Club 80-90 Forums

The Van failed the MOT for having corroded brake pipes. Thats it, nothing else, so I was quite impressed.

So, under the van I go later that night with a torch. Every main pipe you could see had the MOT testers 'chalk of doom' mark on it. Oh well, get on with taking them off. What a bloody nightmare! Even if I had three elbows on each arm it still would have been hard work.....

Anyway, get down the local motor factors with big pile of maky old pipes, collect new ones the following day, back under the van, it took me 45 mins just to get one union in without cross threading it! luckily the others were a bit more forgiving and by 10:30 pm and a lot of swearing, shouting and general grunting and re-routing or pipes, got all the pipes in and tightened and looking presentable.....

Went round all the nipples after a soak with the WD40 (the bleed nipples, not me), rear ones opened no probs. The front......bugger. Stuck fast ....and whats more, the flexy pipes were new when I got the van last year but yet the bleed nipples on the calipers have been rusted shut for a long time. Seems like the previous owner had a go at the nipples, completely trashed the drivers side nipple in the process then bled the system where the copper pipe enters the caliper. After all, technically the fluid in the caliper would still be in there undisturbed as fluid can't run up hills right? mind you, it is a vw.....

Anyone ever tried this bleeding method by neccesity?

Cheers,

Mark

I would take the caliper off, get it in a vice then get the little blighter out.

Either by luck or drill/easy out. In the past I've trapped the nipple in the vice (the brake nipple, not mine) and turned the whole caliper to unscrew it, worked a treat.

Bit of a bodge, but you can (at a push) if time is an issue, unscrew the brake hose slightly and bleed from there. Hardly professional but can and does work

I had exactly thes ame problem the day before I went on holiday a few weex ago! I heated em up with a B&Q blow torch n they went with a nice crack which scared me but they were fine! Keep an extinguisher nearby too jus in case as brake fluid is flammable..

thanks guys, decided to get the calipers off this morning and use the vice, drill, anything route to get the nipples out.

Turnsout the drivers side caliper is cracked around the lowermounting bolt hole and was essentially being held on by one bolt! so thats knackered then. at least i dont need to bother removing the nipple now!

have decided to bite the proverbial bullet and replace the calipers.

Does anyone know if the Teves caliper (as per mine) can be replaced with the Girling? My vans an 83.

Much appreciated on the tips.....

Girling can replace Teves but the little hard pipe from flexi to caliper needs to be slightly different shape. I think it's better to be symmetrical.

I've got a spare Girling but it's for left side...