My brake caliper died?!!

[13Boss#3328]

Today on Gingerman raceway I felt the brake pedal travel increased so I inspected the car and it was leaking brake fluid from the outer bleeder screw on driver's side.
It is basically letting the fluid coming out from the bleeder hole itself, not even leaking from the surroundings!
I tightened it with no results.
Some guys got me a new bleeder screw (10X1.0) and no luck.
I am towing my car back to Detroit right this moment...$680!
So total loss $300 for the event+ $130 gas +$680 towing with absolutely no fun gained whatsoever!
Oh boy this hobby is dreadfully expensive.

Now enough ranting...

What do you guys think? Did I damage the caliper when I flushed the fluid yesterday by over tightening the bleeder screw? Wouldn't over torquing this damage the screw itself only?
Is this warranty work?

Oh forgot to say that my Pagid RS29 are almost done, only 1 weekend ( last one)!

 

[drano38]

Sorry to hear about your issues.

Do you use a torque wrench on your bleeders?
I was over-tightening mine before I got the torque wrench.
Don't have the specs here, but I can post them when I get to the shop--I've got a label on the wrench handle.

 

[Torsion]

Sorry about your bummer weekend :-\

 

[Torsion]

I sorta guessed that the calipers were aluminum, and that the bleeder valve was steel... so perhaps it was over-tightened and the steel won?

Or maybe there was some debris in there?

 

[dabossinnne]

I sorta guessed that the calipers were aluminum, and that the bleeder valve was steel... so perhaps it was over-tightened and the steel won?

Or maybe there was some debris in there?

I had one weeping front caliper bleeder screw last summer. Had to really honk down on all of them (as much as I could without running the risk of rounding off the shoulders with the bleeder wrench) to get them to seal, and the one would still weep ever so slightly. Changed the bleeder screws to Speed Bleeders (to make it easier to bleed the calipers during an HPDE) and the weeping problem went away.

 

[13Boss#3328]

I do not use torque wrench, but I am getting myself an Inch-Ib torque wrench.
I relied on my wrist power which is not a good measure.

Tracking the boss is just not working for me, it is a heavy car hence very harsh on tires/brakes and other consumables as well as the fuel too.

Here is the problem, I am not intending to cut down on track days, it is an addiction I guess, so to do so with a $45000 3663 Ib car that is taxing on all the consumables, will not be a financially reasonable route

Sad day that I am thinking to sell the Boss 302 and keep my daily driver 2013 Honda Fit for DD and HPDE.

I can't believe I am saying this, what a bummer...

What is the best way to go about this??

 

[WinterSucks]

If the answer is not Boss 302, it must be Miata! Would be waaay better than a Fit on the track, even stock. Consumables are cheap and the knowledge base is over 2 decades mature. You can find one all sorted for less than 10k and have money left over for years of tracking. And you will save lots on insurance.

 

[13Boss#3328]

If the answer is not Boss 302, it must be Miata! Would be waaay better than a Fit on the track, even stock. Consumables are cheap and the knowledge base is over 2 decades mature. You can find one all sorted for less than 10k and have money left over for years of tracking. And you will save lots on insurance.

The Miata is the highest on my list as both DD and HPDE car, but I already have the Fit and you guys know how ridiculously costly can be when selling a 1-2 year old car. You usually need 3 years to even out.

 

[13Boss#3328]

I am taking the boss to the dealer service on Tuesday and see they will find, will report back...

 

[13Boss#3328]

Sorry to hear about your issues.

Do you use a torque wrench on your bleeders?
I was over-tightening mine before I got the torque wrench.
Don't have the specs here, but I can post them when I get to the shop--I've got a label on the wrench handle.

What is the torque spec of the bleeder screws?

 

[F.D. Sako]

Check out this thread.

https://trackmustangsonline.com/index.php?topic=6088.msg91912#msg91912

Mine turned out to be minimal fluid leak, which was left within the valve body during bleeding. Hopefully, it will be covered under warranty and you'll be back out to the track soon!

 

[13Boss#3328]

Check out this thread.

https://trackmustangsonline.com/index.php?topic=6088.msg91912#msg91912

Mine turned out to be minimal fluid leak, which was left within the valve body during bleeding. Hopefully, it will be covered under warranty and you'll be back out to the track soon!

Very helpful post and thread, thanks
What argument could the dealer use not to cover it under the warranty?

 

[F.D. Sako]

I'm sure they'll ask you if you bled the brakes, or had a shop bleed the brakes. The answer is up to you lol I usually try to be honest

 

[13Boss#3328]

I'm sure they'll ask you if you bled the brakes, or had a shop bleed the brakes. The answer is up to you lol I usually try to be honest

My dealer knows that I bleed the brakes and I do HPDEs too.

 

[13Boss#3328]

***Learn from this please***

So when the bleeder screw started squirting fluids, I stupidity put a bolt there so I can block the hole until I can get the car to the dealer, which is only 2 miles from my house.

Guess what, the warranty is denied because I put the bolt instead of the bleeder screw
I could've towed the car for less than $20 and saved myself the cost of new caliper and labor!

Be advised, do not ever self remedy your car as a temporary measure as long as you still have warranty, never!

So I ended up buying a new caliper for $360 and will get the pads, rotors and fluids from tire rack.

What is the most accurate inch-Ib torque wrench I can get?
I am not using my wrist power anymore to tighten the bleeder screws ever

 

[JScheier]

Guess what, the warranty is denied because I put the bolt instead of the bleeder screw

Did they say what the problem was... or did they just see the bolt and call it quits?

What is the most accurate inch-Ib torque wrench I can get?

I like Snap-On. Check out Ebay... I found a new inch/lb and ft/lb (250#... great for wheel bearings / hubs!) for a little more than craftsman / husky. Take good care of them (don't drop them, set them to zero when stored and don't use them as breaker bars) and they will last forever!

 

[F.D. Sako]

Wow, that blows :-\

Did you purchase the caliper from them?
I remember pricing out a caliper from tousley Ford (sponsor on SVTP) for ~$250ea.

The link I posted a couple of posts above has the tq specs and a link to a craftsman tq wrench.

 

[steveespo]

I snapped a bleeder screw head off on one of the front calipers Sunday. Luckily it was seated and I was able to run, have to EZ Out it and replace. Use the inch/pound wrench!
Steve

 

[Grant 302]

Ouch! This has turned out to be one EXPENSIVE incident!!!

FWIW, I prefer beam style torque wrenches for accuracy. I have 2 'clickers' and 1 electronic one also, but only because they are more compact and easier to keep in the car for track days.

 

[13Boss#3328]

Lesson learned and yes I got the caliber from Ford dealer for $360