bleeder valve on bendix caliper
 

My brake pad wear indicator came on last week, so I bought new pads, wear indicators and brake fluid for my 1985 300D. However, I have run into a problem before getting very far with the job. The bleeder valves are not like any I have encountered before. The ones I have seen had a barbed end to securely attach a hose. Once the valve was loosened, fluid came out the barbed end into the hose. The valve on the Bendix caliper has a loose end (it spins) with barbs (to hold onto a hose) but does not feel like it has an opening. I kept loosening the nut until fluid started to come out but it came out from the base of the valve and not the end I expect it to come out of. Please educate this rookie on the workings of the Bendix bleeder valve. Thanks.

embarrassed
 

It turns out that the hard, rusted-looking piece on the end of the bleed valve was the rubber cap. Once I figured that out, the brake pad replacement was an easy job. The '85 300D now has new pads and clean brake fluid.