Bleed screw sheared off on a CRJ200 in Wichita, now I carry spare screws

Last month a bleed air check valve seized during a routine run and the screw snapped clean off, leaving me swearing at a stripped fitting at 6am. I always torqued by feel before this, but watching the part twist taught me to use a proper torque wrench and order extras ahead of time. Has anyone else had a simple part bite them on a job they'd done a hundred times?

3 comments

3 Comments

cora51828d ago

Six AM and a stripped fitting sounds like a real wake-up call before coffee.

joel88428d ago

That "wake-up call before coffee" line hits home. Been there at 5:45 AM with a bleeder valve that just would not budge, and the frustration is real. My trick now is to always have a small can of penetrating oil and a proper six-point socket in the truck, not the twelve-point ones that round things off. If the fitting is already stripped, try grabbing it with a good pair of vice grips and tap the handle with a hammer, that shock sometimes breaks the rust loose. Also, don't be afraid to heat the surrounding metal with a torch if you have one, just be careful about what's nearby. And honestly, if it's totally gone, just cut it off and replace it, fighting it for an hour only makes you late and more angry. Save yourself the headache and keep a spare fitting kit handy, it's worth every penny at that hour.

nancyj1128d ago

Ever tried the heat trick on aluminum fittings, or does that just make things worse?