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Is there a way to bleed brakes without using the bleeding screw? My rear passenger side is rusted and stripped. I have tried heating it to no avail, maybe I didn't heat it enough? the screw turned cherry red and started to bubble, still wouldn't turn. Any ideas would be appreciated.

David

Take that wheel cylinder out and you should be able to work out the bleeder. It is made of a much softer material. Drilling or easy out should work fine.

If you can get the metal line loose you can bleed it that way. I dont know what year of vehicle you have but alot of wheel cylinders will interchange through out alot of years. example I used 75 chevy 1/2 ton rear wheel cylinders on my 53 olds 88 and I got them at the discount parts store instead of paying alot more from the old car specialty shops

If the bleeder screw is rusted , the chances are that the rest of the wheel cylinder is not in the best of shape. I would replace the wheel cylinder..

I really shouldn't mention this but the Bendix factory guy taught me in a brake tech class many many years ago.....

Remove drum and peel back the rubber dust cap & insert a .002" feeler gauge in between the piston and cylinder untill it begins to dribble , have a helper pump the brake pedal and stop when bubbles stop coming out - one must be very carefull with a rag to prevent any brake fluid from reaching the lining or the game's over .

Note : this can kill old brake cups that only have a tenuous seal in the first place , any signs of leakage when the dust cap is peeled back means no go , you must rebuild / replace the offending cylinder .

This method also works quite well on vertical slave cylinders like those used in older C- series
trucks from that other brand - you know the bad one ('F') .

When bleeding brakes , _always_ use _ONLY_ a 6 point box end wrench to help prevent stripping and when faced with older machinery , before anything , smack the bleeder nipple hard with a 32 Oz. ball pien hammer _before_ you try to open it , 99 % of the time this will shock it and release it .

Good luck and have fun ! .