Leaving the brake fluid change on the C8 till the last minute before setting off on holiday was certain to attract problems but I was determined to do it. Visions of a fully-laden car with bikes on board being pushed down a French hill by 1250kg of caravan while I uselessly pumped the brake pedal haunted me.
So, ably assisted by my Gunson ezibleed, I'd done 3 of the 4 nipples but the offside rear was solid. I've wrung off my fair share of bleed nipples in the past so I thought I'd use the blowlamp. Now I do dimly remember my son telling me he was going camping weeks ago and that the gas cylinder on the blowlamp was the same as on his camping stove but that wouldn't be a problem because I always keep a spare cylinder.
He'd beaten me to it! The half-used cylinder and the spare were gone.
That's when I lathered the nipple in more WD40 and went to get the drill. I thought if I put it on a torque setting that guaranteed some slippage, the vibration might loosen the nipple. It would be just like whacking the spanner with a hammer, but more consistent. Well, it worked. Using ever-increasing torque settings and occasionally setting it to tighten instead of loosen eventually released the nipple.
This is probably a well-known method for some of you but I couldn't find it in a search.
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A new one for me, my days of kerbside head gasket replacements and other similar motoring delights are over, but new (to me) tips are always welcome. They can always be applied to other problems. Thanks for passing that one on. I still have an Ezibleed in the garage. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 30 Aug 10 at 10:29
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I reckon the good old Ezibleed was just about the best ever D-I-Y bit of kit invented. Cheap and it worked. Mine was used countless times. The Colortune with the glass topped spark plug wasn't up to much in my opinion.
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I sent an Ezibleed to a friend in Australia, after I had described it during a visit when he was having trouble with a beaten up farm ute, (pickup). Apparently nothing similar is availiable out there.
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Why do we leave such things till the last minute though must be a bloke thing, glad it worked out H not sure as i'd have been brave enough to use a power tool but you did it so fair enough.
I've usually freed them by giving them a few direct taps with a toffee hammer and then working them both ways between taps.
Another vote for the Eezibleed.
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i wont do nipples
i always go for the pipe or hose,these always undo and are a cheaper alternative to cylinders or calipers or faffing with easy outs
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So how do you bleed the system after you've changed the pipe or hose Bb, without using the nipple?
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i let the pipe be just slightly open
this fills the cylinder then backs up and dribles
leave it for 10 minutes and then nip up
if you have a abs the procedure can be different but you wouldnt be using a mechanical fluid type drainer then would you
one other tip if replacing a rear cylinder,bag the master cylinder cap and then with brake pipe undone it wont empty the pipe so replace cylinder use the method described to fill up new cylinder and you donr need to do a painful full brake purge
one other thing
workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Can-You-Believe-This/video/486759/31710.html
watch it to the end to learn
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Thanks BB, thats two things learnt today. I'd better have a lie down. :-)
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...This is probably a well-known method for some of you but I couldn't find it in a search...
We used to call it 'shocking the thread'.
An impact air gun does the same, as does one of those hand impact tools which you smack on the end with a hammer.
Same technique works with screws - smack the end of the screwdriver with a hammer while twisting it at the same time.
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>> ...This is probably a well-known method for some of you but I couldn't find it
>> in a search...
>>
>> We used to call it 'shocking the thread'.
>>
>> An impact air gun does the same, as does one of those hand impact tools
>> which you smack on the end with a hammer.
>>
>> Same technique works with screws - smack the end of the screwdriver with a hammer
>> while twisting it at the same time.
>>
>>
Using a cordless drill as a lightweight impact driver hadn't occured to me. I have a heavy duty impact driver but you can't use it on easily sheared kit.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 30 Aug 10 at 15:03
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>>watch it to the end to learn
Nice party trick Bb.
My cars were 0.11 and 0.13 - smug or what? The one with a hydraulic clutch had clutch fluid at 0.4. I think I can risk that boiling.
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>> Why do we leave such things till the last minute though must be a bloke
>> thing,
Well it was to do with renewing planning permission and the local council deciding that I must have a Flood Risk Assessment done. Consultants wanted an arm etc. and the permission would have expired by the time they could fit me in so I did it myself. We delayed the start of our hols. so I could complete it, and the percolation test. A few late nights educating myself, the Environment Agency being a bit mean, and a bit of stress to turn it around in time.
Last minute is a bloke thing agreed, but not in this case.
BB nice video of a skinny disc and I'll try the multimeter test later.
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I think I would rather stick with the brakes the way they are than try to change fluids etc just before leaving on a big journey!
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...I think I would rather stick with the brakes the way they are...
Me too, especially as it's a Citroen.
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There's a similar impact / vibrating tool available for removing diesel engine glow plugs which are fragile and often snap, necessitating a tricky repair.
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>> ...I think I would rather stick with the brakes the way they are...
>>
>> Me too, especially as it's a Citroen.
>>
>>
Wimps, the pair of you. :-)
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I'll try the multimeter test later.a
I loaned my multimeter to my mate last week, some problem on his caraven. Took it away with him.
It's only a £20 Gunson, but it's so useful, for mains as well as motors. Got it back over the weekend, in a small plastic bag. It had been cleaned and polished to within an inch of it's life.
'Nice' thought I. No dried paint or grease, no fluff around the readout window. Looked as if it had had an application of Mr Sheen !
Went round to SILs today to check his Blingo Van....battery or alternator ? Got no readout with the engine running after a jump start. Alternator, thought I, Double checked against the Vitara...still nowt
Lovely looking bit of kit now but useless ! Wonder I he put it through the dishwasher !
Nipped to Halfords and bought another, now with a different name and yellow but all functions the same. Showed 14.45 volts on the Blingo so went back and bought a battery.
Nowhere trade open, sadly.
Ted
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you could have tried warming the old battery up to give it some life (in the old days flying bomb you took the top of to reveal the black gold and added salt or was it sugar?)
or
giving it a quick massage off a battery pack,dont leave it to long though or they explode
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I used to run an extension lead out and warm the plugs and battery up with a hairdryer on my old Viva:(
Pat
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Here is what some in Scotland use a cordless drill for......
tinyurl.com/3aflcfq
and you don't want to read what happened to this guy's twin yesterday..
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Weegies really are something special aren't they Bobby !
:-(
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if you play those games, you play to those rules....
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>> if you play those games, you play to those rules....
Rules, BobbyG?
:o{
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the rules are... there are none..
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>> there are none..
Ah. So that's all right then.
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Jeez, I've just read the follow up story......
:-((
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I'd certainly want good references before hiring a joiner from that neck of the woods.
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probably all just bored.......
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>> Jeez, I've just read the follow up story......
And me
The comment made me laugh
"these guys are really going round tooled up"
LOL
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and the police comment of
"We need to piece together what happened "
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Help from cordless drill - Old Navy
