Guys, after following your threads last week on brakes, I dived in and took off one of the calipers that was giving problems. The big problem was that the pads were rusted to the caliper pins. The pins need cleaning up but are rusted right in there.
Any tips to get those pins loose? I assume the dealer carries new ones if I have to cut them and drill them out?
Heat, WD40, heat, WD40, repeat. Not heat and WD40 at the same time, though, if you're wife is looking. Speaking from experience.
Careful. I pulled my pins out and cleaned them up and put them back in a while back, wondering if that was what was squeaking. It looked straightforward and I thought I knew what I was doing -- but when it was in having its clutch replaced a couple months later, the guy noticed a noise and found that one of the pins had wiggled out and was hanging there, rubbing on the wheel or the rotor or something. Oops. Maybe it was a coincidence; I hadd put it all back together very carefully. Another blow to my confidence; more money for mechanics in the future...
I went with new calipers in the end, the old ones were a real mess. Hope they don't ding me on the core, or I will take out the pins.
Had to pick up a new retaining clip, less than $2 from the dealer, man no way it can fall out. The old one on the other side is a tad floppy in comparison. Getting the right parts can be half the job.
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