OK. I've had my '05 G35 since new, but I've never really considered doing work on it until recently. Last fall I changed the oil myself, w00t!

I've work on cars some, but not a ton, so I consider myself a n00b in every sense of the word.

Today I was attemping to replace my rear brake pads, and I got the top bolt out, but could not get the bottom one to budge. Not being one to give up easily, I ended up stripping the head of the bolt, though not too bad (I think). Is that bolt even supposed to move? I was watching a video of break pad replacement and it didn't appear that it comes off, though it did appear to be loosened enough to allow the calliper to hinge above the rotor.

I'm thinking that I need to replace the bolt with the stripped head on it, but I'm not even sure it will come out. After I stripped the head on it, I gave up and just put the summer rims/tires on it.

Any advice/help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Rob

 

How did you strip it? Were you using the wrong sized socket or wrench? I suggest getting it replaced sooner rather than later. But you gotta get something in there first to loosen it up. Some Liquid Wrench or WD40.

 

I wasn't thinking and used a 9/16" instead of 14mm, DOH!

Does the lower bolt even come out? I'm not sure. I'm thinking that getting a service manual of some type would be very helpful.

 

Of course it comes out. Otherwise you'd never be able to remove the caliper. You can find the service manuals here somewhere, just search for them. You really shouldn't do any more work on your car until you download it.

 

I think some tool stores like osh or home depot or maybe autoparts stores (i'm not sure, you can google search) carry bolt removers for stripped bolts.

 

Or you can get a vise grip on there and maybe it will bite in. I would recommend some type of lube though to loosen the bolt. Next time use a socket with a pipe over the end. It puts more torque on the head and allows it to come loose or you can tap it lightly with a hammer to start it and i mean tap it a few times dont slam it.

 

yes get yourself some bolt extractors, and some pb blaster. soak the bolt with the pb blaster hitting the bolt with a hammer light every so often then use the extractor or vice grip. once the bolt starts coming lose keep turning it back and forth to break the rust off if it becomes hard to turn out. last thing u would want to do is break the head off the bolt.

 

It turns out that I wasn't as bad off as I thought I was. After picking up some metric wrenches ( I swear I had some but could only find a 13 ) and trying out the 14mm on the bolt it was fine.

I went ahead and ordered some new bolts just in case I have problems next time. Now I just need to find a place to keep the parts that I won't forget about... Could be a challenge.

In the end, I got the brake pads changed on both rear hubs. I also changed the oil.

Does anyone know of a product that would allow quicker access to the underside of the engine? That plastic shield is a total pain! I live in MN, so it's nice keeping the winter grit out of there, but if I could find a way to make it a lot easier to get in there, I would be a very happy guy.

Thanks for all of the help and suggestions!

Rob

 

On a related note, I searched a bit for the service manual, but all I found was a broken link and some talk about not asking for it for free.

I don't mind paying for it, but I'm not sure where to pick it up. I saw a guy on e-bay selling it for like $7.00 plus shipping.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2003-...item58839edd7d

Is this a legit way to go, or will I get a CD full of crap?

Thanks,

Rob

 

https://g35driver.com/forums/faq-diy...e-manuals.html

 

Good thing you got it out. I did my front and rear rotors and pads this past weekend. Yeah they are a bit tough but with the right tools it was a breeze.

 

so was it a breeze or was it tough?