.
Thanks Martin!Hope the replacement F1 panel is working and the new Ford Black Cherry Red respray is going well and luckily a two away break now to consider my options :-)
@Peter and everyone - thanks hugely for the advice - have ordered a break pipe spanner as recommended by Peter - I think one way or the other I'm going to need to take one or two of these off to get them / re-bore them etc...
First thing to do is shoot your mechanic for letting them get into that state in the first place! When I was servicing I always went round the bleed nipples and cracked them off, worked them a few times, and retightened even if I wasn't changing the fluid. I knew that next service I would need them to come undone, so it was a quick way to make sure they came undone easier next time.If you take them out grease them before you put them back in.
Not sure anyone should be using stainless nipples with a stainless insert, that's a sure fire way to get the two galling and you'll have a whole world of pain.
On seized nipples I use a hot air stripper on the caliper .. I'm not a fan of butane burners in this situation, brake fluid is pretty flammable stuff if you happen to have a leak or set the pipe on fire if you're not paying attention or working in a claustrophic environment and not able to see what else the flame is heating up! .. but I've almost always found that a few minutes of hot air gun on full heat and gentle pressure on the spanner on the nipple gets them undone.
I've only ever had to have one set of caliper nipples spark eroded out on a particularly bad occasion .. 99 percent of times you can get the nipples moving with just a bit of care and some sensible heat.
Not sure anyone should be using stainless nipples with a stainless insert, that's a sure fire way to get the two galling and you'll have a whole world of pain.
On seized nipples I use a hot air stripper on the caliper .. I'm not a fan of butane burners in this situation, brake fluid is pretty flammable stuff if you happen to have a leak or set the pipe on fire if you're not paying attention or working in a claustrophic environment and not able to see what else the flame is heating up! .. but I've almost always found that a few minutes of hot air gun on full heat and gentle pressure on the spanner on the nipple gets them undone.
I've only ever had to have one set of caliper nipples spark eroded out on a particularly bad occasion .. 99 percent of times you can get the nipples moving with just a bit of care and some sensible heat.
Mr2Mike said:
phillpot said:
You'll snap an "easy-out" that small as soon as look at it (imho) then you will be in the sh#t!
100% this, almost guaranteed to make your bad day even worse. The one good thing about bleed nipples is they have a nice pilot hole right down the centre which increases the chances of drilling them out without ruining the threads in the caliper.
spitfire4v8 said:
First thing to do is shoot your mechanic for letting them get into that state in the first place! When I was servicing I always went round the bleed nipples and cracked them off, worked them a few times, and retightened even if I wasn't changing the fluid.
Also a good tip for water pump bolts (although not relevant to the AJP8)Just to update but if this does happen to your brakes, I had the team at BCS Automotive re-drill and fix mine and they did a sterling job 
www.bcs-automotive.co.uk
www.bcs-automotive.co.uk
I used these guys, and I wont be going anywhere near them again. The paint quality is very poor the paint over the chrome link pipe at the bottom of the caliper as well as any chrome bolts . They sent my calipers back refurbished with one of the nipples unmovable like it had been threaded wrongly. I snapped it and sent it back to them, they broke the whole side of the nipple housing of the caliper then wanted to charge me for a new caliper!!. I eventually agreed a 50/50 split on a new caliper but why the hell am I paying for it!!. The paint on two calipers is starting to flake after only a year. Communication was terrible also, they never got in touch to say they had received them and I had to chase them up to find out what the hell was happening with them.
Sheared one if my rear bleed nipples last week. I had bought a set of stainless nipples. Sod’s law the last one to replace broke off.
Managed to get an easy out into the hole and soaked it in release agent for a few hours and it came out.
New stainless nipples and plenty of copper slip.
Managed to get an easy out into the hole and soaked it in release agent for a few hours and it came out.
New stainless nipples and plenty of copper slip.
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