Help! Brake calipers won't come off...
#1
Agent Orange
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Thread Starter
Help! Brake calipers won't come off...
I'm trying to remove my brake calipers (front) and they won't come off. I took off the two 19mm bolts but the calipers seem stuck to the rotors. They move slightly along w. the rotors. The car is lifted on jack stands, the e brake is off,, what am I doing wrong?
Thanks!
Thanks!
#3
Technical Guru
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Originally Posted by ilko
I'm trying to remove my brake calipers (front) and they won't come off ... what am I doing wrong?
#5
Burning Brakes
Also keep an eye on the reservoir level when you compress the pads - makes it rise and you don't want it to spill out because it will eat through paint like nobody's business.
Channel locks work great for compressing the pads - and you can use a towel or cardboard or something on the outside if you're worried about marring a pretty caliper paint job.
One other thing, if you have a "lip" on the rotor so that you can't get a channel lock in there, you might be able to just apply force on the caliper towards the inside of the car, then towards the outside, to compress them a little first.
Failing all else, open the bleeder valve and do the above and it should be easy - of course you'll need a tube and catch bottle.
Channel locks work great for compressing the pads - and you can use a towel or cardboard or something on the outside if you're worried about marring a pretty caliper paint job.
One other thing, if you have a "lip" on the rotor so that you can't get a channel lock in there, you might be able to just apply force on the caliper towards the inside of the car, then towards the outside, to compress them a little first.
Failing all else, open the bleeder valve and do the above and it should be easy - of course you'll need a tube and catch bottle.
#6
Agent Orange
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Thread Starter
Thanks for the tips! Yes, the rotors definitely have a lip. They're worn out so I'm replacing them. I tried prying the caliper off the rotor with a flat head screw driver, but didn't want to apply too much force. I'll try to open the reservoir and if that fails, then I'll open the bleeder valve. The fluid will have to be flushed anyway. Oh and my battery's totally dead BTW, this week's cold weather killed it. I haven't had a chance to plug it into a charger. Dunno if that has any effect on the situation or not.