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MG MGA - Twisted the head off

I just managed to twist the nut and nipple head off of a brake bleeder, the threaded body is stuck in the disc brake body.

Any particular thoughts or tricks?

Thanks,

Tysen
Tysen

Besides a complete drill out the only thing you can do at this stage is to use a small eazy out and hope it doesn't break as well! I would say heat it up but with the brake fluid you may have a large flame on your hands. Good Luck
Ken
Ken

I assume you have a similar item in the US, but here we use an "Eze-Out" which is tapered left hand direction spiral tool.
If really stuck, it will need to be heated with a propane or oxy-acetylene flame.
If heated, you will need to change the seals.

Mick
Mick Anderson

I suppose I should have added that if you heat it with a flame you should remove the cylinder first.

Mick
Mick Anderson

Maybe the best thing to do is find a blacksmith type near you. He may try an EZ out, but leave the decision up to him. He may decide to weld a nut on the leftover piece, turning it out while it's still hot. If it has to be drilled out and threads are ruined, maybe there's even a larger bleeder available. Ain't old cars fun? I'll bet you never try to open a bleeder again without a hammer in your hand. Hang in there, Tysen.

If you have to drive the car for a while before you take the caliper off, try bleeding it by cracking the flex line joint at the caliper. Messy, but it might get you by.
Tom

Tysen-Don't mess with your brakes, you damage your caliper by heating it or break off a ez out in it, you'll really be sunk,you can't find calipers easy . Since it's the end of the driving season, send it to Twist at UML
gary starr

Hi Tysen. A proper removal/repair is always best. but for emergencies, you CAN bleed the caliper WITHOUT a bleeder nipple. Simply loosen and tighten the flexible hose where it attaches to the brake caliper. Bleed the brakes in a normal manner, but use the brake hose to purge the air out of the system instead of the bleeder nipple. I learned this trick from a very old BMC dealer Mechanic back in the 1980's, and have found it useful on several occasions. I would have the snapped off bleeder screw removed professionally. If you foul up, you may need another brake caliper! It is not difficult to snap an easy out during a removal attempt. Then the problem is even more difficult. Cheers! Glenn
Glenn

Heat works well if you do it right. First take your easyout and hammer it mildly into the bleeder hole untill it gets a good grip,then pull it back out of the hole.Next crack your brake line to let fluid drip.Now..the part that has to be done correctly.Get a friend who knows how to use a oxy/act torch correctly and heet the area around the bleed screw very fast to bright RED hot including the broken screw.{This has to be done fast to avoid the heat traveling thru the whole caliper.}Anyway ,once red hot,douse with water untill it stops sizzeling and steaming.Now put your fitted easyout into you prepared hole,squirt with oil and slowly work back and forth untill it comes out.Red hot rust turns to a sort of black graphite when it cools.It has worked for me several times.
Alloy wheel cyls are even more fun.
W C Wolcott

Thanks all. The brake lines are dry, I was in the process of flushing them in anticipation of a rebuild.

I'll take the whole assembly off and see where we go....

Tysen
Tysen

Use a left hand drill, it may pull it out without any additional work, and then use the straight type easy out. They are avalible from Snap-on tools Blue Point Part # 1020. These type of easy out are not tapered and dont break off like the brittle tapered ones. I wont use the tapered ones when they break you cant get them out. Be carefull, an exchange caliper needs a good core.
Randy
R J Brown

Tysen, once you get the offending bleeder removed, put a little antiseze on the threads of the new one, so you don't have this happen again.
John H

Tysen,
I went thru this problem a few months ago. Neither EZ out or heat would allow me to budge the snapped off bleeders, one in each caliper. I thought about leaving them and just using one bleeder, but, in the end, I took it to a machine shop and for about $25 they removed them and left the threads intact. Do yourself a favor, find a car friendly machinest in your area. You will thank me.....

GTF
G T Foster

I had some bad experience with EasyOut. It is OK if it is not rusted in. Have a good look what you do. If the wall is thin, you actually expand the offending bolt or bleed nipple and make it harder to take it out. I had just recently broken bolt on ex manifold. I heat it chery red, and broke the rest of the stud. I then used WD40 just to see what will happen. Over period of two weeks, I let it sit in it. On occation I give it gentel tap. I was supprised when the stud came out with using very little power. I guess patience is the name for WD40
Martin
Martin

Doubtful if an eezi out will work as it usually seems to expand the shell and jam it worse. Don't even think about drilling the nipple you will probably damage the calliper body. Put the calliper in a vice and put one blob of MIG weld on the sheared nipple end walk away and leave it until cold and then apply another carrying on until the nipple shank has been extended. The reason for walking away after each blob of weld is to prevent overheating of the caliper. Now place a nut on top of the weld and gradually fill this up in the same way until it is full. Heat the caliper local to the nipple with a butane flame and slacken the nut.

Clean out the thread and fit a new nipple.
Iain MacKintosh

WD40 is NOT a lubricant, it's a moisture displacer. If you want to free something, use a penetrating oil, as this will work MUCH faster than WD40!
dominic clancy

Ian has my vote for the only fool proof answer IMHO. I might have even added a bit of PB Blaster after each weld cycle.

I have NEVER been successful using an EZ-out as the sole means of extraction.

Chuck
Chuck Schaefer

One "addition" to Ian's suggestion. When you get it to start turning if it is still hard to turn alternate between turning it "out" and "in" while using a penetrating oil on the threads. Slowly turn a little further out that in as you go. You may also want to heat the surrounding metal again. Don't force it and break off your weld. It can take a lot of patience.

HTH

Larry
Larry Hallanger

If you place a wet rag around the caliper, you should be able to weld the nut on fairly quickly without overheating any of the seals. Chances are that you will not have to heat it back up, as the welding process should have done a fine job there.
mike parker

This thread was discussed between 03/11/2005 and 09/11/2005

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