Never fails.
Posted on 03/20/2017 9:07:15 AM PDT by Paul R.
Advice needed: It's either corrosion or a gorilla with a wrench, or both, but I cannot get the brake caliper bolts on our Ford Explorer out. FoMoCo exacerbates the problem by using bolts with shallow heads, so it is difficult to keep a socket on them. I have tried various penetrating oils such as PB Blaster, smacking the bolt heads with a medium hammer, etc. to no effect. More info. in my 1st comment...
Putting it all together, quickly heat all areas of the surrounding area around the bolt just enough to allow your chosen penetrating concoction to penetrate better, but not boil off or combust.
Then, once you have the removal wrench ready, hold a few ounces of dry ice (a meat shipper may have some) as much on and nearest the bolt as possible for about 20 minutes (cover with rags as doing so). Then quickly heat the surrounding area around the bolt so that this will expand faster than the cold bolt, and then quickly spray a little of something like PB Blaster penetrating fluid, and immediately attempt to remove the bolt.
I’m not a Ford guy but on GMs you can take the whole works (caliper and bracket) off, two bolts. Then put in a vise and work on the pins. I have heard some of the Ford caliper pins/bolts tend to corrode a lot; might be a good idea to pick up couple of new ones and boots (might come as kit) before you rip into it.
They sell a product at the auto parts store that is supposed to freeze the bolt...it didn’t work. I never even thought of just using refrigerant...I assume by ‘freon’ you mean R-134? A can of real Freon is probably worth more than the caliper.
Lefty Loosey, Righty Tighty?
If the heads are rusty and the 13mm wrench fits loose try a 1/2 inch wrench or socket hammer it on then hit the wrench or rachet with a hammer.
Kroil products are meant for this.
I like to put a pipe over the end of the 6-point wrench, put steady pressure on it and beat on the end of the bolt (with the wrench stillon it) at the same time...Usually works...Sometimes have to attempt to tighten the bolt using the same process just until you feel it move and then work in the opposite direction...And I agree a wrench is better than a socket since there's less chance of the wrench slipping off and rounding the corners on the bolt...
Correction Kroil
Heat causes metal to expand, cold causes metal to contract. Maybe try cooling it with some canned refrigerant or something to loosen them up?
I second Paul’s fix. I had bolts rusted onto a caliper on my old 69 Mercury. A couple minutes with a torch, a few taps with a hammer, and an impact wrench for good measure, and it broke free real quick. Wear protection or you’ll wind up with white-hot rust and slag on your skin which doesn’t feel good.
Yeah, I forgot about that. I've done that, too, trying to tighten, then loosen. Sometimes it's just enough to get it to work.
I've never tried the prying and banging on the head of the bolt. Usually, I've either had the bolt loosen, or I've had the head snap clean off, which, in turn, leads to me being admonished by any nearby sailors.
Keyboard cleaner (duster) held upside down works as well.
Breaker bar and a length of pipe Also make sure you had your Wheaties but not the ones with Bruce Jenner on the box
This is the advice I gave on an earlier thread. When taking advantage of the coefficient of thermal expansion, it should make no difference whether one uses heat or cold.
Heh - too many replies to respond to each...
Vehicle = 2008 Ford Explorer. Front brakes need new pads.
Are the caliper pins threaded only near the hex head? Then I “may have a chance.” But if they are only threaded near the hex head, I am amazed they’ve not freed up: I’ve been hitting these things with PB Blaster every few hours for 3 days (started Fri. afternoon), hammering them each time I went back to the vehicle, and I’m using a breaker bar...
I also tried hammering the end of the breaker bar, but it proves impossible to keep the socket on the pin’s shallow hex head: If I keep trying I’ll “round” the head and not be able to get anything on it. :-(
The hex heads are to the inside of the wheel well: There is some clearance, but I don’t think I can get my impact wrench into position, especially for the top pin. I just bought a longer swivel head breaker bar and will try that, but again there is the problem of keeping the socket on the head, if I’m “out at the end” of the breaker bar. (This also obviously applies if using a pipe to increase leverage.) Maybe I can somehow clamp down the bar & socket to the hex head of the pin? Hmmm...
Drilling out the pins would take a right angle drill, it appears, and lots of time, as there’s no way I can see to get good pressure on the drill bit to the hex head, using a right angle drill.
I assume the neoprene boots are easily available — need to check — as heat may be the only answer... One flexible (rubber-ish) brake line is close to the top pin head.
It occurs to me that my pin heads being shallow makes them “pinheads”.
I did the front brakes on my Ram during Christmas. I had to use quite a bit of muscle to break them loose. Too bad that your bolt heads are shallow. That really exacerbates the problem.
Yes, your thread inspired me (after reading through those suggestions) to create this thread!
Shoot, I even went out and researched what might have lower surface tension than acetone (plus ATF), but I have not had a chance to see if any of those other potential solvents are available to the general public...
Thanks!
BTW, any luck on your end? :-)
aren’t some of these bolts REVERSE THREADED?
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