Replaced my front brake discs and pads last night, Did the drivers side one ok with some major effort getting the bloody bolts undone! Had to use a jack on the wrench and weight of the car the get the bloody things undone. Did it ok and that sides all done

Doing the left side, got the top bolt out after alot of hassle, getting the bottom bolt out was a friggin nightmare

there we are, me and my dad, full weight trying to undo it.....

'NNNNYYAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!'.......CHING...... ...'F*CK!'


Bloody bolt sheered off


managed to wiggle the brake assembly off but with the remainder of the bolt firmly seized in the hole

Brother taken it to work to see if he can drill it out without damaging the thread

 

what MY was that on ? ive gotta do my 99 brakes tomorrow and hope to not have grief

 

MY96, it's the bolt behind the disc where the red arrow is pointing

 

the bolt to take the bracket off yea?

Did u need to screw a bolt into that hole near the middle of the disc to get it off ??

 

Nope. disc slides straight off. You just need to take the bracket off first.

 

lol i did my96 2 weeks ago. they are firm but fair bolts lol. did u use a spanner or ratchet?

 

Used a ratchet.

 

Cool, my brother just phoned me to say he managed to get the remains of the bolt out of the bracket after soaking it in some chemicals they use at his workplace, so can finish the job tonight as I got a replacement bolt.

 

I changed mine recently to 4 pots and did mine with a ratchet too. If they're tight I just smack the ratchet with a big hammer to shock it. It's cheaper and easier to replace the ratchet (which hasn't ever broken) than a new hub.

 

PROB WORTH PUTTING SOME COPPER SLIP ON THOSE BOLTS
IT SHOULD STOP IT GETTING STUCK AGAIN

 

Something I also make sure I do. I put copper slip behind the disc where it meets the flange, the wheel bolts/studs and the area that the backing plate of the pad sits on the caliper.

 

If you can get at it with an impact-driver, then that's the best way of getting it moving. But stop hitting it as soon as you think the grip is broken, as you're impacting inwards, but (as you're loosening it, hopefully!!! ) the turn of the threads want to go outwards!!!

Anti-seize compound is a good idea to make life easier next time.

An impact-driver's a handy piece of kit for suspension, brake-disks etc. A big old-fashioned, belt the living-carp out of it with a hammer one usually does the job! "Specialist-tool Number 2"

 

....or a 3ft breaker bar

I've swung off that ***** like a monkey on some occassions

 

I've learned a few hard lessons wading straight in with a breaker bar and just twisting off the bolt/stud not realising until it's snapped.

If a normal (10"?) ratchet or spanner won't get it then I'll think about WD, shock treatment and maybe a bit of heat.

I'll use breaker bars, extension bars and anything if my calculations conclude I'm not strong enough to break the bolt/thread. Being sensible about it, I really only use a bar on on bolts and nuts that normally get torqued to over 130 lbs-ft. (approx.)

 

When I say hitting it I mean hitting the end of the bar to turn it A tap on the bolt can work but not what I was thinking of and do.

 

gotte do mine (change to four pots) when my new pads arrive, hopefully the bolts aint as hard to get off as the last time i changed the discs, before they were a right bugger to get undone but good old wd and some shock treatment and off they come, but you ever noticed its only one!! that is a pain to get off!

 

Always the last one on the last wheel too

 

should have poured coke over his calipers before he started!!!




Mart

 

Glad I upgraded to 4-pots - no need to remove the calipers to do a pad swap

 

This is worrying me ............ my car is over 5 years old and has never needed the calipers to be removed at all!! I bet they are well crusted in by now!! Holy Poooooo!!

Pete

 

When i had my calipers off recently to paint i had to replace the bolts on the front as the heads rounded off. I used copper slip as mentioned above when putting the new bolts in.

Shame manufacturers dont design things with the owner in mind and that they might one day replace parts such as this!

 

The problem with the carrier bolts isn't helped by the poor access, can't see how you'd be able to use an impact wrench..!
Had this with a few cars in the past and it's a real PITA. Worst was my 16v Clio, the bolts (~50mm) undone but kept binding tight with the thread-lock the factory had put on..!

Freeway is wonderful stuff..!

 

done mine yesterday, wasnt too bad, had to put the front on axle-stands and jack the ratchet up to take some of the weight of the car to undo one bolt, and on the other side one of the pots in the caliper has seized , the other 3 are fine tho. anyone know where to get a refurb kit + seals to fix it ?
also not having to take the caliper off to replace pads is nice but how would you push the pots back to fit the new pads in ??

 

There are special tools available to buy cheaply from places like Halfrauds. Failing that a big bar and brute force or a suitably sized G-clamp should do the trick.

 

woah there!!! if the car has abs, this will blow the seals in the abs unit....

and render it kaput!!!!

also if the pistons are slotted, it may be that they have to be screwed back in..


Mart