Stuck bleeder valve
 

I finally got around to bleeding my brakes today. My father was over at my place and he helped me out. We used the tried and true pedal pumping method which worked fine until we hit a snag. It looks like the inside bleeder valve on the front passenger caliper is frozen in place. We tried and tried to break it loose but to no avail. It is stuck on there good boys and the worst part is that it is seeping a very small amount of fluid. It looks like it has been seeping for some time now because there was a small amount of brake fluid on the caliper but I never noticed because it was on the inside. We just let it be for now and finished the job but I'm bothered by this. I would like to flush that side and stop the slight seepage. My dad suggested that I take it in to the dealership to avoid breaking the thing and they will probably fix or replace the valve under warranty. I hope the threads on the caliper aren't screwed to hell and have to replace the caliper. Too bad the dealership is 2 hrs away. Do you guys have any suggestions?

Hi,

The only suggestion would be to use a penetrant, like PB Blaster. Use it liberally and let it soak overnight, you can also try some light tapping or heat. The leaking fluid has probably corroded the threads. But don't leave it because not only does it leak fluid, it also leaks air into the system when you release the Brake Pedal, making stopping less efficient and contaminating your fluid.

I usually wrap the threads of my Brake fittings and Bleeder Valves with a Teflon Sealant Tape (on the threads only - don't block the Valve), this makes the seal better and prevents seizing like you're experiencing. Hope this helps. Good Luck!...

Happy Motoring... Jim'99

What is the size and type of tool you used?

I used a box end wrench. I was able to put plenty of torque down with the box wrench, but I couldn't get the valve to budge. We even tried lightly tapping the wrench.

Like Jim, I like the PB Blaster (except for the fact it gives me a headache for some reason). It's great stuff. One other thing you can try if the PB Blaster doesn't work is use a small hammer to tap the bleeder valve a little (not real hard). That can sometimes break loose the rust that's down in the threads and allow you to loosen the bleeder. Before you get it out of there, I'd go to the dealer and grab a new one to put in its' place so it doesn't happen again. Take the old one out and use a small brush to clean out the threads, bleed some fluid out to clean out the junk then put the new one in. After you do it, you ought to bleed the whole system again to make sure you get all of the bubbles out. :cheers:

P.S. As a personal preference, deep 5-point sockets are best for everything to keep from rounding off under pressure.