Nightmare trying to remove the rear caliper carrier bolts!!

**richiem** · 1st February 2011, 18:22

Hi all

Having a mare trying to do what should be a simple job replacing the rear disc on my car.
Seems i can remove the rear caliper bolts as the torque socket will only grip the bolt tight in the tighten direction and doesnt want to sit tight on the bolts when trying to remove

Im guessing that the head on the bolts are worn or something as i cannot get a good enough grip without the socket slipping around.
Its hard enough getting access to the top bolt as you cant get a spanner or wrench in the silly gap there either..
Any ideas would be very welcome, Im getting tired of trying now and cant find anything to fit the bolts tight enough to crack them off.
The rear disc on the car are really battered and i think therve be left on there like this for along time because of this issue.
Cheers rich

**James24** · 1st February 2011, 18:48

I had this problem - some of the bolts loosened OK and some felt like they had been welded in. You are wise stopping before you cause damage. I ended up taking my car to the garage because one bolt head got rounded despite my best efforts. I later replaced my Franklin Torx socket set with a Clarke set from Machine Mart which fit much better.

If you are going to try again, probably general bolt-loosening tips apply such as apply some WD40 or something similar (although this may not do too much as these bolts should have thread locking compound on them) and keep the socket held squarely on the bolt head to avoid it slipping.

I'm sure others will have plenty of ideas for you...

PS you are really supposed to replace the bolts, I guess because of the pressure they are under and to avoid a damaged head being even harder to get out next time! They are pretty cheap from a dealer.

**richiem** · 1st February 2011, 19:32

Yer i just read about replacing the bolts so ill get them in, thanxs for the tips!

**lee1828** · 1st February 2011, 19:42

I used to work for a company that overhauld turbos, as you can imagine due to the heat some nuts, bolts and screws did become a nightmare to loosen when stripping for refurb. An option to try is hit the head of the bolt a few times which will stretch the thread slightly, in most cases this would make them easier to remove. To aviod damaging the head of the bolt, try and have something to strike between the hammer and the head of the bolt. Its worth a try mate, has got me out of trouble more times then i can remember

**dansri** · 1st February 2011, 20:36

mine were the same ended up breaking my thumb trying to undo them lol. ended up cutting the bolts off and getting new ones. they were held in with that blue lock tight stuff.

**James24** · 1st February 2011, 21:33

Glad I gave up before I broke my thumb! As well as new bolts, you'll need some new thread locking compound.

Another thing I found was that I could reach most of the caliper bracket bolts (can't remember exactly which ones - it was some time ago now) with the car up on ramps and the wheels on.

This made the car a lot more stable for the amount of effort being applied to the bolts than it was on stands or jacks. I loosened the bolts with the car like this and just tweaked them back up so the brakes worked, then got the car off the ramps and on to jacks so I could get the wheels off and strip the brakes.

Whether you can do this will depend on if you have some ramps (obviously), and also if your extension arms and breaker bar will reach the bolts with the wheels still on.

**richiem** · 1st February 2011, 23:39

Cant believe how hard therve made this job to do!
What makes it so annoying is the fact i get great grip if i try to tighten them but the socket just keeps bumping around when i try to loosen them..
Arrghh! lol

**markj23** · 2nd February 2011, 09:56

tighten it a bit then get socket on solid and undo with a big turn they are very tight use a short extension on a breaker bar and grunt they are 120 nm tight it feels like they dont loosen up all the way out

**richiem** · 4th February 2011, 01:10

Sorted the job today using a big ass torque bar. Helped when i jacked the car up really high so i could turn the bar further..
Funny cos after doin the job , today i recieved a recall notice from vaux regarding the rear brake assembley! Seems theres an issue with it.