Nipple broken off caliper,what are my options?
Discussion
I've drilled out the nipple,which i've done before to great effect,but this time things didnt' go right.Drilled out nipple ok,but must have just nicked original threads,new nipple was slack!Tried drilling out then to m10,for whatever reason my tap and die piece must have been worn,again nipple was a loose fit.So now i have a perfect threaded hole using an 'unused' bit from my tap and die set,an m12 1.75 pitch hole,and yes,you've guessed it,you can't get a nipple this size lol.I really want to get a bleed nipple back in somehow,i'm temporarily going to fit a short m12 1.75 pitch bolt and a copper washer.What are my options?Caliper has two nipples,just one's buggered.
stevieturbo said:
What's it made from ?
Weld it up and have it drilled/machined out by someone less likely to screw it up ? lol
Or buy another caliper, and learn the lesson not to f
k about.
If the calliper is very expensive as suggested above get a pro to sort it. If it's not as above replace it. How little is your life worth not to mention other road/track users. Weld it up and have it drilled/machined out by someone less likely to screw it up ? lol
Or buy another caliper, and learn the lesson not to f
k about.stevieturbo said:
What's it made from ?
Weld it up and have it drilled/machined out by someone less likely to screw it up ? lol
Or buy another caliper, and learn the lesson not to fk about.
It's an alloy caliper I'm 'fWeld it up and have it drilled/machined out by someone less likely to screw it up ? lol
Or buy another caliper, and learn the lesson not to f
k about.king about' with, a brembo.Drilled a few nipples out before no problem but mostly with steel calipers, this is first time with an alloy one.As I said I now have a perfect tapped hole with no damage at all to the base/seat where the nipple settles on.I, ve seen m12 nipples on Ebay and the likes but they are a '1' pitch thread, it's a 1.75 I need.If a tap is worn it will make tighter threaded holes, not slacker ones, I think you may need a thread gauge and a visit to Specsavers. 
Try Wilwood for big nipples although they will be Imperial, they make a large threaded (internally and externally) insert which has a separate nipple in the middle.
Failing that you will now have to have a special fitting made like the ones Wilwood use except metric.
Try Wilwood for big nipples although they will be Imperial, they make a large threaded (internally and externally) insert which has a separate nipple in the middle.
Failing that you will now have to have a special fitting made like the ones Wilwood use except metric.
Evoluzione said:
If a tap is worn it will make tighter threaded holes, not slacker ones, I think you may need a thread gauge and a visit to Specsavers.
Try Wilwood for big nipples although they will be Imperial, they make a large threaded (internally and externally) insert which has a separate nipple in the middle.
Failing that you will now have to have a special fitting made like the ones Wilwood use except metric.
Willwood?Quick search on Google,is that the company in the U.S?Trying to find a stockist in UK.Had a quick look at your profile,i have a Coupe 20v turbo!Small world. Try Wilwood for big nipples although they will be Imperial, they make a large threaded (internally and externally) insert which has a separate nipple in the middle.
Failing that you will now have to have a special fitting made like the ones Wilwood use except metric.
rumpelstiltskin said:
Willwood?Quick search on Google,is that the company in the U.S?Trying to find a stockist in UK.Had a quick look at your profile,i have a Coupe 20v turbo!Small world.
I've got Wilwoods on the Coupe Your search will take you to the sole UK distributor: Rallydesign.co.uk.
rumpelstiltskin said:
I, ve seen m12 nipples on Ebay and the likes but they are a '1' pitch thread, it's a 1.75 I need.
That's because all brake fittings are fine thread. They never use coarse threads, and certainly nothing as rough as 1.75. That'd be crazy to tap it that size unless you intended bolting an M12 bolt into it.It's probably beyond helicoiling if you've already tapped it as large as coarse M12, a TIMsert might be an option if there is enough material as they tend to require a larger hole for any given internal thread size
Or have some sort of custom insert made up.
All of the above assumes the actual tapered seat where the nipple seals is still intact and undamaged, and there is actually enough material for such a large drilling.
I think I'd bin it. Possibilities are to helicoil it with a fine insert, strip it and get the hole tigged up and re-machine, get an inset made up, but........
Nowadays, on anything I'm going to keep, put a penetrating fluid on the nipple, tap the top with a light hammer, put on more fluid, wait for a hour, replace with a stainless nipple and polyurethane seal. If some chump has rounded off the hex, weld a bolt to it.
Nowadays, on anything I'm going to keep, put a penetrating fluid on the nipple, tap the top with a light hammer, put on more fluid, wait for a hour, replace with a stainless nipple and polyurethane seal. If some chump has rounded off the hex, weld a bolt to it.
TheRealFingers99 said:
Being a very coarse thread I'd think it couldn't apply enough torque to seal. Also, that if the OP had the equipment to do that, he'd not have messed up the thread in the first place. Such is life......
As i said i've drilled out many things and retapped them no problem,for whatever reason first tap i used was just slack as fk(never had that happen before).I've just inserted the m12 bolt i have and copper washer and it's holding pressure perfectly,no leaks.I'll make a custom bleed nipple for it when i get round to itEvoluzione said:
If a tap is worn it will make tighter threaded holes, not slacker ones, I think you may need a thread gauge and a visit to Specsavers.
Vist to specsavers went well,in fact they told me i had 20/20 vision as unlike everyone else i didn't go into the fishmongers next door for my appointment.rumpelstiltskin said:
sassanach0 said:
why can't you m/c the m12 bolt into a bleed nipple?
I'm thinking about that.In reply to the other replies the nipple seat is untouched,managed to remove old nipple base cleanly.Probably too late for this but are you using the same bleed nipples or have you sourced a new set? Imperial and Metric sizes are very similar, can't remember off the top of my head which way round it is, but one will seemingly fit the other properly but then probably knacker the thread when tightened and the other way around will fit loosely.
It's very, very easy to mix them up.
Also worth pointing out that around the bleed nipple is quite a high stress area, I would never risk using a caliper that's been bodged about with around there. I've even seen calipers crack with use in that area after particularly hamfisted race mechanics have overtightened them repeatedly.
It's very, very easy to mix them up.
Also worth pointing out that around the bleed nipple is quite a high stress area, I would never risk using a caliper that's been bodged about with around there. I've even seen calipers crack with use in that area after particularly hamfisted race mechanics have overtightened them repeatedly.
Edited by The Wookie on Monday 16th June 16:24
Gassing Station | Suspension, Brakes & Tyres | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff