Kodiak Ss Calipers / Brass Bleeders Suck!
 

i don't know how many people check the brakes on trailers ..

for the $$$$ it costs to buy these you would think they would use SS instead of brass...:mad:

did the brakes last year , checking over everything this afternoon i found 1 of the bleeders leaking...so ,put a wrench and just gave it a small , easy turn...and.........

SNAP!!!!!!!!!:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Stainless screwing against stainless will gall and lock up. It's a pain in the azz, but ez out the bleeder and install a new brass one.

Calipers look pretty good even for SS, for being a year old. You must take good care of it. I have the same brakes on my Myco with SS calipers and they are a year old and dont look that clean.

whoops...put this in GD..

boat/trailer has not moved...did the brakes last year as the trailer only had 1 set , regular cast ,rusted and they were toast..

went to 4 wheels. ss calipers , and changed out the bearing/unitized seal (hubs pressed on) to more mechanic friendly bearings with stainless wear ring/viton seals...

just checking tire pressure , tourqing lugs , and found this leaking..

i had purchased a spare in case something happened...heck , i had to use it and it hasen't even hit the road:angry-smiley-038:

Actually stainless and brass is pretty good from a galvanic prospective. I bet the issue was more with manufacture of the bleeder itself. Take a super good look at where it failed and I bet you a cold beer it is super thing in that region. Like Comanche3Six
said stainless and stainless has galling issues. Did the broken piece come out OK with ez-out?

yup , real thin...i don't have a ez-out kit..i will have someone look at it with more experiance removing broken pieces like that..

just came back in from checking the replacement , i have the emergency lever pulled ,let it sit overnight to see if the spare holds fluid...

they also dont need much to close them tight , but will shear off easily like you said if overtightened.

Yeah, I had one do that too. SUCKED trying to get it out.

i should clarify , it was the bleeder body that goes into in the caliper..not the small bleed screw itself ..

There used to be kits available to repair broken bleeders if they had to be drilled out. They had brass/bronze seats that were 1/8-NPT outside (if I remember correctly) and had a stainless bleeder valve. You need to disassemble the caliper and thoroughly clean it after you install them but they worked great. I don't know if they're made any more since calipers are relatively cheap compared to the "old days". I always coat and fill the bleeders on my cars and trucks with marine grease and put a rubber cap on them to seal them up. I've rarely have a stuck one since I started doing that years ago. The corrosion that locks the things together and usually causes them to get twisted off starts at the intersection where the cross hole in the bleeder lets water and crud into the bleeder relief area. Good luck!