Leaking brake bleeder valves?
 

I bled my brakes a week ago, and when I was swapping out pads after my track day yesterday, I noticed that three of the four bleeder valves have small amounts of moisture around them, presumably from brake fluid.

I've never noticed this before; I tightened the valves to specs after bleeding, and they are not at all loose.

I am wondering if I have a problem, of if this is normal. I brake hard and deep, and my brakes worked fine all through the track day, although they were a bit softer at the end of the day (170 miles of track driving) than at the start (and my front pads are now down to a few mm, which may have contributed to that).

Thanks.

The bleeders just have to be a bit more than finger tight to seal. Perhaps fluid left from when bled.

Brakes that work well are not leaking. A little softer after a track day could come from boiled fluid or the pads.

Wearing the pads way down at the track is normal but don't usually make them softer unless heat glazing came late. When the pads are fully gone stopping suffers using the backing plates, but it normally doesn't feel soft.

:iagree:



Spray some brake cleaner on the bleeder valves. If after driving the car, you notice fluid on the bleeders, you have a problem, but I would speculate to say the fluid is left over from when you last bleed the brakes.

First, confirm you actually have a leak - it is not uncommon for a tiny bit of fluid to be left over from a bleed cycle, and it "releases" under pressure and especially from heat and the airstream encountered during hard braking. I would use a citrus brake cleaner or Stoner's Xenit, as they are perfectly harmless to adjacent surfaces.

Aftermarket speed bleeders have a sealer that can be applied to the threads since over time they can wear a bit.

I would just use Hylomar - it safely solves every fluid weeping problem I encounter. Most recently, a tendency for the fiber gaskets on Fumoto valves to weep a bit. Hylomar is a Brit , non hardening sealer developed by Rolls-Royce, and sold by Permatex. My toolbox is never without it. It looks like blue silicone RTV, but is not of course.

Thanks, as always, RR. I'll look into those products. For the Hylomar, do you just unscrew the valves, apply, and screw back in?