Busted a bleeder!!! &@#!%*!!

[Cobia]

Rebuilt the front MC and was going about bleeding the system when I busted off the right bleeder screw. I know it's an 8mm 01 thread but any suggestions as to how to extract the remaining piece will be appreciated.
Can you even get a tap that small?
Got the rear brake working yesterday!!
Thanks.

[randy]

Don't panic. You can get a tap that small. Try a reverse drill bit to remove the rest of the bleeder, BUT DON'T GO TOO DEEP! The bleeder tip fits a machined seat inside the hole and you don't want to bung it up or it will leak. Examine a good bleeder and you'll see what I mean.

[Cobia]

Don't buy a tap from Home Depot!!

I got a tap from HD and in the process of removal the tip broke off inside what was left of the bleeder!!! I am soooo pissssed off. Now I'm going to have to go the drilling route, which I wanted to avoid, (&^&^&(*%&*&^%*!!
Sooo, since I want to get the bike going ASAP, I'll have to go the Andreas route and have a spare caliper.
Gracias Amigos!!

[bikerphil]

I want to get the bike going ASAP

You could try bleeding from the banjo bolt, you'll probably get 99.9% of the air out.

[Ken Talbot]

A small diamond burr in a Dremel tool will grind out the broken-off extractor. It will not be fast, but it will work.

DAMHIKIJD

[Ivan]

You'll never drill through a busted tap. You will probably have to go with a carbide end mill or a diamond grinding bit like Ken suggested.

For future reference, the time for a tap is after the busted part is fully extracted. Taps are very hard and extremely brittle, and like to break at the slightest hint of side force. The remaining bleeder probably shifted in the hole, and bound up the tap causing the snap.

The good news is that I feel for you, and I have a spare caliper, although it is a special caliper, not sure if they are the same or not. If someone can chime in and say if it will work for you, I would be happy to send it to you. It will need some cleaning and possibly rebuilt, but it is yours if you need it.

[wa407mpp]

If you broke a bleed fitting off, it is because the alloy housing has adhered itself to the bleeder fitting and and easy-out won't always get it out. To remove a broken bleeder fitting you need to drill out the remaining part of the fitting, by using progressively larger drill bits until you get to one that is just large enough to just kiss the threads then very carefully remove the rest with a fine steel pick. You can find the right size bit by removing one of the fittings from one of the other calipers and trying the bits in the hole until you find the right size. This also works with broken bolts and screws, but you must center the first bit perfectly or you will drill into the threads on one side , then you will have to drill the hole out with a bigger bit and go with a bigger bleed fitting. remember the bottom of the bleed hole is smaller at the bottom then the threads so don't drill too deep. Centering the bit in a bleed fitting is easier because it will already have a hole through the center,but be careful because the broken edge can throw the bit off center very easily.
My dad was a Millwright and taught me how to make a special chisel to remove broken bolts and other fasteners, I'll dig one out and post a picture if I can find one, if not I'll make one. I hope this helps. Steve!

[Cobia]

Broken Bleeder

Thanks for all the tips.
Ken - I will have to go that route because I tried drilling it and barely made a dent.
Ivan - Thanks for the offer, it's for a '79F (std). Don't know if it will work. And yes I should have been using an easy out, not a tap. Scewed up on this one!!
Phil - That did it. After the frustration of not being able to drill it I decided to try that and it worked. Next time easy out not tap.
Wa407mpp - That's what I was trying to do, but.... I tried to tap the remainder of the bleeder out with a small chisel but that didn't do it either. These are dissimilar metals and I guess they kind of fused through the years.

For now, until I find a replacement, I'll be using it as is. Bleeding it through the banjo worked.

Thanks folks. Really appreciate it.

[dbeardslee]

Cobia,

There's a post running around here somewhere that suggested a dentist's office as a potential source for diamond burrs. I guess they throw them away when they no longer work for their purposes, but still good for ours. Might try checking with a local dentist if you need the tools. My $.02.

[tarzan]

Any machine tool supply company should have a burr or endmill.

[boyat68]

Harbor Freight sells the Chinese version of a diamond bit/burr kit that may do the trick. You could use a small drill burr from that kit and then take the next size up grind a square on it. Drive the square down in the hole that the previous bit made and twist with vise grips in the R/L (counter clockwise) rotation and see if that will extract the tap. The kit sells for about 6-9 bucks. The kit fits the general Dremel tool.