[Shop-talk] weeping brakes

[john niolon]

thanks Eric...  after we bled I wiped down every fitting and checked it again... no fluid... that was 10 days and I’ve seen nothing on the floor dripping...  The calipers did leak with ‘hard’ copper washers but I did anneal 4 new ones and they sealed right up... neat trick I’d never heard of.   I think I must have made some bad flares and they are showing up now... my next problem is having to cut them out, reflare and try again... and all the lines are installed and clamped down ...  just sort of starting over some !!!

From: Eric Russell 
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2018 1:18 PM
To: shop-talk at autox.team.net ; jniolon at att.net 
Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] weeping brakes

Are you sure it is weeping? Could it be left-over fluid from your recent bleed? 


Clean them off then have your trusted assistant press & hold the brake pedal down while you watch the fittings. And brake bleeders don't need excessive torque to close them - actually that is more likely to damage them. The seal is made when then tapered ends are clamped together. 


Are any of these fittings sealed by copper washers? IME, many of the copper washers I buy are not properly annealed. (perhaps the process of stamping them out of copper sheets tends to work harden them?) Soften them by heating to dull red and then let them cool. Polish off any burrs with very fine sandpaper laid on a flat surface. 


Eric Russell
Mebane, NC 


On 3/17/2018 1:04 PM, john niolon wrote:

  did my initial brake bleed a couple of weeks ago on my truck project and all seemed fine... till yesterday. I've noticed a small drop of brake fluid on two or three couplings or fittings in the lines. Not enough to drip down on the floor... but it seems the fittings are 'weeping' ever so slightly (not as bad as a millennium child bawling..but it shouldn't do that I don't think) . My worse estimate is that I've got a bad flare at that fitting... everything is at the 'it's gonna strip something if you continue...' tightness... what do you gurus think ???

  thanks
  john

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