Help with new 1999 Nomad

[DragonLady58]

Been sitting on the fence watching all this unfold....I use the miteyvac pump for years....allows one person bleeding. I had a problem like your had, a sloppy bleeder valve.
With your cap off reservoir, and pump attached, the trick is to just barely crack the valve open AFTER you've got some vacuum on the line.
I've found this out from experience of years of dealing with this mess. Fill you MC up, barely crack your bleeder, having rubbed some wheel bearing grease around bottom of bleeder with a qtip (Seals off air), having a long vacuum hose connected to bleeder, drop the end of said vacuum line into the bottom of a coffe can, bucket, etc. Just let drip and seep, 1 drop at a time. Let it do that for several hours. Its called gravity bleeding. Learned it from this old Harley Mechanic. Works every time!
Just keep a eye on your brake fluid level and let that can fill up. Do 1 side, and then the other. Theres air in the system causing your problems.
I now use a pressure pump system where I pump fluid from the caliper on up....works great. No air, none of the regular bleeding. For the nomad, all you need is a Y so you can do both calipers at once....
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GRV7TY6...ustomerReviews
This is what I use since I do this alot, but they do make a system for the backyard mechanic that isn't as expensive. Summit Racing has them cheap, too!

Oh, on loose bleeders that allow air to pass, cut the end out of a 5/16 or 3/8s vacuum plug, poke a hole in it with a ice pick, push the bleeder threads first thru this little piece of rubber, put a little dab of grease on the bottom of rubber with a toothpick. Screw bleeder into caliper. Leave it on after bleeding. I also put a vacuum cap over bleeders to keep them nice and fresh....and clean

[cnc]

I would not by-pass one of the calipers to get riding. Basically you would be eliminating 50% of your braking power on a correctly functioning system. The caliper is aluminum and the bleeder is steel, you or a previous person may have damaged the seat where the bleeder seals. Loose threads suggest either the bleeder was over tightened at some point or the threads were somewhat seized from corrosion. If you were creating vaccum to see you have a leak but can't pinpoint it, then consider trying a trick used to pinpoint a slow leak in tires or pressure fittings. Maybe rig up something to pressurize the line with a gauge and while it is pressurized, paint dish soap on all the possible connections, around the bleeder around the puck etc, you should see bubbles in the dish soap coating at the source of the leak.

[DragonLady58]

CNC is right, 90% of the problems with the bleeder valves is the diff. between the steel and the alum. I always brush on a little anti-seize when I screw them in, then after I'm thru working, cover it with a vacuum cap. keeps dirt and trash out, push it all the way down helps protect the threads.
He has a good idea on the soap. Air molecules will find holes water will never find.
Thats the reason they pump up a little pressure in radiators to find leaks after repair is made....