Hydraulic disk brakes

soup

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Apr 5, 2021, 5:47:59 AM4/5/21

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Recently bled/burped my (Tektro)brakes but the wee screw that goes into
the lever feels like it has stripped. The front lever bleed screw
tightens fully but the bleed screw for the rear just spins .

Do I have no option but to buy a new lever for the rear brakes or does
someone have a way of rescuing the situation ?

I don't want to pay £30 if I don't have too, but if it is too much of a
bodge feel I may have to.

C (or rather the wee hole it fits into).
https://i.postimg.cc/9QxKZXrq/Screenshot-134.png

Have also posted this in URC but I feel I may well get a better answer
in here.

Nick Maclaren

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Apr 5, 2021, 7:08:26 AM4/5/21

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Assuming the screw is steel and the housing aluminium, it's probably
the latter that has stripped; that's checkable if you remove it and
look. The 'correct' solution would be to retap in a larger diameter
and use a wider screw, but that will cost as much as the lever. If it
is the bolt that is stripped, you might be able to get a replacement.

What I would do is to find a suitable short self-tapping screw, grind
off the point, and use a plastic washer (probably cut out of some
plastic bottle). That would probably work - and, if not, I would have
lost nothing except a bit of time.

That hack assumes that the picture isn't omitting a piston that slides
inside the tube the bleed screw goes into.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Tosspot

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Apr 5, 2021, 3:42:44 PM4/5/21

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Nicks answer is complete. I'd look to see which side is stripped and go
for either a replacement nut, or a bigger nut and tap/bodge it in. The
issue, as Nick alludes to, is cost *AND* tapping into the brake body
without getting swarf into the brakes is going to be difficult.

Otoh, if you buy a new one, keep the old one, you never know when you'll
break a lever of some such nonsense, or as I did, took a hacksaw to it
and had a good look at how it works inside. Always handy for deciding
what to do in the future :-)

Sam Wilson

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Apr 13, 2021, 6:29:16 AM4/13/21

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That site gives me a “download latest version of Flash” pop-up, which seems
exceedingly dodgy.

Sam

--
The entity formerly known as Sam.W...@ed.ac.uk
Spit the dummy to reply

soup

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Apr 13, 2021, 6:29:23 AM4/13/21

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Thanks for that yes it is the housing that has stripped .
That's what I meant by OR RATHER THE WEE HOLE IT FITS INTO.

Screw C actually has a wee o-ring on it not sure a flat plastic washer
would do as a replacement

As a new lever assembly is 'only' £30 I think I will just buy new .
And see if the local (ish) bike repair shop will fit it I do not fancy
terminating hydraulic tube. If they won't or it is prohibitive, Youtube
ho and do it myself.

Edit :-
just had a look on YT seems swapping levers is a piece of p***
Does anyone know if I can just pull the hydraulic tube out on Tektro
brakes as I can on Shimano.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzlOIhcBkak

Idea is to
remove tube from old rear lever
un-fit (word?) and discard rear lever
fit new rear lever
re insert hydraulic tube
bleed whole system

Roger Hayter

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Apr 13, 2021, 6:29:30 AM4/13/21

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If you used a helicoil you'd presumably lose the O ring seat, and have to use
a substitute fully threaded screw in place of C, have to machine the end of it
flat, and lose fluid via the threads. The same applies to enlarging the hole
and tapping a larger thread. I don't think it is economically repairable.

--
Roger Hayter