Bleeding heck

[Deleted member 121159]

What I had expected to be an easy bleed of my front brake became a lot more complicated when two of my cheap torx t15 bits broke off at the tip and got stuck inside the bleed port screw. After managing to tap the broken bits out, I tried my luck with a third torx key. This time it narrowly avoided snapping but still got bent before releasing the screw. The brake hadn't been bled since I bought the bike, so it must have been torqued like that at the factory. Was I doing something wrong with the torx keys for this to happen?

 

[Smokin Joe]

It might just be a case of too cheap and too nasty, but when using Allen keys or Torx bits I tap them in gently with a hammer to make sure they seat correctly in the screw head, particularly with the smaller sizes. Get them a bit skewiff and they can damage either the head or the bit.

 

[I like Skol]

Probably a combination of cheap bits and some corrosion or dirt jamming up the threads.

Same here about tapping the bits home. This has a double benefit of making sure the bit is fully engaged and also the shocks can loosen a corroded thread.

 

[Deleted member 121159]

Thanks for the tip about tapping the bit!