bleeding brakes problem Ford Explorer

I have a question about bleeding brakes. I recently installed brake pads and shoes on my Ford Explorer. It has front disc brakes and rear drum brakes. I had to bleed the brakes on the rear and as long as I was doing that I also bled the calipers as well as to flush the system and get some of the old brake fluid out. I did the two person approach of bleeding the brakes stopping regularly to fill the reservoir.

A week later I noticed that there was a little brake fluid at the contact points where the bleeder screws interfaces with the calipers and wheel cylinders. No big deal. I wiped them off and used a little brake parts cleaner to make sure they were clean and dry. A week had gone by and I re-inspected them and there was some dampness again at the base of the bleeder screw where it connects to the calipers and wheel cylinders.

I cleaned them off again and a few days later found some more dampness at the screw base again, except this time the dampness was even less. I checked the screw and they are all snug and I did not over tighten them. The level of brake fluid in the reservoir has not gone down and the pedal seems firm like it was before.

I wonder if the brake fluid that remains in the nipple (or bleeder screw) after bleeding the brakes works itself loose through the bleeder screw threads and surfaces to the top with time. Has anyone ever encountered this? Are the threads on the bleeder screw such that fluid caught in the nipple can leak through until it all gets out of the nipple? The seal is in the conical part of the bleeder screw and where it seats into the caliper / wheel cylinder, right?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Nash Thats interesting I have never looked around the bleeder screw after bleeding brakes but I guess it is conceivable that the brake fluid trapped in the screw would slowly come out of the threads particularly if the dustcap is on the nipple.

I would imagine if it was leaking that you would see more fluid trapped in the bleeder screw than coming out of the threads of the screw.

My 2 cents worth