I broke the top/head part of the bolt. How do I get the lower part out of the caliper??? Also, I was turning my ratchet and socket counter-clockwise to loosen the pin. Was i turning in the wrong directions??? I am new to the self-servicing your own car world. All i was trying to do was to check the break pads since I had heard some squeaking and thought it was coming from the front breaks. I kind of got freaked out took my roadster to the dealer to have them check the pads. But, they just took the wheels off & pointed to the pads saying the fronts were ok & it was the rear pads that were more worn out. I had to ask them to open the caliper & show me the pads. When the technician turned the bolt, i think he turned it CLOCK-WISE. Whereas, I was turning the bolt the opposite direction. The technician opened the rear calipers and i was trying to open the front once. Did I turn, in the wrong direction?
Can i take the other half of the bolt stuck in the caliper out or do i have to get a new caliper? Please help. I ended up spending $190 today at the dealer to have the technician install the rear pads (parts & labor). They also said i needed the rotors turned (re-surfaced) b/c the pads had marked them. But, they were talking about $338 so i figured i can try to take them off myself & just take them to a local shop to have them re-surfaced there. Thanks for the advise, i feel like such a dumb-***/incompetent but i hope i can salvage the caliper and not have to spend more money.
Also, the bolts were really rusty & would not turn, what can i do to loosen them up? So that i don't break another bolt head.
Thanks again guys.

 

If you're looking direct at the bolt head:
-clockwise = tighten
-counter-clockwise = loosen

If you get confused.. righty-tighty, lefty-loosey.


If the bolt is broken, then you'll need to replace that. You'll probably need to use a bolt extractor tool or something to get out that broken bolt. As long as there's no damage to the caliper, there's no reason to replace it.


As for resurfacing, you may need to do that. Or, you can just replace them with new rotors.

 

Break= what your bolt did.
Brake= what stops your car.

 

Thanks 3hree. I did exactly the righty-tighty, lefty-loosey rule & that's how the bolt got broken. I just thought maybe it was different on 350z brakes or something b/c i could have sworn the technician turned the bolt in the opposite direction. And, what's up with ur avatar? looks a little weird.
Terrasmak, lol. thanks for rubbing it in. A lot of confusion was going thru my mind as i was writing that long paragraph. Not to mention i was starving & was on my way to the kitchen.

 

Good Day

I have done this many times with seized or fractured bolts
Remove caliper from car
Soak the broken bolt with penetrating oil
Soak it every 15 min for at least an hour
Make sure all your tools are ready to go - WD40 , Propane torch , pipe wrench 10" - 12" , a vise is handy to hold caliper by the other ear
If some of the bolt is sticking out of the caliper use a pipe wrench to remove the broken bolt . Vise grips usually slip
If it is still tight use a propane torch to warm it up (300 Deg. F) This will break the Red Loctite used to prevent the bolt from backing out . If these are Brembo
brakes you will need to touch up the paint

Good Luck

 

Thanks 1000gixxer. By the way does the screen-name mean you have a gixer? I have an R1 but like the yoshi-gixer exhaust sound.

After talking to my local shop mechanic i realized the righty-tighty, lefty-loosey direction is the opposite with calipers b/c they're are inside-out. Meaning that the part is facing towards the inside of the car. And, because we see the outside of the caliper from the outer side of the car-our left becomes our right. In other words, the caliper is facing the opposite direction, so to loosen we must turn right (clock-wise). It's common sense, after you think about it. Too bad i didn't think about it before i began turning the bolt. But, you live & learn. Maybe my threat will help out newbies in the future and avoid making the same mistake. Thanks again, for those who replied.

 

I already told you how to determine the direction in my first post.

 

Yea, its tight-righty lefty-loosey when you and the screw/bolt are facing each other. However, since the caliper bolt is facing the other way loosening it is turning in the opposite direction.

 

Ya

2004 1000cc
Ohlins Forks and shock
Brembo mono block brakes with AP master cylinders
Full Ti Akrapovic exhaust
Marchesini wheels with Ti axles with Ti Nuts , Michelin DOT race rubber
Yosh ECM
Lots of Ti fasteners

Lots of fun on the track

 

As it turned out, the rear-rotors needed to be replaced. They measured 14.47mm in thickness. The local mechanic said, that if they re-surfaced them, it would be likely that they would shake during breaking and could potentially break.

I found some EBC Ultimax Slotted rotors for $155.00. With free shipping and including CA tax. Is that a good price? Anyone know of a site where they can be found cheaper? Appreciate the input. I don't do tracks, just street riding.