Vitesse 1600/6 Caliper Bleed Nipples

[martyn wright]

Hi All!  After fitting the new brake master cylinder and bleeding the brakes, after a week I found that the front drivers side brake cylinder bleed nipple is leaking? (although the nut is tight)and I have lost brake pedal pressure!  Is this a common fault and what causes it?

Kind Regards Martyn

[Colin Lindsay]

It's certainly not common; unless it's these new calipers members have been complaining about. The cause is going to be an incorrectly tightened bleed nipple, but is it due to distortion, damaged threads or dirt? you'll have to remove it and check for damage. If you can't see any visible damage, easiest thing to do is replace the bleed nipple, and if it still leaks then the fault is with the caliper.

 

[martyn wright]

Thanks Colin!  Its the first time the Nipples have been undone/bled since 1998!  I have ordered 2 x Nipples from Canley as a back up!  I will wait until they arrive before removing the old ones!

 

Kind Regards

Martyn

[Colin Lindsay]

Yikes!! That's long overdue. Bleed the entire system as the fluid is bound to be long past its' best; but having said that, you never know what state the rear bleed nipples are in after all that time, plus the hoses must be suffering too after 23 years on the same car. You may have opened a whole can of worms here! Brakes are one part of the car you don't neglect - more people have suffered due to a car that won't stop than ever did from one that won't go...

[martyn wright]

HI Colin!  As I am restoring the car, which I have had since purchase in 1998, the car itself has not been on the road since 1985!  I have removed all the fluid(1998), and changed all the Rear Brake hoses & everything in the Rear Drums, also the Front Hoses & Brake pipes and blown them through(2018).  However I did not change the Discs or Calipers on the front, I only checked them over and they seemed fine??  But now its the one front Bleed Nipple that is leaking!  From 2018-2020 the car was put away awaiting a respray! which was done in March of this year!

[Pete Lewis]

if it didnt leak before you blead then it sounds like there is debris on the nipple seating 

dont over tighten or a strip is likley 

there are kits about for re drill retap and oversize nipple but as your on the weeny type 12 calipers  i would have a look at changing to type 14 as more pads are available or go the whole hog and change the carrier mounts (rare) and fit the later type 16s 

dont be tempted with green pads  unless you want to overshoot the roundabout at speed 

mintex 1144 are the business but dont think they are readily   available for type 12s 

have you removed the nipple and flushed through ??? to clean the seating

Pete

 

 

[Colin Lindsay]

1 hour ago, martyn wright said:

HI Colin!  As I am restoring the car, which I have had since purchase in 1998, the car itself has not been on the road since 1985!  I have removed all the fluid(1998), and changed all the Rear Brake hoses & everything in the Rear Drums, also the Front Hoses & Brake pipes and blown them through(2018).  However I did not change the Discs or Calipers on the front, I only checked them over and they seemed fine??  

I should have known you'd be doing it properly, but was just making sure!  As Pete says it's just something preventing the nipple from seating correctly, threads or debris (I wonder did it ever work or did a PO fit it incorrectly?) Once the replacements arrive you should be able to find the problem easily enough.

[ahebron]

Looking at the spec these 1144 pads might do the job for a type 12 caliper

https://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=9784

 

Adrian

[martyn wright]

Sorry!  I have already fitted new pads ready,  as I thought the Calipers had movement and the seals etc where okay!