Tips for getting caliper bolts out

[Elroy Blue]

Thought I'd spend a quick 20 minutes changing the brake pads on 'er indoors focus today! 2hrs later, have had to give up in disgust. First problem was having every alum key size apart from the one I needed (7mm I've deduced). When I got something to fit, the caliper bolts are totally seized. They won't turn in any direction and I'm a bit too cowardly to use brute force in case I round them off.

Any tips?

[Crease]

give them a soak in plusgas/wd40, head down to your local motorfactors/halfrauds and pick up some torx with 1/2inch drive and a breaker bar, when you return, soak again, then use the torx that withs nice and snug with the breaker bar!

you should win then! when i had to undo a rounded allen key bolt on my car, the PH massive answer of using a torx for better grip saved my bacon!

[BliarOut]

Clean the head out first!

Smack it sharply once on the head (vibration will help free the rust) then got a good quality, i repeat, good quality allen key and a two foot tube. It'll definitely shift.

You can soak the bolt in freeing oil the night before, but you have to be careful it doesn't drip on any friction surfaces.

[eldar]

1. Chicken out, take to garage.

2. Correct size allen (7.5mm?) key/socket and leverage.

[TheEnd]

What car?
7mm allen sounds like that is the slider, which is one way, but I've often just gone to remove the complete caliper and bracket, rather than split it.

[BliarOut]

Crease said:

give them a soak in plusgas/wd40, head down to your local motorfactors/halfrauds and pick up some torx with 1/2inch drive and a breaker bar, when you return, soak again, then use the torx that withs nice and snug with the breaker bar!

you should win then! when i had to undo a rounded allen key bolt on my car, the PH massive answer of using a torx for better grip saved my bacon!

Only if you've butchered the allen key. If you clean it and use the correct one in the first place there's no reason for it to round.

[Crease]

BliarOut said:

Crease said:

give them a soak in plusgas/wd40, head down to your local motorfactors/halfrauds and pick up some torx with 1/2inch drive and a breaker bar, when you return, soak again, then use the torx that withs nice and snug with the breaker bar!

you should win then! when i had to undo a rounded allen key bolt on my car, the PH massive answer of using a torx for better grip saved my bacon!

Only if you've butchered the allen key. If you clean it and use the correct one in the first place there's no reason for it to round.

ah, i was under the impression it would create a better grip.

[BliarOut]

Most people run into problems when they use cheap allen keys or don't clean the head out to the full depth.

[mrmr96]

Crease said:

ah, i was under the impression it would create a better grip.

No, I'd expect the torx to me far more likely to round off a hex hole than a correctly fitted hex key. Utter nonsense to use the wrong tool.

[lemonslap]

Elroy Blue said:

Thought I'd spend a quick 20 minutes changing the brake pads on 'er indoors focus today! 2hrs later, have had to give up in disgust. First problem was having every alum key size apart from the one I needed (7mm I've deduced). When I got something to fit, the caliper bolts are totally seized. They won't turn in any direction and I'm a bit too cowardly to use brute force in case I round them off.

Any tips?

I completed this job on the wifes ST170 a couple of weeks back, The best item you can invest in is proper hex/torx/star bit set with 1/2" drive socket (I have a sealey one). Trying to use an allen key on brake caliper sliders your going to have a bad time.. Apart from the bloody spring clips, the brakes on these are very straight forward to work on. Just out of intrest were the black plastic covers still fitted to the slider holes?

[GC8]

As others have said in the last few posts, the quality of your tools is important. If something isnt particularly tight or difficult you can use Poundland tools: but when it is difficult you must be using good hard tools with close tolerances.

[Elroy Blue]

The rubber plugs are still in. I'll look out for some decent tools tomorrow (the interweb suggests that a focus caliper is 7mm)

[mrmr96]

Elroy Blue said:

The rubber plugs are still in. I'll look out for some decent tools tomorrow (the interweb suggests that a focus caliper is 7mm)

Proper one of these type things is what you need. Don't get a cheap one, it will shear. (I know from experience.) Halfords Advanced range is decent, easy to find locally and has a lifetime guarantee (keep your receipt.) Not I said halfords ADVANCED (the stuff in the locked cabinets that says 'advanced' on it. The other stuff isn't very good.)

[redstu]

GC8 said:

As others have said in the last few posts, the quality of your tools is important. If something isnt particularly tight or difficult you can use Poundland tools: but when it is difficult you must be using good hard tools with close tolerances.

+1

[ollie854]

7mm Allen socket and shock them and they should undo. Only no of one instance where they have broken because they have been seized.

Good luck

[mrmr96]

ollie854 said:

7mm Allen socket and shock them and they should undo. Only no of one instance where they have broken because they have been seized.

Good luck

Why shock them instead of using constant (increasing steadily) pressure on a long breaker bar?

[BliarOut]

mrmr96 said:

ollie854 said:

7mm Allen socket and shock them and they should undo. Only no of one instance where they have broken because they have been seized.

Good luck

Why shock them instead of using constant (increasing steadily) pressure on a long breaker bar?

Because a sharp shock on the head helps to break the thread free. If it's really stubborn you might need to give it a bit of a shove to overcome static friction but I only do it if strictly necessary...

[Elroy Blue]

Is the Focus caliper definitely a 7mm alum key?

[GC8]

Its an Allen key btw.

[Elroy Blue]

Good point..well made