Hi guys,

Decided i'd save some cash and change the rear pads and discs myself as I've not been feeling all that lazy (yes I'm fairly competant).

...when loosening the bleed nipple on the first caliper it was very stiff and hard to undo so I went down the line of WD40 and gentley gentley (learned not to go at it like a bull in a china shop when I was younger with a renault 19 and snapped bleed nipple). The nipple had possibly been cross threaded when inserted before and it stripped some of the metal from the inside of the caliper on to the bleed nipple, I cleaned it up and cleared the thread on the nipple but it's a no go - I then tried to put it back in (failed misserably) so tried to tap the hole (as best i could) to the same size, this didn't work either...

My question is - do I need a new caliper or would an engineering firm be able to re tap the hole to a larger size and provide a larger bleed nipple....

soooo annoying :(

Any help appreciated...

It's possible they could retap it - probably worth asking a local firm.

On a side issue though; why were you loosening the bleed nipple when changing the pads/discs?

It's possible they could retap it - probably worth asking a local firm.

On a side issue though; why were you loosening the bleed nipple when changing the pads/discs?

Was thinking the same thing :-)

And on getting it retaped to same or bigger > Yes and just take it to your local garage as most would have the tools to do it.

Its not hard to do.

If your deperate, there's always the possiblity of a helicoil. You could then use the standard size nipple.

You would need to check there is sufficient thread depth to achieve this without damaging the bottom of the hole against which the bleed nipple seals. Certainly something an engineering firm could advise on.

It's possible they could retap it - probably worth asking a local firm.

On a side issue though; why were you loosening the bleed nipple when changing the pads/discs?

I was loosening the bleed nipple so that I could bleed the brakes :(

Have tried retapping but no success, looking at the hole size I think it has already been retapped before so can't really so any bigger (assume a previous owner or garage did this). Looks like it's new caliper time, doh!

I was changing the brake fluid in my cupra r this weekend and both my rear bleed nipples were stiff but they loosened off a bit by opening and closing a few times.

I think that they are all stiff you dident have a problem there.

If it were me i would get a new caliper wouldnt mess about with re-tapping. Dont think there was a problem in the first place. :(

You dident really need to open the bleed nipple to push the caliper back anyway just open the reservoir up and wind the piston back slowly.

You dident really need to open the bleed nipple to push the caliper back anyway just open the reservoir up and wind the piston back slowly.

That was my thought; I presume he was changing the brake fluid at the same time.

I was changing the brake fluid in my cupra r this weekend and both my rear bleed nipples were stiff but they loosened off a bit by opening and closing a few times.

I think that they are all stiff you dident have a problem there.

If it were me i would get a new caliper wouldnt mess about with re-tapping. Dont think there was a problem in the first place. :(

You dident really need to open the bleed nipple to push the caliper back anyway just open the reservoir up and wind the piston back slowly.

I changed the discs and pads on mine and also released the bleed nipple to allow the fluid to pass while winding the piston back in. It says to do it this way in the Haynes manual to avoid dirt entering the ABS solenoid. Having not had a car with ABS before I had no previous experience to draw on so went with Haynes with no problems. Is this just being over cautious or is contaminating the solenoid a possibility?

I changed the discs and pads on mine and also released the bleed nipple to allow the fluid to pass while winding the piston back in. It says to do it this way in the Haynes manual to avoid dirt entering the ABS solenoid. Having not had a car with ABS before I had no previous experience to draw on so went with Haynes with no problems. Is this just being over cautious or is contaminating the solenoid a possibility?

I wouldn't have thought that'd be an issue, I've certainly never heard of any cars having any problems from this. I suppose there is no issue doing it this way apart from the hassle of bleeding the brakes as you do it, plus the risk of damaging the bleed nipple thread as you have evidently discovered! If you bled the brakes each change though, you'd have to top up the brake fluid after each brake change.

Edited 21 February, 201016 yr by yashicamat

You dident really need to open the bleed nipple to push the caliper back anyway just open the reservoir up and wind the piston back slowly.

Rear pison can't be pushed back, it needs to be pushed and turned at the same time.... but yes, opening up the reservoir is the way to go :-)

If you think that the caliper bleed nipples are likely to be tight or seized it always a good idea to give the end of the nipple a couple of sharp raps with a medium size hammer. This will help break any corrosion and make it easier to undo.

If the worst happens and the nipple shears off try removal by driving a suitable size torx driver bit in the broken bit . Nipples should be lubricated with brake oil before insertion in caliper. Nipples are almost always overtightened. They only require to be lighty nipped up to seal on the soft aluminum caliper. The tightening torque should be little more than you would apply to a central heating radiator bleed nipple. Check for any leaks by applying brake pedal hard with engine running.

Hi Guys, Its always good practice to push back / wind calipper pistons back with the bleed open as i have seen a number of brake systems invert the seals. Takes 2 mins and also gets some fresh brake fluid in to the system.

Yep, that is the correct way.

Yeah I kinda wished I'd just opened the cap and wound back (I have a windback kit so this wouldn't have been a problem)... as it is I'm stuck with buying a new caliper (found one at a VW specialist brand new OEM - Lucas) for £88.

Ordered an eezee bleeding kit so will give this ago (at the moment been using a 1 way valve and someone to pump the brake pedal

The easy bleed kits are great, you need to let some air out of the spare tyre you're connecting it up to first though. And its still handy to have a helper to keep an eye on the level in the top up jar while you loosen or tighten the nipple on each caliper.