brake calliper bolt

[wato]

Morning all,
I planned to replace the front pads on the 2000 mx5 but can't budge the lower caliper bolt. Im hesitant putting to much pressure on it in case i strip or break something. Any advice on my next move? Many thanks

[hks_kansei]

Use a good socket head of the correct size. less likelihood of it slipping.

Give the bolt a spray with WD40 or your penetrating oil of choice. (I like Wurth Rost-Off)
Leave it to sit for a while to soak in.

If you still cant move it, knock the bolt head with a hammer a few times, sometimes this can help shock them enough to break a rust bond.

If still nothing, slide a piece of pipe over your ratchet handle (effectively extending it) to give you more leverage

You can also heat and quench the bolt to shock it, just heat the head with a blow torch for a bit,then pour ice water onto it, when hot the bolt expands, and when quenched it suddenly contracts and can loosen. Try to avoid this one if you can, as the heat cycling can make bolts brittle afterwards.


If you still can't remove it, spend the money on a good set of bolt/nut removing tools like these (http://funrover.com/wp-content/uploads/ ... 504634.jpg)
They wont slip off a bolt/nut. BUT they will cut into the head, meaning that you'll need to replace the bolt afterwards in many cases.





Avoid using open ended spanners, and especially shifters, for any bolt that is a bit hard to remove. Both of them when under load will usually spread a little and cause the tool to round off bolts.

[wato]

Excellent, thanks for that ill give your advice a go!