Hey, just wanted to share some thoughts. Here's the story.
Took off my brakes to powdercoat but when I took off the rears, the brake bleed screws were seized up and broke off. I tried to break them out with screw extractors, but I broke 2 of them in there. Then I drilled them out a bit to get a bigger screw extractor, which worked a bit,. I don't know if torching the screw helped either. I got half the threads out but the threads on the caliper were screwed up as well. After drilling out the threads to see the problem it was evident that the threads had rusted together and seized beyond repair.
Results: I had to get 2 remanufactured calipers. This took forever since the 3 major car parts chains couldn't order them. I had to drive through the ghetto to an import-only parts store to get one, and they ordered the other. That cost me $210.
Suggestions: Every time you do an oil change (3-9) months, test the bleed screws to make sure they're not seized. You don't need to worry about bleeding them because they have to be spun >1 full turns before they let fluid out. I'm going to take out the bolts and put anti-seize on them every 6 months or so.
One other suggestion; don't drill out the bleed bolts. If you drill through you can't repair the threads. There is a beveled surface below the screw, which seals with the bottom of the screw. If you drill through it, fluid will bleed through the center of the screw at all times.
Anyone else have any suggestions to prevent this from happening?
Took off my brakes to powdercoat but when I took off the rears, the brake bleed screws were seized up and broke off. I tried to break them out with screw extractors, but I broke 2 of them in there. Then I drilled them out a bit to get a bigger screw extractor, which worked a bit,. I don't know if torching the screw helped either. I got half the threads out but the threads on the caliper were screwed up as well. After drilling out the threads to see the problem it was evident that the threads had rusted together and seized beyond repair.
Results: I had to get 2 remanufactured calipers. This took forever since the 3 major car parts chains couldn't order them. I had to drive through the ghetto to an import-only parts store to get one, and they ordered the other. That cost me $210.
Suggestions: Every time you do an oil change (3-9) months, test the bleed screws to make sure they're not seized. You don't need to worry about bleeding them because they have to be spun >1 full turns before they let fluid out. I'm going to take out the bolts and put anti-seize on them every 6 months or so.
One other suggestion; don't drill out the bleed bolts. If you drill through you can't repair the threads. There is a beveled surface below the screw, which seals with the bottom of the screw. If you drill through it, fluid will bleed through the center of the screw at all times.
Anyone else have any suggestions to prevent this from happening?
