Ming rings in Minn

I was sure Stan and I stopped trying before we rounded the bolts off, but the shop I went to says they are rounded off now.... I suspect they rounded them off,,, I supposed I could have argued with them but anyway...
Options,
1) try to replace the cv joint boot without removing the calipers
2) drill out the bolts and buy new ones
3) The shop that told me the bolts were rounded off said they could pull all the abs stuff off the caliper and start torching to get them off. (I have no idea what they would charge)
4) buy the tools and DIY. I figure I would need an impact wrench, and some sockets designed to remove rounded off bolts...
5) is there an option I haven't thoguht of...?

4Driver4

I'd go for option 1, 6, & 7.

1. Do the boost without removing the caliper
6. Find a new shop
7. Use an air chisel to turn the bolts.

BTW, I quick look should be able to tell which way the bolts were being turned when they were rounded off.

Eric 2.7

replace those rotors in 130,000 miles unless you want to. I don't plan on replacing mine any time soon, so I'd just leave the caliper bolts as is for now and do the CV boot without messing with the caliper.

That being said, if you really want to get those bolts, I wouldn't let the shop torch them. They're not talking about heating them up, they're talking about using a cutting torch. I wouldn't want to risk messing up the caliper or boiling the fluid.

First I'd try one of those spiral sockets like you mentioned for taking out rounded bolts but I'd do it with plenty of pb blaster on the bolt and an impact wrench. Impact wrench will get it when a breaker bar won't.

If they cut the head off those bolts, they'll end up needing to get the threaded part of the bolt out anyway which you'd do with a spiral socket anyway, but with much less diameter to work with, so your better working with the heads on.

Eric 2.7

it, you can do it quite easily if you crank the steering wheel to the side.

4Driver4

The other problem with torch heat is that it might melt the seals on the wheel bearings.

slimmn

failed first when I tried. Then when you tried, it didn't budge either. I did remember to check the bolts (18mm), and they definitely did not look rounded off. I'm guessing the shop used some pretty heavy duty tools, and did the damage.

Having said that, if these guys are saying we can do it without removing the calipers, I'd be willing to give it a shot. This Sunday works for me. If you want to wait a couple of weeks later, that's OK too. I don't think the CV joint is going to go bad if you waited a little. The joint you cleaned looked pretty good, didn't it?

You can worry about the caliper bolts much later since your rotors were recently replaced.

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

slimmn

Man, you just have to wonder what the dealer tech were thinking when they replaced your rotors!!

Ming rings in Minn

wiggle, not even a little. it was on there solid. The bolt was not rounded. I am going to get an impact wrench (maybe for Christmas) and someday, before 130,000 miles, I am going to remove those nuts and replace them with new ones.

I think we can do it without removing the calipers too...I'll give you a call after lunch today and setup a time on Sunday when we can give it a try. Maybe we can take some pictures this time to show everyone how it is done...

Eric 2.7

I think that of the suspected warped rotors maybe less than 1 out of 100 are actually warped.

The OEM rotor/pad combination is susceptible to deposition from pad resins and just plain old rust causing the rotors to feel just like they're warped.

Following the bedding process from the Stoptech website can clean off the deposition and make the pads less likely to deposit. If that fails, cleaning up the rotors with emory cloth can get stubborn deposits and make those brakes feel smoooth!

I have had mine get really bad a couple times and by doing a proper bedding, they feel like new. They are currently as smooth as could be and I have not replaced rotors.

Ming rings in Minn

I love Potomac-Greg's line.. "bolts-torqued-on-by-God" it is an incredibly accurate description.