jacked up brakes

[markmakeitso]

good day eh

for awhile i've known that my driver rear brake wasn't fully clamping i.e. it wouldn't clean up as quickly if i didn't drive it for a week or longer. then it started making some scraping noises, so i found some used rear assemblies (caliper, rotors, pads) on dsmtrader, which should get here this week.

anyway, to cut to the chase, the head on one of the guide bolts is broken off, so i'm not sure how to get the caliper off. bottom bolt came off fine, so i swung the caliper up and pulled out the pads, inside one is down to metal, and metal about 1/4 gone on one end. ouch. my plans of just swapping in new assemblies might be shot.

any ideas how to get the caliper out? hacksaw through the bolt between the bracket and caliper, or maybe take off the bracket with the caliper? thanks for any advice you can give me

 

[jretta91]

i don't see why you can't just take the bracket off w/ the caliper on... i think that'd work

 

[markmakeitso]

so take caliper and bracket off together with the 2 bolts that come from the back to the hub? that would probably work, but i'd still need the bracket to use with the new caliper, unless i went junkyardin'. are there some kind of drill bits that can be used to pull out broken bolts?

 

[SMI]

mark, give me a call @ 388-5329, I will come over and take a peek. I am sure we can figure something out between the two of us.

 

[markmakeitso]

alright, thanks for the advice SMI. i got the bracket off with the caliper still attached, but haven't gotten the caliper off. you said it would just slide off the top bolt if it was at the right angle, but i couldn't get it off, even with a little 16 oz. persuasion.

my shop manual clearly shows 2 bolts, but they have threads right next to the heads. the bottom bolt that came out of mine has threads at the far end like most bolts, then about 1.5-2 inches of unthreaded neck space. anybody know which is right? are binding guide bolts the most common cause of uneven pad wear?

 

[markmakeitso]

still couldn't get the caliper off at the top. i suppose even if i did it wouldn't make much difference. i'm still sure the book shows 2 bolts, but i know now i don't have a broken one. do certain years or certain replacement calipers have just the 1 bolt at the bottom?

another question: should the caliper slide along the top bolt, at least a couple millimeters? mine moves less than 1mm.

still another question: how hard should it be to turn the piston back into the caliper? i'm no strong man competitor, but i couldn't get it to budge. if in the past someone tried to use a c-clamp to compress it could it get seized or stuck? could bleeding the brake help it, or even intentionally sucking air into that caliper?

i'm kinda desperate at this point. maybe i should just pray to the UPS gods that the new parts arrive today or tomorrow.

 

[markmakeitso]

just tracked package at ups.com: "routed incorrectly at UPS facility". it went michigan, ohio, indiana, illinois, michigan, ohio, indiana, illinois, michigan. sad. i feel sorry for all those people handling that 50 lb. package all those times.

 

[jretta91]

are those on the rear that you're talkin about??? my rears in my 91 gsx wouldn't budge because the caliper guide pins get frozen up so easy, and they'll give you hell comin off, it seemed to swivel, but would not pull out.... i never actually got mine off, so don't ask how i did it.... my suggestion is to make a run to the junkyard.... it can only be a couple bucks for the bracket... just don't tell em what kinda car it's off. the second you say talon/eclipse/laser, the price quadruples, well at least that's the way it is around here! (maybe crowbar)

 

[markmakeitso]

got a friend out there with me, opened brake line, started cranking on the piston. it finally went in a bit, but we bent a heavy set of needlenose doing it. using a hammer through the handle for leverage seems to do that.

yeah, i'm working on the rears, just like yours it will swivel but not slide off. on yours was the bottom pin a bolt with threads at the far end, and no head on the top pin?

 

[jretta91]

i can't remember off the top of my head... sorry, but keep at it man.... give it hell