What in the world do I need to loosen these bad boys? I have a 22mm heavy duty ratchet that is not even budging them. I am in the process of replacing pads and rotors, 1st time.

 

you need a breaker bar...

how long is your "heavy duty" ratchet? if it's the std 5"-6", get a deep socket and put a 6"extension on it. put the open end of the socket on to the handle of your ratchet to create more leverage.

i know there's not a lot of room in there...if it helps, turn the wheel to get more room.

depending on how strong you are, you may need to get your foot and put your entire body wegith on the bar.

JUST BE CAREFUL!!!

 

Thank you for the info and quick response drsifu1,
I believe it is about an 8-10" ratchet, I am unable to put any of the deep sockets that I have on the end because they made the ratchet with a bulged end on it and none of them fit over it. I tried once to put my weight on it and it still wouldnt budge, I didnt want to press my luck and mess anything up. Sounds like a trip to get a breaker bar.

 

or you could use an old iron pipe
ghetto tech baby!!!

 

This is beginning to be a comedy, 3rd trip up to Advance Auto for hardware, came back with the breaker bar, go for a turn, and the piece that connects the bar to the socket snaps in two....love it, great night....

 

Get yourself some Mechanix gloves... they've saved quite a bit of skin from my knuckles!

 

I give up for tonight, went back for a 4th time to get a replacement socket adaptor,came back and tried the other torque member bolt, and yep, sure enough, the 2nd socket adapter split right in half and the bolt did not budge. I imagine the next thing I can try is to find a 1/2" 22mm socket, Advance Auto did not have one.

 

don't force your ratchet to do a breaker bar's job. the mechanism will break if you put too much load on it.

i know, ive broken a 1/2" drive long ratchet in the past working on sus mods...lol... ive even cracked a 17mm socket.

 

go buy some Craftsman tools...if they ever break, they'll replace it for free

 

+1 . . .

 

Question: Do you have a service manual?

I see that the torque member bolts are tightened to 113 lb-ft. That is why your rachet is breaking. Rachets are not made for that high of torque usually. You need to use a socket wrench with a breaker bar and an extension. Buy a pipe and slide it over the wrench and push on the outside of the bar to get more leverage.

Do you have a heavy duty torque wrench that goes up to 113 lb-ft? Remember, do not use a t-wrench to break bolts. Good luck and stay safe! Use eye protection if you have it.

PS - Manual shows that the T-member bolts for the rear brakes are only torqued to 53-71 lb-ft.