I am tackling the job of changing my rear brake pads today. I've got the driver side finished, but the passenger side has a stuck slider pin (the thing with the rubber boot over it) and the caliper will not go back on. Any suggestions on what to do would be great! Here is a pic of it taped off (from my caliper paint DIY).

 

first of all can you even pull out that slide, or does it not budge at all

 

It's the bottom one. It won't budge at all! I have to get this SOB back together soon, I have school tomorrow!

 

if you can't break it free then you are going to need a new/reman caliper, and if you do replace it, then both sides need to be done at the same time, for even braking, and life expecticity left of them, and such
pulling back the boot and spraying rust pentenient on it might help make it easier to break it free too, and personally i would be pulling that bracket/slide off the car so it be easy to work on (especially if you got a vice to hold it); also a impact gun works great for trying to free it too with a 19mm socket (i think) on the head of the slide, maybe try hitting the head of the slide with a hammer with it off the car on the ground, might break it free some too, idk


depending on how thin the old pads are (outside one is proably really thin from the siezed slide), you might be able to put them back on for the time being, and know that you need to get the parts tomorrow to fix it tomorrow night, but it will at least get you to and from school tomorrow

 

Thanks for the help, but I finally got it pushed back enough to get the caliper back on. I beat it with a BFH and got the caliper bolted back on. Car stops great now! I'll eep an eye on it for uneven wear in the mean time.

I'm going to bookmark this thread for next time. I really, really, appreciate your help on this!

 

the slide needs to be cleaned up (a wire wheel on a bench grinder works great) and greased and such, to make sure it slides freely and not be sticky at all, or it will just sieze right back up shortly


and for stopping great now, i don't see why not all 4 courners are actually stopping the car now, not 3.5 or whatever you want to call it

 

that slide must move freely. you have to pull it out, wire brush clean it, clean the slide hole in the caliper, and regrease both parts. OR get another caliper. i can almost guarantee that your going to have uneven brake wear.

 

it also may seize closed and thus u will fry ur rotor and pad(s).

happened 2xs to my ford probe POS it was.

being proactive on brake maitenance is a real problem solver.

I recommend un-doing the brake calipers annually and greasing up everything to prevent something like a seized slider from ever occurring. especially if u drive in the winter with salted roads, it's a must.

Just curious..

OP when u did the rears... didn't you just undo the top slider bolt and pull back the caliper shoe and then u got access to the pads. I cannot see how u could undo it but have such issues reconnecting everything.

or did u do it some other way?

 

Well, this morning I went out to my car to see my right rear wheel covered in brake dust, thus meaning that damn pin is pressing the pads up against the rotor. After I got to school I toched both rotors to compare tempurature and the right was scolding hot while the left was pretty cool. I am just going to put the damn car in the shop this week and pay someone to do it. I don't have time, nor the tools to do it. Hopefully it won't be too expensive.

 

Let's say I wanted to do this myself, what tools would I need, and what procedures would I need to follow to get everythimg working correctly again?

 

i'd get a new caliper for that side. and honestly that rotor may be pooched. u won't know until u get it all working again.

u can sand the pads down to get the surfaces back to normal. do it on a flat piece of sandpaper and apply even consistent pressure.

Some people will tell u not to do this, however I have done it many times and it worked beautifully for me.

To get the caliper off all u need is basic tools. i think, 10mm (to release brake line holder), 12 mm(to get off the slider bolts) and 14mm (to get off the caliper) and a 1/2 inch drive rachet. u will likely need a longer rachet than normal to get off the bolt... or just a few taps with a hammer and that will loosen the bolts. however this may damage ur rachet, as it did to my friends lol.

You may need to use the hammer to wack the caliper off ur rotor FYI and this may damage the rotor, but you do not have a choice at this point.

I would replace the rotor but if u are looking to save money, put everything back together with the new caliper and then see how bad the rotor is. if it's bad u will need to undo it all and replace the rotor... no biggie.

Brake jobs are something every car owner should know how to do, it is very important to know the mechanics and physics and CONDITION of ur braking system.. cause that's ur safety.

P.S it is recommended that you replace both caliper on one end of the car when one is shot... otherwise u likely will have brake bias (one side is better than the other). so if u can find a deal for 2 calipers I would likely look into that.

hopefully that helps bro

 

I know how to do brakes, I just installed new pads yesterday which led me to my discovery of the seized slider bolt. That SOB won't come out! I had no choice but to hammer it in so I could get the caliper to bolt back on. The caliper itself is fine, just the slider bolt causing problems. Is there anyway to get the slider bolt unstuck or am I going to have to get a new caliper bracket (I guess that's what it's called)? I am running extremely low on funds so chances are going to a shop isn't an option.

 

Some how I removed both bolts with ease, replaced the pads, then attempted to reassemble everything. The caliper would not go back on properly due to the slider pin on the bottom sticking out further than the top one. I sprayed some liquid wrench on it, then beat it with a hammer until it was even with the other one. The other side went together perfectly without any problems.

 

just going to have to get resourceful bro. get that caliper off and put one side in a vice grip and start pulling.

it's not like anyone else would have some special way of fixing that problem... just need some elbow grease :-)

have faith dude, u'll get it. u just need to crack the brake line and re bleed that side.

unless I am missing something

 

Thanks for the help. I'll call my buddy and see if I can use the vice in his machine shop.

 

The shop next door to where I work said they would fix it for $35, so I'm just going to take it there tomorrow morning.

 

seems kinda low, but you may be getting an friendly neighbor discount

 

every time I got a wicked price from a shop they Fd me so i do all my shit myself.

hopefully u got better luck

 

Maybe so. My dad is the one that insisted on taking it into a shop. I guess he didn't want the car torn down in the garage. lol Thanks for all of you help on this topic though, man. It is greatly appreciated!

 

no problem man, hopefully it saves u some $

I was running on fumes back when I got my car and this site saved me a few times, just returning the favor