I'm current;y refurbishing a '91 GTI that has been sitting fro 6 or 7 years. I'm trying to redo the brakes, but one rear bleed screw doesn't want to budge. I know if I apply anymore grunt, it will snap right off. It's been soaked with WD-40 every day for a week. Anyone got any clever little trick to free one up? Or, if I do snap the darned thing off, can it be relaced without having to buy another complete caliper? And, I don't have a torch, so no heat has been applied. Thanks
Smack it with a hammer. Down, that is. Do not hit it from side to side.
WD40 is not a penetrating oil. Get something that is (PB, Kroil, Liquid Wrench), and pick up a MAPP torch while you're at it. Trying to remove stuck stuff without heat and proper chemicals is making the job much tougher than it needs to be.
I recently "inherited" a hot wrench (oxy torch). I don't know HOW I worked on rusty cars before I had it: honestly, the difference is flat out amazing and has saved me HOURS of screwing around.
Nathan
Heat up the nipple and surrounding parts until nice and hot, then cool the nipple with a piece of ice. The resulting shock should get you the result your looking for.....
Now on the car a similar process should work just as well and you're less likely to get hit.
A second recommendation on not using WD-40 for anything other than keeping water off of steel (to stop the rust before it begins to form) or for lightly lubricating moving parts. It is a Water Displacer (hence the WD in WD-40). A friend who worked in the appliance repair business gave me some rust breaker that he and the HVAC guys use. I swear it worked better than PB Blaster, I just can't remember the name of it right now. It did come in a small clear plastic bottle with a extendable hose on the top. A recent test performed by some magazine (A machinist one I believe) found that a 50/50 mix of ATF and Diesel was better than nearly any commercial product on the market.
Good luck!
I went and bought some PB Blaster. Curiously though, if you read the label and the one on the WD-40 they both contain aromatic hydrocarbons and petroleum distillates. Both also claim to displace water. I wonder what the actual differences are. I know someone I'd like to try the ice trick on, but it would get me killed.
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