Taking the brake line off to remove a calliper!?

[MrMagoo]

hi chaps,

A friend I work with tried replacing his brake pads yesterday only to find out that to get to the bottom calliper bolt that secures it to the hub, he needs to remove the brake line! Apparently that's the only way to get a socket onto it. Is this a common problem? Seems ridiculous to me you have to go too so much agro just to remove a calliper!

[Justin Cyder]

Not usually. What car? No spanners, just sockets?

[littleredrooster]

Ring spanner?

What car?

[The Wookie]

Might be a silly suggestion, but if it's a sliding caliper you only need to undo the sliders to remove the caliper, rather than the big bolts at the hub.

[Piersman2]

The Wookie said:

Might be a silly suggestion, but if it's a sliding caliper you only need to undo the sliders to remove the caliper, rather than the big bolts at the hub.

Indeed, not many brakes need the whole calliper removing to change pads, only to change discs.

Aside from that, can you not get an open ended spanner on it?

[MrMagoo]

Car is a T reg Vectra I believe. I've never heard of such a thing either. will ask him about the ring type spanner when he comes back from lunch.

[Justin Cyder]

Your mate doesn't know what he's doing. Tell him to take it to a garage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbn9qDqQ1AM

[littleredrooster]

Vectra has two allen-headed bolts which constrain the sliders I vaguely remember, doesn't it? No need to undo the main caliper mounts.

[mrmr96]

littleredrooster said:

Vectra has two allen-headed bolts which constrain the sliders I vaguely remember, doesn't it? No need to undo the main caliper mounts.

That

[MrMagoo]

I'll tell him he's an idiot then! It was the rear brakes for what its worth.

[littleredrooster]

MrMagoo said:

I'll tell him he's an idiot then! It was the rear brakes for what its worth.

Ah - that changes the game completely.

Why do posters have to withhold two-thirds of the information in the first post?

Knowing it was a Vectra and knowing it was rear brakes might have elicited a completely different set of answers.

So - ignore my previous suggestion, it's probably totally wrong as it was made with reference to the front brakes. I know nowt about their rear brake arrangements.

[waynedear]

Some Alfas have hard to access rear caliper bolts, with a bit of thought and patience it can be done, very much doubt brake line removal would be needed.

[MrMagoo]

Right, he's back and says he could get a ring spanner on it but there was no room to apply leverage.

I've told him to take it to a garage but he says hes going to have another go at the weekend

Sorry chaps for withholding information, I wasn't sure if it was front or rear unil he told me.

[HustleRussell]

As others have said, get the slider bolts out and tie the caliper to the strut, then you'll have access to the caliper carrier bolts.

[spats]

if its just the rear pads hes changing then all he needs do is pull out the 2 pins holding a small metal plate which in turn holds the pads in.

http://www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk/index.php?t...

the very top image shows this cover off and you can see the tops of the pads. But in case he does need the caliper off (for changing the disc or the handbrake pads for example) then undo the nut on the bottom of the suspension strut as someone says in the thread.

[MrMagoo]

Thanks for the comments and links. I'll point him towards this thread.

Much appreciated.