HondaFan81

I have an 04 TL 6MT and will be performing first replacement of the front Brembo brake rotors & pads in my ownership.

I have heard from other owners there has been difficult in removing the caliper mount screws without stripping the aluminum calipers. Some have had to have machine shops insert heli-coils to fix.

I am trying to avoid this problem and am wondering if experienced members have any tips?

I do have extensive Honda mechanical/technical experience, but this is first Honda with OEM Brembos I've dealt with. Logically, I will remove caliper screws using hand tools, as impact gun can further strip aluminum threads and do plan to clean and anti-seize threads once removed (hopefully successfully). I do not understand why these fasteners are not anti-seized from factory.

KidoPham

Everything is very easy, but those screws are a pain. I spent 5 minutes changing pads and 2 hours trying to remove those screws with hand tools. I ended up bringing it to my friends shop and he used air tools to get it off on one side and drilled the screws out the other because I had stripped them lol. The screws are very short but they are stuck in there real hard. Good Luck

Bearcat94

It's not the removal that strips the theads, it's the re-insertion and tightening.


I've noticed that they feel like they want to cross-thread if you're not careful. Two tips:

1.) You must have the bracket and bolt hole lined up perfectly. It's kind of tough because you're holding/jockeying the caliper with one hand and trying to start the bolt with the other. Be patient and get 'em lined up right.

2.) Start the bolt by hand. If it's not catching, don't force it - you CAN tell the difference. Re-Align and start again. Once you get a few smooth, easy turns by hand, then put your hand/power tools on it to torque.


I've swapped discs at least 3 times with no issues.

Bearcat94

Your talking about the screws that hold the disc during assembly. OP is talking about the bolts that hold the caliper to the car.

Two different things. But both a PITA in their own way.

HondaFan81

Many thanks Bearcat for the tips, exactly the type of information I was seeking. I agree the overall procedure is cake, I've completed far more difficult. However, I had about 2-3 people warn me about these caliper screws that fasten into the aluminum calipers.

It makes sense what you describe. I hope that my front brakes have not been previously serviced. I did purchase at 66.500 miles and the rotors appear original as they just reached their service limit thickness (I measured). So technically calipers should not have had to be removed, since you can swap pads through the caliper alone on this setup (very easy).

At my work I deal with some aluminum parts and steel fasteners, I understand exactly what you mean on easily stripping them. I do add from my experience that using power tools on such applications, does wear out the threads quicker due to the higher RPMs associated. So I'm sticking with hand tools on this, should not be a problem. Use leverage when necessary.

The rotor set screws are not a problem. An impact driver tool is your best friend there, if you can not remove with Phillips screwdriver alone. Just be patient and do not go beyond its means. A tip with impact driver tool is to tighten it first until you see movement, then loosen it up.

ez12a

blast the caliper mounting screws with liquid wrench or pb blaster before attempting.

Changed my rotors and pads a few months ago without issues. Though the prev owner had already done the pads once.

cokinut

iTrader: (1)

Hey Cisco. I've heard a good amount of good reviews of brembo brake jobs as far as the problems occurred.

You know this, but i'll throw out this info for others, but I applied pb blaster and let it soak over night. Then I applied a torch to the bolts. It still stripped the bottom bolt on each caliper. I think that it being bottom is just coincidence. I fixed them using time serts as I've heard they are a hair better than helicoils. A machine shop did them as I did not have the right tools and equipment to do so.

As you are aware, it's the rust and corrosion. But what also doesn't help is the 125 ft/lbs of torque in conjuction with the seizing. If you start removing the bolt (i used a breaker bar followed by my 1/2" ratchet), and it feels super stubborn the whole way through, it's probably stripped. The bolts that weren't stripped came off and felt like a normal bolt should.

Also, watch for the caliper bleeding screw/bolt. I had one seize up on the drivers side and read that other brembo owners had the same (sti, g35's). This is another reason to bleed the brakes every year - to prevent seizing. That was another costly repair at the machine shop.

Essentially, 85% of all screwable parts on my brembo's were replaced. It sucks but at least I know it should be good to go for next time.

As far as putting the calipers on, like bearcat94 said, it might take some funny positions to hold, align, and screw the caliper on. just thread it on by hand and don't forget to apply some anti-seize.

After it's all said and done, I was able to take off my pads and unmount the caliper in about 5-10 minutes. I love how easy it is to change pads on these calipers, but the corrosion sucks for whoever runs into it. Best of luck and keep us posted.

HondaFan81

I really dislike corrosion. I so hope that is not the case with mine.

I'll use PB blaster if I can reach the threads on caliper screws, but I did not think it was possible on these. If you can not reach the threads, PB blaster or the like is worthless.

JORTS

This just happened to me while I was changing out the pads and rotors. I had to buy two new calipers ($600) because my car was in the road up on jacks and I didn't have time to search out a machine shop or look for used calipers. I was very upset. I think this is a bs design flaw that brembo or Acura should do something about. My car has 45k miles on it. This shouldn't happen, especially on nicer bigger, so called "upgraded" brakes. I would rather have the normal TL brakes then deal with this crap. Sorry about the rant

HondaFan81

An update to complete this thread. I started and completed this OEM 6MT front brake job (Brembo 4-piston calipers) this past Sunday.

I noticed the front rotor set screws were not present on my setup and the caliper screws had tooling witness marks. So these rotors had been serviced before. The front pads were Monroe brand, also been serviced. That gave me hope that the caliper screws would remove without problem.

Sure enough, the calipers screws removed with no problem. Since the Acura service manual states torque is 125 lb-ft for these 14mm screws, I used a 1/2" breaker bar with steel pipe for leverage. The threads were in good condition, minor corrosion present on the last thread alone. Brake caliper threaded holes were in great shape.

So I cleaned all brake parts up, installed the OEM Brembo front rotors and OEM Brembo pads with the supplied Brembo brake paste (copper-like color). I installed 4 new caliper screws and 4 new set screws (cleaned up threaded holes). All looks great and new. Will bleed out the brakes today after work and replace the fluid while bleeding with OEM Dot 3 fluid. I torqued the calipers screws to 100 lb-ft, then 125 lb-ft. They are 14mm screws and that torque seems adequate for the size and keep in mind these brakes stop harder due to being performance oriented and so they experience higher loads. You do not want those fasteners to shock/vibrate loose.

I'm convinced based of forum members and the photos I've seen of the caliper screw problems, that the outboard threads have potential to corrosion on the last few threads. That corrosion when fastener is removed is what causes the threads to strip. Installing the caliper screws is not difficult and they align fine. I do not believe the installation is the cause for stripping threads. I hope this clarifies this concern. Be sure to clean or replace the caliper screws if corroded and anti-seize prior to reinstall.

HondaFan81

Bled brakes yesterday and replaced fluid while there. All is well, brakes look hot and working nicely.