Rusted Brake Bleeder Valves?

[EddieC]

Is it possible to replace one brake caliper without bleeding the remainder of the system?
Our bleeders are badly rusted due to road deicing chemicals and I doubt that the bleeders will budge and it might mean replacing all calipers to bleed.
Does anyone have experience with aftermarket calipers and would there be hesitancy about rebuilts?

 

[89Suburban]

I had the same issue and just replaced all the calipers. Did one per week bleeding the system out as I went along. They all came with new caliper brackets as well.

 

[EddieC]

I had the same issue and just replaced all the calipers. Did one per week bleeding the system out as I went along. They all came with new caliper brackets as well.

Did it work to just bleed the new one(s) as you progressed, leaving the rusted ones with out bleeding? If so, would the order in which you did them matter? I am wondering if I need to do a front one first would air get to the back ones when the front one was removed? (Thinking about the old rule was to bleed farthest from the MC first in the process.)

What did you use for replacement calipers?

 

[89Suburban]

Yes started furthest away and work towards the closest. I got the Duralast ones from Auto Zone. I also just did the master cylinder this weekend as well. Saved all the reciepts for the lifetime warranty.

Nice to have a good feeling brake system now. The old fluid that came out was nasty as hell. Especially when I took a caliper off and dumped it out into the drain pan.

plans on making bleeding a yearly maintenance thing now that I can keep on top of the new bleeders now and keep them operable. That’s the plan anyway.

 

[badtothe bone]

Brake Calipers are just a mechanical part. Its been my experience that it is best to pulse them with a tech II when you do any brake work. Other then that, if it works, why replace it? You are just throwing money away! Brake caliper bleeders should be torqued to about 15 foot lbs, its just a valve, like the valve for your garden hose.. Over Torqueing it doesn't do anything except cause it to seize, making it harder to remove the next time. I heat my bleeders with a cutting torch till they are red hot, then throw some cold water on them, the shock usually breaks them loose.. As long as the threads are not galled, you can buy new bleeders, put some anti-seize on the threads and put them into the used calipers and no one needs to know, and you won't be able to tell them from a new caliper in a year or two anyways..

 

[swathdiver]

Is it possible to replace one brake caliper without bleeding the remainder of the system?
Our bleeders are badly rusted due to road deicing chemicals and I doubt that the bleeders will budge and it might mean replacing all calipers to bleed.
Does anyone have experience with aftermarket calipers and would there be hesitancy about rebuilts?

We did this on our little Kia, just replaced that one caliper and bled that one caliper and that was 2-3 years ago.

If possible, get brand new calipers from GM or rebuild them yourself. They are not hard to rebuild. There is a difference between AC Delco Professional and GM OE. We always strive for GM OE. Went through 6 quarts of brake fluid until the fluid came out clean at all four corners.

 

[EddieC]

Brake Calipers are just a mechanical part. Its been my experience that it is best to pulse them with a tech II when you do any brake work. Other then that, if it works, why replace it? You are just throwing money away! Brake caliper bleeders should be torqued to about 15 foot lbs, its just a valve, like the valve for your garden hose.. Over Torqueing it doesn't do anything except cause it to seize, making it harder to remove the next time. I heat my bleeders with a cutting torch till they are red hot, then throw some cold water on them, the shock usually breaks them loose.. As long as the threads are not galled, you can buy new bleeders, put some anti-seize on the threads and put them into the used calipers and no one needs to know, and you won't be able to tell them from a new caliper in a year or two anyways..

You may not have seen what the chemicals that they use on our roads can do to light metal. There is no shape left on the front bellders that a wrench can grip. The only tool that would stand a chance of grabbing would be vice grips and then I can envision the bleeders collapsing. I wouldn't risk it unless I had replacement calipers in hand. Anyways, with 13 year old calipers that have lived outdoors it is not unreasonable to expect great benefit from replacements.

 

[EddieC]

We did this on our little Kia, just replaced that one caliper and bled that one caliper and that was 2-3 years ago.

If possible, get brand new calipers from GM or rebuild them yourself. They are not hard to rebuild. There is a difference between AC Delco Professional and GM OE. We always strive for GM OE. Went through 6 quarts of brake fluid until the fluid came out clean at all four corners.

Wow, that is a lot of fluid. I thought I'd run out and get a couple quarts but it sounds like I would be making more than one trip with that.

What do you see as differences between the GM Professionals and the OEs?
The professionals come with brackets which is to advantage when the new OE brackets seem to sell for about $50 a piece.
Our brackets need replacing.

 

[89Suburban]

One thing I would like to note. Replacing the rear calipers seems to have magnified the fact that my rear end is high mileage sloppy. On a straight roadway brakes apply immediately. On windy roads I get a bit of travel in the pedal before apply. Like it's taking up slack in the rear calipers from the axle shafts sliding back and forth.

 

[swathdiver]

Wow, that is a lot of fluid. I thought I'd run out and get a couple quarts but it sounds like I would be making more than one trip with that.

What do you see as differences between the GM Professionals and the OEs?
The professionals come with brackets which is to advantage when the new OE brackets seem to sell for about $50 a piece.
Our brackets need replacing.

It's got to be in the quality of the piston and seals. The OE brakes on the truck were Australian, from PBR Brakes. The replacements are Japanese, Akebono.

Since I had spent so much on new rotors, pads and the new front calipers, I rebuilt the rears myself. They are aluminum and took the same piston and seals as the fronts.

Our brackets were rusty being from West Virginia and they were wire brushed and cleaned up with break cleaner. ACDelco was offering some new calipers with the brackets and HD towing pads last year.