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'96 camry brake bleeder screws weeping

When I changed the brake fluid in my '96 camry last week, after tightening the front (disc) brake bleeder screws, I noticed that the front two brake bleeder screws are starting to slowly weep brake fluid at the threads.

How big of a concern should this be?

At first this threw me into a major panic (can't you tell I worry a lot) wondering if I overtightened the screws and need to buy new calipers or ...?, but then I settled to just monitoring the brake fluid level more often. So far the brake fluid level is still at MAX, after a couple of days. But... is this a safety hazard? Would a slow leak introduce air bubbles, etc, etc...?

Michael

Reply to
mrdarrett
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======= You would have to really crank on them to over tighten. Were you using the correct wrench size, should be 8 mm. Once they're tight they stop turning. If you actually stripped the threads then they will continue to turn. Have never heard of those threads leaking. My guess would be they are under tightened. I'm not saying you can't strip the threads on a tiny screw like that, but if you're using a combination wrench, the wrench is small also. With moderate pressure on the end of the wrench you should feel it tighten up. I always push just a bit more to ensure they're cinched down completely. You get a feel for tightening fasteners with experience. These are hollow so they don't take a lot of torque, but they should be fully tightened into place and should not leak at all. There should be no brake fluid leakage anywhere.

Reply to
Daniel

Yep, I was using an 8 mm. It's a really tiny wrench though - about 5 inches long.

I'll look into tightening it.

Thanks,

Michael

Reply to
mrdarrett

Do they continue to slowly leak brake fluid or already stopped? Try wiping the area clean, stepping on the brakes (engine off is fine) firmly for 1 minute, and checking again for leaks.

Some of the brake fluid may get past the threads when you pressure bleed the calipers; or when using a vacuum bleeder air may get sucked past the threads. What I do is wipe the bleeder thread area clean and check later.

I use a micro torque wrench (1/4" , -> 250 in-lb) to tighten the bleeder screw to spec after gently hand tightening it. You can get one of these for $19 on sale at Harbor Freight.

Reply to
johngdole

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