3 out of the 4 of my bleeder screws are stripped?

Question

i just replaced a brake hose and have a lot of air in my lines how can i get the stripped bleeder screws off ?

Answer 1

If you mean the outside diameter of the screws are stripped just get a pair of vise grips and clamp on and remove them.

Answer 2

if your talking about the head is rounded off, spray some pb blaster on them, leave them soak and use vise grips.

Answer 3

A pair of vice grips. spray the screws with penetrating oil first. If needed, heat the caliper around the s***w.

Answer 4

Hopefuly you are talking about the "head on the bleeder being stripped!  If it is the threads going into the caliper you have a real problem... If only the threads on s***w are stripped, you might be able to put in new bleeer screws  and everything will be ok, if the threads in caliper are stripped, then you are  going to need to buy a new caliper! I'm assuming your probelm is that you can't get bleeder "open"!

Now there is a way to bleed them even if screws don't loosen to bleed!   First of all you may be able to "dismount" caliper (from frame) and put a piece of wood into space so that the piston can't come out of "cylinder bore",- a piece slightly larger than the width of opening, + 1/2 width of one new brake pad (and thickness of disk) is minimum thickness of wood to use!  Now pump the brake pedal till piston goes against the wood... Push pedal down and hold (or use a "deadman"-- a piece of wood between edge of seat and brake pedal-- (Use padding to protect upholstry)-- Now break loose fitting on hose, and turn caliper over to loosen fitting(if it does not have a "swivel connection fitting").. At about second turn,- air (& or) fluid should slowly escape!  You may have to turn a couple more revolutions before it starts leaking along threads!  When it stops "leaking", remove the wood and use a "C lamp" or suitable tool to compress caliper all the a way in! (I use a pair of 18" waterpump type pliers myself)! Now as piston compresses (it will do this slowly)-- it will push fluid back towards master cylinder (which will not backflow right now because it is "blocked")!  So fluid and air will be pushed out at brake hose connection,-- keep hose entry (to caliper)  "up" to make sure air goes through bleeding process! Again when fluid no longer flows after a minute or so of sitting with  pressure still applied on piston of caliper, - it is done bleeding! Tighten fitting again, release brake pedal (make sure reservoir on master cyl full)-- pump brake up again -- still with wood back in caliper opening!. This time don't block brake pedal, remove wood from caliper, squeeze back in! Now mount caliper back on frame, install brake pads and pump up again (engine must be running)-- see if it now "feels right!" Generally doing this once will bleed line sufficiently to get bubbles out! Sometimes it may be nescessary to bleed them twice this way!  And of course the closer to the  master cylinder to the replaced hose is, the more likely one "bleeding" by this method will do the trick!

I have done this many times on cars that have bleeder screws broken off (they break easily) with excessive torque applied, as they are hollow (because of bleeder hole in middle)! What I normally do when replacing hose is to pump piston of caliper (or wheel cylinder in case of "drum brakes")- out to maximum safe extension. with brake pedal "blocked"-- then break fittings. Or in case of broken hose,- remove and put new one on tight to the master cylinder side of system , remove block (at brake pedal) and see if fluid will drip by gravity after a while, - if not pump pedal very slowly till fluid running out hose, then wait and see if a little more will drip-- then atach to brake side of system letting fluid flow all the while-- when tight, -squeeze  piston(s) back to full compression!  This forces quite a bit of fluid back towards master cylinder! The wheel cylinder sitting there full of fluid gathers no air, and the bubble or two remaining is forced back out line (hopefully- when pistons compressed all the way back in ) to master cylinder where it escapes through "fluid tank"!  Explination is complex, but the actual procedure is fairly fast and not real hard to do!