If you’ve read my blog for a little while, you may recall my disdain for the Speed Bleeders; having found them to easily deform and crush when tightened not once, but twice. The M3 sedan appeared to have stock rear bleed screws (7mm hex), while the front calipers had aftermarket valves (8mm). All four had no thread sealant remaining, which was allowing fluid to escape around the threads during bleeding.
I ordered up a set of new screws, which I treated with thread sealant designed for this application. This sealant must be baked on at 200F for 10 minutes, simple enough. From there it is just a matter of removing the old screws, installing the new ones, and then giving a quick bleed. I’m glad I ended up doing this, because look what I discovered after removing the original valves.
Yep, check out how the two aftermarket valves (on the left) are deformed from over-tightening, and how all four are gouged. The aftermarket ones also don’t have the pointed tips like all valves I’m accustomed to have.
No Comments