Hey guys I have a problem. A pretty big one actually. I was replacing all of my pads and rotors today. I finished the front pads and rotors just fine, but when I started taking the caliper off of the rear left rotor I ran into a problem. The bottom guide pin on the piston is completely seized and the head is completely stripped and falling apart. Yes, I had all the right tools for the job and I did everything right. The metal on the head of the bolt is so soft that no matter what I tried, it just kept on breaking off more. And trust me, I tried everything to get this bolt out. It's such a tight space that I don't think I'll be able to get a drill back there and I doubt that any socket kits will be able to grab on to the head anymore. I talked to almost every shop in my town and they were not much help. One shop told me that if I could get the whole entire caliper and clamp off together and remove the brake line that there is a machine shop that could possibly drill the stripped bolt out. So far I'm pissed and angry and I just want this stupid caliper off. Plus, now I have two shiny new stop tech rotors in the front, and two rusted worn oem rotors in the back and it the combination looks terrible. I need suggestions. I need help. Has anybody else with a G ever ran into this problem? By the way, it's an 04. What do I do?

 

Brembo brakes or standard ones? Maybe post a picture of the problem area so we can see exactly how bad it is and what you're working with.

 

They are just standard. I want brembos but I don't have the money for them right now. Here is a picture of the bolt. I loosened the top bolt then literally as soon as I started loosening this one the bolt head just started to shred. I used some pb blaster (I think thats what it is) and it still stuck and stripped the metal.



These are the two quick pics I snapped.





Here is the second.

 

They sell sockets that have teeth called bolt grip or bolt out that removes stripped bolts. Or try vice grips first.

 

OK... those pic help a lot.

You need to buy a damaged bolt removal kit like this one (which I have and adore):

http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-1...1&blockType=G1

Those are able to bit into stripped bolts and nuts and grab ahold of the metal as you turn it and push on it.

PB-Blaster is good, but you should upgrade to Seafoam Deep Creep. It's a better penetrating chemical than PB-Blaster and is also safe for rubber and seals. PB-Blaster will dissolve your brake lines and brake piston boots as well as crack any plastic that it comes into prolonged contact with.... Deep Creep will not. Deep Creep is about twice as expensive per fluid ounce as PB-Blaster, so I only use it for jobs that require it or are risky and known problem areas. Deep Creep is also not flammable and is safe to use with a torch unlike PB-Blaster.

Heat up the stripped bolt with a torch and then spray it liberally with Deep Creep while it's hot and let it cool down. Repeat this a few times and you should start to get the Deep Creep getting absorbed in between the small gaps that temporarily open up as a result of the different rates of expansion of the metal for the bolt and the metal from the surrounding caliper. Be very careful not to melt any plastic or rubber parts around there if there are any close by. After your Deep Creep treatment, heat the bolt up decently warm again and try to use the damaged bolt extractor to remove it while it's still fairly hot.

If it's really bad you may want to take a slightly smaller size of the damaged bolt extractor and hammer it on over the bolt and then try to remove it that way. You could also have someone weld on another bolt to the end of the damaged one and then just remove the damaged bolt by turning the fresh welded on bolt.

 

Don't try vice grips. This won't work and will only damage the bolt more. You have to get the damaged bolt removal sockets that were mentioned above. At this point you want to avoid making the problem worse by trying half-a$$ed solutions and go straight to the hard-a$$ solution to do it right.

 

I already tried vice grips. They just stripped it more. The metal on the bolt head is extremely soft and literally falling off. If you can kinda see in the second pic, part of the bolt head has been stripped off so I'm not sure the teeth would have anything to grab on to. Being that the bolt head isn't even anymore I don't think that will work if you know what I mean.

 

Does that bolt remover set have something that will fit that bolt? I think it's a 14 mil bolt. I already tried torching it. It's hard considering the brake line is only about 2 inches away from the bolt and there's all sorts of rubber covers down there. I'll have to look into that deep creep stuff. From how it looks to me, I think that welding a bolt head on might be a good way to go. Would the weld be strong enough to withstand the torque to get that bolt out? I really dont want to continue stripping more metal off the head and ending up not have anything left to weld something to. Im not exaggerating when I'm saying that every time I try to get the bolt off more metal from the head just strips off. I just want to really do the right thing here and avoid paying a butt load of money to get that whole assembly taken apart. Do you think what you suggested is my best option?

 

Also, when I took the first picture the bolt, it looked alot better than it does now. Part of the side of the head chipped off. You can kinda see it if you look really close at the second picture. It's the bottom part of the bolt head that chipped, not the top. This is the only reason I'm alittle concerned about getting the bolt out set. Do you think the set will still work even with part of the head missing? I'll get better pictures of it and post them tomorrow. I was running out of day light today.

 

That Craftsman one that I put in the link earlier has a 14MM, 13MM and 12MM in it, so you are definitely covered in the sizes you would need to get that out. I'd go with the removal kit for sure. You should be able to pick it up are your local Sears. They always keep them in stock at the Sears stores near me. This is one of the most useful tools that I have in my arsenal. I've used it on brake components, oxygen sensor nuts, headers, and wheel lugs with 100% success. You should really combine it with the heat and Deep Creep though to help ensure you reduce the stress on the bolt. Bolts always spin easier when warm, and heating the bolts up hot and then spraying them with the Deep Creep when hot will help loosen it up. It's amazing how much of a difference that makes when you mix those two components into the equation. I remember doing this one time and thinking that I broke the head off of a stubborn bolt because it suddenly turned so easily, but it was actually just that easy to get out with the heat/Deep-Creep combo. Make sure you do it a few times too to really get it in there.

 

Woa.... Yeah before vise grips You should of deff heated it up a few times and soaked it.. Pretty much party man is giving the best advice. That kit is something I'm gonna invest in.

Like he said .. Have someone weld a new head on or just outrite take it to a shop and have them take it out.
Now You know what not to do for next time lol... Good luck

 

So far all the shops that I've gone to told me they cant help me for some reason. This is just really annoying.

 

Thanks dude. I'm gonna try this today. One last question. How long should I heat what's left of the remaining bolt head? I don't think I have enough time to make it glow Without melting any rubber that's down there. Does Sears have deep creek? Also, should I try to twist the bolt out when it's still hot or wait for it to cool down? Thanks for all the help.

 

I wouldn't heat it until it's glowing red. That works for exhaust components but that part of the brake caliper as well as the surrounding parts probably wouldn't handle such heat as well.

Advance Auto has Deep Creep. It's usually like $10 for an 11 oz spray can. You want to spray it liberally on the bolt while it's at it's peak temperature. Spray a ton on there. Spraying it on will actually cool it off and cause the bolt to contract and hopefully suck some of it into the miniscule crevices between the bolt and the surrounding metal.

Make sure the bolt is pretty warm too when you try to loosen it. It doesn't have to be piping hot, but fairly warm at least. Bolts always turn easier when they are warm in comparison to cold.

 

Thanks partyman. I went to advanced and sears today and picked up the bolt remover and the deep creep. Just under 45 bucks for both.. It's been raining all day so hopefully tomorrow I can try to get this thing off. Thanks for all the suggestions! Hope it works!