Re: Changing the brake fluid on my '90 100

[rdh@sli.com (Robert D. Houk)]

   > in some fresh brake fluid. Loosen bleed nipple, using preferably a box-end
   > wrench, because rounding off the flats on the nipple will make you sad.

   Definatly. I JUST tried my brake fliud changing experiment. First I tried 
   normal wrenches. This nipple was screwed on there VERY tight, and the 
   wrenches wrenched through the metal nut part of the nipple. I was 
   beginning to be sad. I tried a different wrench, exactly the right size, 
   and it too slipped. I was definatly becomming sad. I finally tried a 
   socket wrench with an almost right sized socket-thing, and it worked 
   perfectly. I was on the road to happiness ( I thought ).

I don't remember the "proper name", but "special" wrenches are available,
a la "open-end box wrenches", except that they are less "open" -- box-end
wrenches only grip two [opposing] surfaces of the hex, these other wrenches
(I want to say "hydraulic fitting wrenches", or "tubing wrenches", or some
such -- not "pipe wrench" thing) are "open-ended" in that they are not 
closed, but do wrap around and positively grip 5 of the 6 hex sides; the
"open" end is just enough to squeeze around [most] hose/tubing that fits
the hex-sided fitting. These handy dandy wrenches allow you to really
"torque them muthahs" (to *loosen* them, to *loosen* them!) without in
the process completely stripping/rounding the fitting -- assuming that the
fitting is gonna open at all! (try some "penetrating oil"... if badly cor-
roded/rusted/etc.). By available, I mean readily available, like at Sears
right amongst the rest of the "open-end" wrenches, available in both
English and metric... [I'm beginning to sound like a Sears saleman; I'm
not, I don't even own any stock...I just can't afford SnapOn...at least
while I'm trying to keep an Audi running...]. These things are *perfect*
for brake-caliper bleed nipples. And no, "12-pt" closed-end wrenches (and
12-pt sockets!) are not much better than open-end wrenches (although they
do allow to definitively strip *all* corners simultaneously, so ultimately
you waste less time than stripping/rounding pairs...); "6-pt" however work
well . . .

					-RDH