Z06 Brake caliper ?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,233
Likes: 81
From: Paris Tex
Z06 Brake caliper ?
I am trying to replace the front brake calipers and brake pads. I am having a problem . Cant get the 8 pad pins to turn. What are you using to remove them? Mine have the allen head bolts not the torx head. Thanks
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 6,019
Likes: 568
From: Conroe Texas
here is what i had to do recently to remove my caliper pins, front and back.
soak the pins with pb blaster and let soak for a day. drill out the pins and use a #5 easy out and a big tap wrench (which i broke an 18" from mcmaster-carr) or a pipe wrench and put a lot of a$$ into it. they eventually come out and use brake cleaner to clean up the mess.
i used anti seize on the new threads going back in.
soak the pins with pb blaster and let soak for a day. drill out the pins and use a #5 easy out and a big tap wrench (which i broke an 18" from mcmaster-carr) or a pipe wrench and put a lot of a$$ into it. they eventually come out and use brake cleaner to clean up the mess.
i used anti seize on the new threads going back in.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,233
Likes: 81
From: Paris Tex
Thank You. That is good information. I expect mine to be that tough. I tried to use a allen socket on a brake over but it would not move. What is PB blaster? I was going to use knocker loose as a penetrant. I've had good luck with it. Thanks again for your help.
I just noticed you are in Conroe. My car hauler was stolen from my place near Tulsa. 2.1/2 years later the Texas HP pulled over a guy on I 45 in Conroe. He was pulling my trailer from OK city going to Beaumont. I had to go to court in Conroe but I got my trailer back. Thanks to a good Highway patrolman doing his job. I like Conroe a nice city and heck of a memory. A lot of bad things happened that day. But there was one good that outweighed the bad.
I just noticed you are in Conroe. My car hauler was stolen from my place near Tulsa. 2.1/2 years later the Texas HP pulled over a guy on I 45 in Conroe. He was pulling my trailer from OK city going to Beaumont. I had to go to court in Conroe but I got my trailer back. Thanks to a good Highway patrolman doing his job. I like Conroe a nice city and heck of a memory. A lot of bad things happened that day. But there was one good that outweighed the bad.
Last edited by ROUTE 66; Dec 2, 2018 at 11:29 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 3,001
Likes: 243
From: Surprise, Az
Heat may be the easier choice. If there is pad material, heat the brakes by doing a series of higher speed stops to the point where the pads are just starting to fade. You may smell some smoke in the process, then while hot, use your hex wrench to try to break them free, then just leave snugged up, drive home and remove them.
A great alternative to PB blaster is Aero Kroil. I've worked loose some pretty tough screws severely corroded in aluminum. It takes persistence and patience to work the oil in, but it worked well for me.
A great alternative to PB blaster is Aero Kroil. I've worked loose some pretty tough screws severely corroded in aluminum. It takes persistence and patience to work the oil in, but it worked well for me.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 3,001
Likes: 243
From: Surprise, Az
The heat method may do it for you and would be quicker. Penetrating oil works on my aluminum project, but this took several days of soaking and working the screws back and forth to break the corrosion bends. What you are doing is creating opportunities for the oil to work into the threads, so you can tighten and loosen the bolt in the process. You just have to be very careful to not use too much torque that may break the screw.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 6,019
Likes: 568
From: Conroe Texas
you will round off the hex on the allen before the caliper pin will turn. i got 3 ( out of 28 ) when this happened. that is why i went the route of the easy out as i was replacing them any ways.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,233
Likes: 81
From: Paris Tex
I try not to get to the point of using easy outs. I have had too many of them brake. I use move a little back an forth and soak. I stopped working on it yesterday. I will have to take the calipers off to lay them flat to soak. Once again thank you both for your help''E
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 3,001
Likes: 243
From: Surprise, Az
When I was working on my project, I had a frozen #12 Phillip's head screw in a piece of aluminum that was subject to salt water spray for over 10 years. It took awhile, but I managed to loosen it with Kroil by spraying the screw and rocking it from tight to loosen. At one point I could fell the screw flexing from the torque I applied, so as mentioned you have to be careful it doesn't break.
Attempting to heat it as described may work well enough, the aluminum body will expand more quickly than the steel screws.
For some reason, the hex screw heads don't fit SAE wrenches very well either, so I'm not too surprised you ran into such difficulty.
Attempting to heat it as described may work well enough, the aluminum body will expand more quickly than the steel screws.
For some reason, the hex screw heads don't fit SAE wrenches very well either, so I'm not too surprised you ran into such difficulty.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 13,592
Likes: 187
From: Hudson WI
NCM Sinkhole Donor
One of my car condo neighbors restores rusty old stuff and swears by bees wax to solve those types of problems. It appears to work. https://www.dsportmag.com/the-tech/education/the-art-of-removing-stuck-nuts-and-bolts/
Pro
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 555
Likes: 74
From: Apex NC
If a allen stripped, I went to a torx socket, litteraly hammered it into the enlarged allen head and used a big breaker bar. I agree with PB blaster, but at bet I only got 50% out. A impact allen soket is better as well, hardened, better fit IMO, bought a complete set off ebay, can use with 1/2" impact wrench. Either way I replaced with regular 6 point hex head SS with anti seize. Now it is easy.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,233
Likes: 81
From: Paris Tex
I will be using high temp anti seize when I get that far along. Going to try and take the calipers and rotors off tomorrow evening. This is Good information . Thanks to all of you for sharing..E
thing knower
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 3,404
Likes: 942
From: wpb
I thought about that route but my pins looked so seized up, it was simpler to pull the two bolts on the caliper and swap the pads..
I bought a pack of 18 inch heavy duty zip ties, they really come in handy when you need an extra hand
I prefer the large single pad over the padlets anyway, mainly because there's more pad to rotor contact...
you'll probably be done with all four corners before you get one set of the top....
just some advice, good luck either way! time and patience will get ya through!
I bought a pack of 18 inch heavy duty zip ties, they really come in handy when you need an extra hand
I prefer the large single pad over the padlets anyway, mainly because there's more pad to rotor contact...
you'll probably be done with all four corners before you get one set of the top....
just some advice, good luck either way! time and patience will get ya through!