There is no pressure at the outlet however so I tried to loosen off the bleeder valve at the top of the actuator but of course it's seized on. After a few weeks of spraying with a penetrant it still wouldn't budge and I ended up snapping it off. So... does anyone know what size of bleeder valve i can replace this with? The Carlisle/Hydrastar part number is 381-7037 but I can't find any info on the valve... ie: thread size etc.
Howdy,
If it were me, I would contact them
[h=6]Hydrastar Trailer Brake Actuators[/h]
Those bleeder valves are pretty standard and come in several thread sizes depending on the application but you need to get the old one out first.
That's going to require you to probably drill out the old one and use an "Easy-Out" (or similar) extractor.
Doing that is likely to put some metal chips into the unit requiring disassembly and flush-out before you can use it.
If it's not making any pressure at all, there may be other stuff going on inside which would make me want to look inside too,......
Now having said all that, when it comes to brake systems and parts, I would be willing to bet that Hydrastar is not going to like telling you it's "OK" to take their unit apart and put it back together.
They'll probably either tell you to send it to them so they can do it or they'll tell you to replace it altogether. (their own liability is at stake here)
But since the bleeder valve is broken off requiring a drill-out and extraction, I would at a minimum want to remove the entire back "cover" so I could easily extract the broken bleeder, clean up the threads and fully wash everything. (Anything hydraulic MUST be "pristine-clean"!)
Once apart, it may need gaskets or seals to put it back together. (requiring a call to Hydrastar)
Looking at pictures of your unit, it looks like there's corroded screws holding that back "cover" on, they're screwed into aluminum and 1 or more of them may strip or break getting them off. If that happens, the entire thing may not be rebuild-able.
I would start with a call to Hydrastar.
Regards,
Rick