Workshop idiocy...

C

cwis

Full member
Hi all,

So I stuck my R1 master cylinder on, and was bleeding the brakes. Just started to get a good lever, and one of the bleed nipples stripped.

Much swearing.

I get the caliper off, split it and take out the rubber parts and piston, inspect it (threads fucked) and so I decide to helicoil it.

Being very careful to not hit the seat with the drill bit I remove the old thread, tap the coarse thread for the insert and screw it in. It starts to tighten as the end of the insert goes flush with the caliper body, but no more than inserts have before....

I screw the nipple back in, and it starts to tighten prematurely. So I decide to remove it, and it shears, flush with the caliper.

More swearing. I can't have drilled the hole deep enough, so the bottom of the insert is narrowing - basic mistake. I forgot that the spring insert lenthens slightly as it goes in, and I didn't drill the hole deep enough to take this into account.

Twat!

So I drill the whole lot out, and then cut a new seat, because I mullered that too.

Last night I tapped an M8 1.25 thread into it, and used a larger bleed nipple (off a CX500 I think). The nipple is a little wobbly when loose (shallow threads) but I hope it nips up OK. Seems to seat fine.

Unless anyone has a spare threaded right hand caliper (calipers in front of the forks)?

I suppose I could fill the hole with weld and cut the lot again.....
 
I feel your pain bro'.

So far today only gashed and bashed fingers taking the forks off the Mirage, but the day is young!  :D
 
...or how about going to buy a new battery and finding out when you return that your bike required the positive on the right and the negative on the left....or mixing up the sparkplugs and using a set just a bit too long for the piston to clear...or replacing the bearings on a wheel then finding they bind since you forgot to insert the spacer in the middle of the hub....Welcome to my doofus world.....
 
Cheers for the sympathy guys. I'm still angry with myself - I must have done getting on for a hundred thread repairs, and this the first really critical one, and the first one I messed up.

The nipple nips up fine, and the thread is perpendicular (set the tap up on a pillar drill just to make sure) but I may have to recut the seat, cos I think it leaks (tried air and got a tiny hiss from somewhere, but so quiet I can't tell where).
 
While restoring a series 2 180 ,I love having a couple of beers [ that old beer thread returns ] and after tea go out to the shed and put in an hour or two. Problem is I always bugger something up and its usually too much weight on a spanner. I never learn. The last time was screwing in the oil cooler engine case nuts.
Oh well,another email to Wolfgang.
John
 
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