Frozen and/or broken brake bleed valves.

Anyone have any advice on how to free frozen (rusted)
bleed valves.
And if they brake, what is the easist, and cheapest
fix. I could always replace the caliper/wheel cylinder,
but that gets pricy, and 99 times out of a 100 you will
have to replace the hard line.

A coworkers daughter faces this problem. 19 year old
starting college in 3 weeks and her money situation
is tight.

The brakes work, no squeal, but the peddle is mushy.
She hasn't had any brake work done in the 3 years she
has owned the car.

Yea I know she reaps what she sows, but she is a nice,
and otherwise responsable kid. I am up to changing the
fluid and bleeding the brakes, but the valves scare me.

Terry

 

Thought i would have that problem too but the bleeders cracked loose on a 17
year old Honda.

 

Try some PB plaster or other such penetrating lubricant. Spray it on
and let it sit for half an hour, try to loosen it, repeat if necessary.
I used PB blaster to get off the lower exhaust manifold bolts on a 15
year-old toyota pickup... if it'll do that it should get your bleeder
valves loose.

 

gentle tapping on it to loosen the rust, then remove. if it breaks? id
get an ezy-out tap and some new bleeder screws. its kinda a
reverse-thread drillbit thingie that bites the metal and helps it unscrew.