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Bleeder letting air into brake system under vacuum

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Old May 10, 2010 | 07:49 AM
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Bleeder letting air into brake system under vacuum

Been having trouble with pulling to the left when braking, just after replacing both front calipers. Tried bleeding all five valves again, noticed a slight gurgling sound and a little wobble on the bleeder valve on the passenger/front, with only a quarter turn of opening. Makes sense to me that that's where the air's getting in, especially when it pulls to the left.

Question: can I put some sort of teflon plumbers tape or something like that to get the valve to seal properly during bleeding? Will this contaminate the system? Any other "right" ways to fix it? It is brakes, after all...

TIA
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Old May 10, 2010 | 07:54 AM
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Well if you just replaced the calipers I'd return the one that isn't working properly.
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Old May 10, 2010 | 08:05 AM
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I thought you were talking about me there for a second...
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Old May 10, 2010 | 09:07 AM
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Dude, you're the reason I had to ask!

Try searching using the term "bleeder." No workie on Yotatech!
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Old May 10, 2010 | 09:15 AM
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I guess that would be a difficult search here...
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Old May 10, 2010 | 09:27 AM
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lmao

sorry
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Old May 10, 2010 | 12:47 PM
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So, now that I have the attention of a few board Jedi's, I know Lump's idea is the most foolproof, I was just hoping to be able to pull the valve screw, throw some teflon on there, re-install and bleed. Probably a five minute job. Thoughts?
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Old May 10, 2010 | 01:25 PM
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Originally Posted by qdude79
So, now that I have the attention of a few board Jedi's, I know Lump's idea is the most foolproof, I was just hoping to be able to pull the valve screw, throw some teflon on there, re-install and bleed. Probably a five minute job. Thoughts?
Brake fluid reacts with the teflon tape and eats it almost instantly... it kinda works when there is a ton of air in the system, but it compromises the tape really fast. If you want to try it clean off the bleeder really well before wrapping it.
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Old May 10, 2010 | 01:57 PM
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have you tried replacing the old bleeder screws?
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Old May 10, 2010 | 02:11 PM
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Originally Posted by iamsuperbleeder
have you tried replacing the old bleeder screws?
Thats my thought. They're only a couple bucks.
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Old May 10, 2010 | 02:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Blue_petersen77
Thats my thought. They're only a couple bucks.
hey they don't call me "superbleeder" for nothing

yeah it would be worth a shot; a dealer could probably have them next day'ed, if they don't already have them on hand
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Old May 11, 2010 | 07:19 AM
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Tried pressure bleeding (g/f pushing on the brakes while I open/close) and it helped, but there's still more drag on the left side than right. Barely noticeable, but there. Gonna run it for a few days to see what happens. No danger...
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Old May 11, 2010 | 07:57 AM
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Make sure your rear drums are adjusted too
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Old May 11, 2010 | 08:04 AM
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That's a good point, forgot to mention. Rears are good. I'm pretty convinced it's all in the front, as it changed sides when I replaced the calipers. At first, it was so bad that I could "hear" the front/driver's tire grabbing harder (sand under the AT's with the windows down). Better now, but not fixed.
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Old May 12, 2010 | 08:16 AM
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Alright, I'm still not satisfied that I have a slight pull to the left. Unless anyone has some suggestions beyond bleeding the lines, I'm going to swap out the caliper on the right side. Not a big job, but if someone has an easier "try" to the problem, that'd be great.
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Old May 12, 2010 | 01:32 PM
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Check your rubbers lines to make sure none of them are swelling
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Old May 12, 2010 | 07:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Desp
Brake fluid reacts with the teflon tape and eats it almost instantly... it kinda works when there is a ton of air in the system, but it compromises the tape really fast. If you want to try it clean off the bleeder really well before wrapping it.
I don't buy this. I've used teflon tape on my FIAT, where, as expected from Italian standards, you could stick your pinky into the gap between the bleeder and the caliper. Worked great with a vacuum bleeder. Here're a few sites that don't state any problem with teflon and brake fluid:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brake_bleeding

http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/DIY/brakebleed.htm

http://www.type2.com/library/brakes/teflon.htm
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Old May 12, 2010 | 08:00 PM
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You should also just take apart the right side to see what it looks like. If there's no wobbling feeling in the brake pedal, it's probably not the rotor. In that case, check if the pads are thin or oily, and pull the calipers and pop out the pistons to see if they're rusty or gummy.
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Old May 13, 2010 | 08:09 AM
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Brake lines are about a year old. Rotors are new. Calipers are rebuilds from Kragen's (just replaced). Pads are plenty thick, no oil.

Think I'm just gonna swap the right caliper. My spidey sense is tingling on that one...
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Old May 13, 2010 | 08:13 AM
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Bout time you quit messing about and just do it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoqDY...eature=related
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