i am about to replace the front to rear brake line, plus the ones that go from the t-piece to the rear radius arms and i dont think my bleed nipples have been used for several years! any advice on making sure that they dont snap? i have been wd-40'ing them, and was thinking about some heat as well?
Bleed Nipples
Started by
finch661
, Mar 11 2010 02:18 PM
1 reply to this topic
#1
finch661
-
- Members
-
- 2,340 posts
Up Into Fourth
- Location: Kirkwall
- Local Club: none
Posted 11 March 2010 - 02:18 PM
#2
dklawson
-
- TMF+ Member
-
- 10,923 posts
Moved Into The Garage
- Name: Doug
- Location: Durham, NC - USA
- Local Club: none
Posted 11 March 2010 - 05:25 PM
WD-40 is better than nothing but real penetrating oil will be better still.
With the oil on the threads, take a soft faced mallet (wood, plastic, NOT metal) and tap the head of the nipple like you were trying to drive it into the caliper. Don't hit it too hard... just a sharp blow or two with the mallet to shock the joint and help work the oil in. Do this several times and allow the oil time to work its way in.
On a recent thread (I can't remember if it was on this board or not) a person made what seemed to be a very clever suggestion... however I haven't tried this. Their advice was to take your set of drill bits and first, use the fluted end to clean out all the debris in the nipple before anything else. Use the largest drill bit that fits the hole and only turn it in by hand. When you're done cleaning the hole, flip the drill bit "over" and insert it in the nipple so its shank fills the hole. Leave the drill bit in the hole when you first go to loosen the nipple. That way when you are attempting to loosen the nipple the first time it is less likely to collapse on itself and shear off.
Further to that, when you are ready to loosen the nipple, use a box end spanner, not an open end one. Work the wrench in short arcs TIGHTENING just a bit first, then loosening. Wiggle it back and forth in increasingly larger arcs. Don't try to back it all the way out from the start. Working the nipple back and forth will help get the penetrating oil down along the threads and softens/breaks-up any rust. Eventually you'll feel that the nipple is completely loose allowing you to back it out as much as you want without worry.
With the oil on the threads, take a soft faced mallet (wood, plastic, NOT metal) and tap the head of the nipple like you were trying to drive it into the caliper. Don't hit it too hard... just a sharp blow or two with the mallet to shock the joint and help work the oil in. Do this several times and allow the oil time to work its way in.
On a recent thread (I can't remember if it was on this board or not) a person made what seemed to be a very clever suggestion... however I haven't tried this. Their advice was to take your set of drill bits and first, use the fluted end to clean out all the debris in the nipple before anything else. Use the largest drill bit that fits the hole and only turn it in by hand. When you're done cleaning the hole, flip the drill bit "over" and insert it in the nipple so its shank fills the hole. Leave the drill bit in the hole when you first go to loosen the nipple. That way when you are attempting to loosen the nipple the first time it is less likely to collapse on itself and shear off.
Further to that, when you are ready to loosen the nipple, use a box end spanner, not an open end one. Work the wrench in short arcs TIGHTENING just a bit first, then loosening. Wiggle it back and forth in increasingly larger arcs. Don't try to back it all the way out from the start. Working the nipple back and forth will help get the penetrating oil down along the threads and softens/breaks-up any rust. Eventually you'll feel that the nipple is completely loose allowing you to back it out as much as you want without worry.
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users
