Rocky start on the Tundra brake upgrade

zcruiser

zcruiser

Senior Member
Got a great deal on a set of calipers off an '06 Tundra.
IMG_3850.jpg~original


They looked to be in fine shape until I looked a little closer at one of the bleeder valves...
IMG_3849.jpg~original


Obviously when I tried to unscrew it from the casting, it broke off inside:
IMG_3853.jpg~original


I thought - "Heck, now's the time to pull out that screw extractor set that I just picked up!"

The result:
IMG_3855.jpg~original


The screw extractor couldn't back out the bleeder valve screw before it broke off inside.

Now I guess I have to drill out the screw extractor w/o messing up anything further, but then how do I get the bleeder valve out if the screw extractor couldn't do it?
 
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:wow2: Dude! that sucks... thats a pain in the butt right there...

good luck, thats gonna be tough, how much you pay for them? can you take em back? explain you got a bad set? probably be easier, cuz the odds of not causing more problems are prob low there...
 
Go check out lowes or home depot or even harbor freight or something. Try and find a set of ectractor drill bits, they are just drill bits that drill in reverse to help extract stuff like that. Just keep going up in size of the bits till it comes out.

Worth a try
 
yc4runner said:
Go check out lowes or home depot or even harbor freight or something. Try and find a set of ectractor drill bits, they are just drill bits that drill in reverse to help extract stuff like that. Just keep going up in size of the bits till it comes out.

Worth a try
Click to expand...

They're different than the extractor bit that I already tried?
 
yeah, they are drill bits that drill in reverse so they apply force to the broken threads to back them out as you drill it out
 
Have fun drilling into that extractor. (You won't.) A tungsten carbide bit is your best hope. Those extractors are hardened steel and a total b***h to drill. Unfortunately, I can't think of a better approach in this particular case. Good luck, please keep us posted.

If you do get the extractor drilled out, the left hand twist drills are a good approach. The good news is that when drilling the extractor with a right hand WC bit, it will tend to pull the extractor out as it is reverse to the extractor thread.
 
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I would get a different caliper. Honestly, if you dont have high quality bits and a new tap set to repair the thread I wouldnt waste anymore time or money on that caliper.
 
Good luck getting that one out without messing up anything. Looks pretty boogered. Like the otehrs said... try the reverse cut extractors. Even then, I'm sure you would have to re-tap, which will make it very difficult to find a valve to fit in it...

Take that thing back if you can... you got screwed!

Not such a good deal after all!
 
BTO said:
It looked ok to me. What was wrong with it?
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BTO, Its crossthreaded.

zcruiser, take them back if you can, and show them the before pic you took so they can see what it looked like before you messed with it. Hopefully the seller will understand.
 
jsmarine said:
Its crossthreaded.

To the OP, take them back if you can, and show them the before pic you took so they can see what it looked like before you messed with it. Hopefully they will understand.
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It's not cross-threaded, it got knocked to one side during shipping. It snapped right off when I tried to back it out. I'm going to try the reverse drill bits first, always looking for an excuse to buy a few more tools!
 
You can buy those calipers (remanufactured) for approximately $70 each. Personally, I wouldn't waste time trying to get the extractor out. It will probably be a nightmare.
 
I would not mess with that at all. You are going to waste hours getting that old one out and then have to tap threads on a part that is safety related. It's fourth down so punt and try again with a different caliper.
 
brian2sun said:
I have to wonder if maybe it was bent (and leaking) before and that's why he sold it. How's the other one?
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It was from a salvage yard, no evidence of leaking, I'm 100% sure it just got damaged in shipment. The other one is perfect shape. It was only $35 and I'm sure I could get the junkyard to stand behind it.

Regardless, I've got time to mess with it a couple days before I write it off completely. I bought a couple titanium bits and a carbide dremel bit. I'm still looking for a set of left-twist bits. If I don't get it out cleanly I won't use it, it's on my daughter's 4Runner so I'm not going to install it if I'm not 100% sure it's right.

I've never bled brakes before.... How does the bleeder valve work? Assume it is clockwise to close, counter-clockwise to open, correct? I haven't tried turning the bleeder valve on the good one, don't want to mess it up too.
 
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zcruiser said:
It was from a salvage yard, no evidence of leaking, I'm 100% sure it just got damaged in shipment. The other one is perfect shape. It was only $35 and I'm sure I could get the junkyard to stand behind it.

Regardless, I've got time to mess with it a couple days before I write it off completely. I bought a couple titanium bits and a carbide dremel bit. I'm still looking for a set of left-twist bits. If I don't get it out cleanly I won't use it, it's on my daughter's 4Runner so I'm not going to install it if I'm not 100% sure it's right.

I've never bled brakes before.... How does the bleeder valve work? Assume it is clockwise to close, counter-clockwise to open, correct? I haven't tried turning the bleeder valve on the good one, don't want to mess it up too.
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Correct. Bleeding brakes is easy if you have another set of hands. Have someone get in the truck. Tell them to pump the brakes three times and hold... then open the valve until the flow starts slowing down, then close. Repeat this process a dozen or so times, and make sure the brake pedal is not squishy. This may take a few iterations to get it fully bled... those calipers are large, and your master cylinder is relatively small. Just keep at it.
 
zcruiser said:
It was from a salvage yard, no evidence of leaking, I'm 100% sure it just got damaged in shipment. The other one is perfect shape. It was only $35 and I'm sure I could get the junkyard to stand behind it.

Regardless, I've got time to mess with it a couple days before I write it off completely. I bought a couple titanium bits and a carbide dremel bit. I'm still looking for a set of left-twist bits. If I don't get it out cleanly I won't use it, it's on my daughter's 4Runner so I'm not going to install it if I'm not 100% sure it's right.

I've never bled brakes before.... How does the bleeder valve work? Assume it is clockwise to close, counter-clockwise to open, correct? I haven't tried turning the bleeder valve on the good one, don't want to mess it up too.
Click to expand...

Seriously, theres no way it got cross-threaded in shipping... show the seller the pics of it when you got it. Did you pay with Paypal?!?! if you did, file a dispute.

seriously, dont try and fix that. its bound to end bad. Dont mess with a braking system like that...

you will be much better off trying to fix the problem other ways.

please... dont waste your time/energy trying to fix this, its not gonna work well enough to feel safe, especially with your daughter driving... try to get the money back or buy a new caliper.
 
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