Having finally completed replacing all the brake paraphernalia up front, I moved to the back, where I had planned to simply replace the hoses and pads and bleed the whole system. No reason to believe there is anything wrong with those calipers. Of course, there was the catch: One of them has a broken bleed screw, sheered off all the way. I stuck an easy out in there and it got a nice bite, I felt a snap and thought I'd gotten it loose ... on no, my Harbor Freight easyout broke off in the hole. The last set of calipers with broken bleed screws I encountered (on a GM), I just replaced at $20 a side rather than fight. These are $90 a side. I really have to spend $180 because of a broken bleed screw, don't I? Or can I try something else magical. Yes, I've tried drilling a smaller easyout into the broken easyout that's stuck in the hole. One of my 123's calipers has a broken off screw, too (my fault, I overtorqued it) and I'm eventually going to have the same problem on that one.
I really hate bleed screws right now.

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1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

lemme guess, the HF easyout broke off flush too...
you were able to drill into the easyout? wild. I'd get the set of craftsman reverse drillbits and drill into the easyout in reverse... no, wait, you'd need to drill into the easyout forward... it ought to unscrew cw... anyway, if you cannot get it out, then yes, replacement of the caliper is only choice... call a local machine shop. here in nc, there is a company shop that has an arc device that will remove anything from anything. it's awesome. we broke off a stud in a 72 superbee 383 big block head, then broke off an easy out, took it to him and in 5 seconds he had them both out. amazing to watch.
if that won't work, I have a 93 parts car that was driving when parted out to me. lemme know if you need the calipers. I have my 87 wagon now, but it's well maintained, so should not need major parts like that if I continue the maintenance.

I would take the caliper off and do this on the bench (in a vice). Take a Dremel with a cutoff wheel and cut a cross that will fit a phillips head screw driver. Get it to fit a #2 bit real well and use an impact screw driver (the type you hit with a hammer). Spray and let soak with a good penetrating lube (Freeall is one). Better yet, heat it up first with a propane torch, douse with water. Do that a few times (breaks the rust bond), then spray with penetrating oil then use the impact screw driver.

John, I like to know more about that arc process thanks.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

While its best not to mess with brakes, you can still bleed the caliper in a fashion.

First with the hose not attached to the caliper bleed the line until it is free of air, you then need to make sure the system doesnt drain out the hose.
Retract the pistons, then with the caliper off the car but reconnected to the brake line, pump the brakes until the pistons have come out about 1/2 way. then disconnect the line and with the connection hole at the highest point push the pistons back in keeping the hole for the line full of fluid. Screw the hose back on & if you have been careful all the air will be out. It is a total PITA but you can do it, I have.

Good Luck

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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

I've done it this way with a 123, but not on a car with abs... would it work the same? that's a lot of tubing to bleed through. gravity bleeding through the flex hoses can work pretty well too...

Ezee outs are heat treated pretty hard so it is difficult to drill through them with regular high speed Steel Drill Bits.

If someone really wanted to save the Caliper and not exchange it for a rebuilt Caliper you could pull the Caliper Piston out on that side and you might be able to drill through the tip of the Bleed Screw and get someting to beat the Ezee out back out opposite the direction it went in.
But, the Bleed Screws can be made of hard Metal and diameter of punch would be so skinny that might not work either.
Best to just exchange the Caliper and let the Rebuilder worry about fixing the old one.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Thanks, all. I may tinker with it a bit more tomorrow. There's no way anything I have will drill into that easyout bit (I'm sure something would, but not my tools). I might give philips head trick a try but I think the breakoff is too close to the caliper itself, i.e., there's nothing for the screwdriver to bite. I'm guessing I'm just wasting my time at this point. Kicking myself for not using a better easyout ... maybe it would have worked.
vstech, are the 93 calipers the same as the 87's? How much do you want for them + shipping? Of course with the holiday tomorrow it would take a while to get them .. patience isn't my strongpoint.

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

If you have mapp gas plumber's torch (hotter than propane) then heat the easy out until it is red hot, and let cool down. The slower the better. It may take a two or three times.
When I had a tap break off in a piece of work that I already had invested a couple hours in, i wasn't about to let that go. At its factory temper, there was no way I could have drilled through it - I tried. But I heated it up red hot twice and each time i dropped it in a bucket of loose vermiculite (insulates it so it cools even slower - you could use sand or dirt) and after that I threw it on the lathe and the bit chewed right through that tap like it was aluminum.

All you have to do is ruin the temper on the ease out. Its really not hard, and its a very cheap way to save your caliper. A little metallurgy can go a long way.

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'82 240D 224K miles manual transmission
mods: wooden 4by4 bumper, EGR delete and older EX manifold without EGR port, glass pack muffler (cheapest replacement muffler), rebuilt bosch injectors with Monark nozzles

working on: aux electric fuel pump, coolant/fuel heat exchanger/filter head, afterglow, low oil pressure buzzer/LED

You would spend less time and save your sanity if you just put another caliper on. They're easy enough to get at the Junkyard. $15- $20 and you're done.

a cobalt bit should do the trick, and get a snap on easyout set. they're worth the money if for nothing more that saved frustration. That's not to say that they don't break as well though.
Whatever you do, do not heat it red hot and cool with water....

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All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to stand by and do nothing.

Too many people tip toe through life, never attempting or doing anything great, hoping to make it safely to death... Bob Proctor

'95 S320 LWB
'87 300SDL
'04 E500 wagon 4matic

... brake fluid is flammable... use caution with a torch!!

If you can find them left hand spiraled drill bits are a blessing for this sort of problem.

The harder and further you drill in there the more likely the "blessed" bleed nipple will unscrew itself on its threads - which negates the need to pick out swarf from the threads if you had drilled out with a normal drill bit.

Cut into the caliper with the Dremel if you have to, the seal is a flare at the bottom of the hole, not the threads. The heat and water is to cause expansion contraction and breaking the bond between the threads. Use a propane torch, it won't get the caliper red hot (which you do not need). Try a slot and a regular screw driver with heat/water at first if you do not have an impact screw driver. If the screw driver does not get it out. Try a punch on the slot.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

How many miles on the calipers? Perhaps a new set is in the offing & replacing them now will give you a nice new refurbished system. Still...I'm cheap & would try to get what I have working. Parts stores have metric bleeder screws.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

These are 265,000-mile calipers, so it's not like it would be an entire waste to replace them. I just replaced the fronts (one seized) so it would indeed give me a nice new system. Truth be told what bothers me the most is the feeling of not being able to fix a silly little screw. I have the replacement screw in my shed (got from PeachParts I think).
The conflict is between wanting to finish what I started (get the screw out) and wanting to get the car on the road (replace the calipers and roll). Might as well try a little drilling/cutting today though ... I'm guessing NAPA is closed today anyway, as is the post office (can't get used ones shipped).

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)