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From: Duncan Wood on 17 Jul 2010 18:47
On Sat, 17 Jul 2010 20:23:25 +0100, Stephen <stephen(a)nowhere.com.invalid>
wrote:

> On Sat, 17 Jul 2010 18:47:28 +0100, "Mrcheerful"
> <nbkm57(a)hotmail.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> I would not recommend it as a job for someone without skills in that
>> direction, just in case (and if the OP was skilled he probably would
>> not be
>> asking here).
>
> If I were skilled, I wouldn't have broken it off! ;)

Oh never bet on that :-)
From: Duncan Wood on 17 Jul 2010 18:52
On Sat, 17 Jul 2010 20:22:43 +0100, Stephen <stephen(a)nowhere.com.invalid>
wrote:

> On Sat, 17 Jul 2010 18:37:26 +0100, "Duncan Wood"
> <nntpnews(a)dmx512.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> I've always got them out with a cordless with a left hand bit or a steep
>> taper tapered extractor
>> (http://www.powertooldirect.co.uk/dormer_m100_no1_csscrew_extracto-p-75220.html)
>
> Thanks. I've never used one but when they've been mentioned here and
> elsewhere on the 'net, people never say nice things about them.

They're not guaranteed to work. If the original failed because it's rusted
in place then the bit you apply them too after you've drilled it is even
weaker. In order to stand a chance of working they're "glass hard" so if
you knock them or bend them sideways whilst using them they snap & then
they're far harder than the original bolt so drilling them out involves a
solid carbide drill, snap that (which is even easier) & it gets really
dull. Left hand drill bits are more reliable for most things, in my
experience, bleed nipples are the odd one out as the tend to have a weak
point between the threaded bit & the hex.
From: Grimly Curmudgeon on 18 Jul 2010 07:01
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Stephen
<stephen(a)nowhere.com.invalid> saying something like:

>If I were skilled, I wouldn't have broken it off! ;)

Don't be so sure - it happens to everyone.
From: McKevvy on 25 Jul 2010 19:05
On 17 July, 13:51, Stephen <step...(a)nowhere.com.invalid> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I read and read the threads here about brake fluid changes to
> familiarise myself and I read that corroded bleed nipples might shear
> and unfortunately, the same thing has happened to me.
>
> It's the one on the front so it's on the caliper of a disc, rather
> than on a drum, not that I expect that makes any difference. It's a
> Citroen C3 but I doubt that makes any difference either.
>
> Not only has the top sheared off but it seems to have sheared below
> the surface of the caliper, so I cannot grab the remnant with mole
> grips or anything like that.
>
> I would think it would have to be drilled out. I know there are
> left-handed screw removers but when I have read about those on the
> 'net, reviews always seem to be uncomplimentary. I'm worried they may
> do more harm than good.
>
> Is there anything I can do, or is it best to take it to a garage now?
> What would they do? Would they attempt to remove the broken part or
> would they just fit a new caliper?
>
> Am I able to drive to the garage or should I be towed? There is a
> Gunson easy bleed on it pushing with 20psi and I would have thought
> that if I had managed to turn the nipple, by now my drive would be
> covered in fluid and the reservoir would be empty but nothing has
> happened. I think I managed to turn the top of the nipple but not the
> bottom! Does this mean that the remnant is still tight and the car is
> safe to drive?
>

Yes it's safe to drive because you haven't actually released the
nipple - you've sheared it at the top while the bottom valve part of
the nipple has remained firmly static.
In your case the caliper will have to be replaced. Financially today
it's a false economy to take it to an engineers to have him drill it
out, re-tap it and replace the new nipple. Best thing to do is to
replace the caliper. In future - if you have the availability - the
best thing to do is put some loosening agent on it the day before you
attempt to slacken it and when you do go to slacken it heat it
surrounding part of the caliper with oxy-acetaline.
When people bleed brakes they often assume that the nipple must be
cranked on tight as buggery but it only need to go on firmly - it wont
slacken because its tapered. Doesn't stop people thinking that it need
to go on with a shipyards strength though.

McK.
From: Stephen on 1 Aug 2010 12:56
On Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:05:27 -0700 (PDT), McKevvy
<vicko_zoomba(a)hotmail.com> wrote:

>In your case the caliper will have to be replaced. Financially today
>it's a false economy to take it to an engineers to have him drill it
>out, re-tap it and replace the new nipple.

Is tapping necessary? Can't they drill it out without damaging the
existing thread?

>Best thing to do is to
>replace the caliper. In future - if you have the availability - the
>best thing to do is put some loosening agent on it the day before you
>attempt to slacken it and when you do go to slacken it heat it
>surrounding part of the caliper with oxy-acetaline.

I did put penetrating oil on but I don't think I left it on for long
enough; it certainly wasn't on for a whole day before. I thought you
couldn't use heat because it would damage seals?

>When people bleed brakes they often assume that the nipple must be
>cranked on tight as buggery but it only need to go on firmly - it wont
>slacken because its tapered. Doesn't stop people thinking that it need
>to go on with a shipyards strength though.

I guess people are scared that if the nipple is loose, brake fluid
will gush out and their brakes will fail so they over tighten. I think
my mistake was to do the opposite: us shipyard strength to undo it!
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