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Stripped a brake bleeder screw on a '13 Focus in Tulsa and almost lost it
Had to drill it out and use an extractor but a buddy told me to hit it with PB Blaster first and let it soak for 2 hours, has anyone else had luck with that method on rusty hardware?
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marymorgan6d ago
Oh please. It's a bleeder screw, not a structural bolt on a bridge. Two hours of PB Blaster on something that small is overkill unless you live under a saltwater marsh. I usually just spray it, wait five minutes while I find the right socket, and go at it. If it strips, it strips. Then you're already where you were anyway.
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zara_hunt5d ago
Mary, I get what you're saying about not overthinking a bleeder screw. But I had a similar situation on my old truck where I figured it would be fine with just a quick spray and a few minutes. Ended up snapping the head clean off. Took me an afternoon to drill it out and chase the threads. Now I always give it a decent soak, like a good 20 minutes, and use a six-point socket instead of a twelve-point. It's saved me a lot of headaches since then.
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