Ever sheared off a bleed nipple?

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Ever sheared off a bleed nipple?

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Well, after 35 years or so of DIY car maintenance, I achieved this milestone today.

Looking back....it was always going to happen....

Sprayed it with a bit of plusgas......didn't wait any length of time, no preheating/freezing or whatever, just put on the snugly fitting 13mm socket, and give it a gentle try with the normal ratchet.

Obviously that wasn't going to work. Thats when I spotted the breakerbar...no point straining myself with the little rachet....on it went.

Plenty of leverage there....and......bingo the nipple's off sheared flat with the top of the caliper-the threaded section obviously didn't budge at all.

So I lost my sheared bleed nipple virginity today, surely there's none left now on the FCF :-D

Regards Neil

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Re: Ever sheared off a bleed nipple?

Post by Peter.N. »

I have done it on occasion but have found it quite satisfactory to bleed it by slackening the feed pipe - if that will come undone of course!

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Re: Ever sheared off a bleed nipple?

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

I haven't (yet), but I used Plus Gas, time, and copper slip grease in the threads once removed.
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Re: Ever sheared off a bleed nipple?

Post by Stickyfinger »

NewcastleFalcon wrote:Well, after 35 years or so of DIY car maintenance, I achieved this milestone today.

Looking back....it was always going to happen....

Sprayed it with a bit of plusgas......didn't wait any length of time, no preheating/freezing or whatever, just put on the snugly fitting 13mm socket, and give it a gentle try with the normal ratchet.

Obviously that wasn't going to work. Thats when I spotted the breakerbar...no point straining myself with the little rachet....on it went.

Plenty of leverage there....and......bingo the nipple's off sheared flat with the top of the caliper-the threaded section obviously didn't budge at all.

So I lost my sheared bleed nipple virginity today, surely there's none left now on the FCF :-D

Regards Neil

Apoligies to FCF purists...it was on Luton's Finest not the Picasso!

Sorry but the Judgement of the Committee is as follows:

However sorry for you we are, as the action was NOT made upon a Citroen or part thereof, then the Award cannot be Transferred for this Act.

The fact a braker-bar was used upon the bleed nipple was taken into account in this case and be commented as a "good effort"



Judgement on this day of 19th October in the year of our Lord 2015


NobHead of The Week Award
Committee Chairman[/quote]
Last edited by Stickyfinger on 20 Oct 2015, 00:03, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Ever sheared off a bleed nipple?

Post by elma »

I guess I'm still ahead then.
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Re: Ever sheared off a bleed nipple?

Post by Stickyfinger »

You are allowed to nominate :)
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Re: Ever sheared off a bleed nipple?

Post by elma »

Just biding my time.

I've not sheared a bleed nipple yet but I've several ex brake lines to my name.
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Re: Ever sheared off a bleed nipple?

Post by CitroJim »

Yes, I have... Pug 205 front calipers were famous for it.. They were made of ally and the nipple steel... Go figure :twisted:

I used to drill them out oversize, retap and make up an adaptor from a bit of brass on the lathe...

One like this:

Image

Can be adapted even to Luton's finest :wink:
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Re: Ever sheared off a bleed nipple?

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

CitroJim wrote:Yes, I have... Pug 205 front calipers were famous for it.. They were made of ally and the nipple steel... Go figure :twisted:

I used to drill them out oversize, retap and make up an adaptor from a bit of brass on the lathe...

One like this:

Image

Can be adapted even to Luton's finest :wink:
Jim, in my book that is what is known as a work of art :!: Lovely :)

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Re: Ever sheared off a bleed nipple?

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Stickyfinger wrote:
Sorry but the Judgement of the Committee is as follows:

However sorry for you we are, as the action was NOT made upon a Citroen or part thereof, then the Award cannot be Transferred for this Act.

The fact a braker-bar was used upon the bleed nipple was taken into account in this case and be commented as a "good effort"



Judgement on this day of 19th October in the year of our Lord 2015


NobHead of The Week Award
Committee Chairman
Honoured to be considered for the award but looks like I have just missed out :-D

I was perhaps lulled into a false sense of security by the "meatiness" of the nipple....a full 13mm no less. In mitigation i cut my bleed nipple teeth on things much smaller like this:-

Image

...thats 1/4" nut, and 1/4" unf thread and this is the vehicle in question

Image

regards Neil
Last edited by NewcastleFalcon on 20 Oct 2015, 15:01, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Ever sheared off a bleed nipple?

Post by van ordinaire »

Many years ago (on a £10 Wolseley 6/110 - if you really want to know) when 3/8" AF (although I suspect they were actually Whit!).

Drilling out a bleed nipple, in situ, with a hand held drill was not my idea of fun so I avoided it like the plague* - until I got the Cadillac! Mercifully, they are bigger (11mm?) &, with much care , prep. & trepidation, proved no prob. Whether I'm now confident to tackle another British/European car, is another matter.

* except a roadside repair on an Austin Champ - BUT they are (immsmr) 1/2" (massive back then) - not that that helped the Falcon, in fact lulled him into a false sense of security.
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Re: Ever sheared off a bleed nipple?

Post by daviemck2006 »

I've never sheared a bleed nipples, and although I did not do it personally I know about the alloy brake calipers and steel bits screwed into them on 205s. Witness the two new calipers on my 205. Perhaps I should take out the nipples and hoses just now when they are new and refitting them with plumbers thread tape then getting some denso tape to cover them with!
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Re: Ever sheared off a bleed nipple?

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

van ordinaire wrote: * except a roadside repair on an Austin Champ .
random link for today

On "Tracks of my years" on Radio 2's Ken Bruce Show this morning, Sean Hughes selected the Teardrop Explodes song "Treason-(Its Just a Story)"

and guess what vehicle features in the Teardrop Explodes video for their song "Reward"

Yes its the Austin Champ....what are the chances of that happening?



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Re: Ever sheared off a bleed nipple?

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

...Random link of the day 2

Just to establish how unlikely it was that the Austin Champ would be mentioned within the FCF, I put a seach enquiry on the forum for the word "Champ".

Never has it appeared before in the context of a mention of the Austin Champ, so today's entry mention by Van Ordinaire was the very first time, and on the exact day the Teardrop Explodes receives a play on Radio 2.......as before what are the chances of that happening?

The word "Champ" does get a mention, by CitroJim no less, in the thread "Best Driving Music!" in the context of his little Champ, although Jim's little Champ is probably more modern than this one :!:

Image

Still the old thread was interesting from my point of view, being a Steely Dan appreciator, on the back of a mention by Active8, of FM by Steely Dan, Steve (Myglaren) offered up this from Rosie Vela. Its from a collaboration with Becker and Fagen of Steely Dan, and much enjoyed by me this afternoon. Possibly an acquired taste but interesting nonetheless.



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Re: Ever sheared off a bleed nipple?

Post by CitroJim »

Now that's a Black Face Champ and older and more special than mine... Mine's a Sliver Face...

Electrically almost identical though... Both have a 12AX7 and 6V6 with a 5Y3 full-wave rectifier..

Here's a Sllver Face:

Image
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