# stripped rear caliper bracket bolt



## Mcr122 (Jan 8, 2011)

ok so i did it, now what, give up? I had to use a breaker bar and on one rear wheel I had not prob. pass rear I stripped the inside of the 8mm allen head bolt and its not even close to coming off. Any tricks or am I screwed (or bolted) as the case may be? 

I just put it back together cause i had to go to work later I did not even try the fronts even though I have all the parts to replace all four sets of disks and pads. I would be willing to try again, as I have the next two days off but only if it seems that someone has a viable method short of torch.


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## Mr.loops (May 27, 2010)

Mcr122 said:


> ok so i did it, now what, give up? I had to use a breaker bar and on one rear wheel I had not prob. pass rear I stripped the inside of the 8mm allen head bolt and its not even close to coming off. Any tricks or am I screwed (or bolted) as the case may be?
> 
> I just put it back together cause i had to go to work later I did not even try the fronts even though I have all the parts to replace all four sets of disks and pads. I would be willing to try again, as I have the next two days off but only if it seems that someone has a viable method short of torch.


 Your going to replace the allen bolt anyways.... take some lockjaw pliers to grasp the head of the bolt and unscrew that little bugger off


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## Mcr122 (Jan 8, 2011)

*Ok*

It will be the first thing I try the new bolt are ordered


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## stockTT (May 12, 2009)

Any luck getting it out? I am trying to get mine out and I cannot budge them. I actually exploded the allen bit, it couldnt handle the torque lol


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## Lella Autosport (Dec 12, 2010)

Take a hammer and hit the head of the bolt a few times, it will help to loosen it. If its still too tight, go buy some PB Blaster. Spray it on and let it sit for a while, it will come loose easy. PB Blaster rocks.


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## GTijoejoe (Oct 6, 2001)

heat may help and penatrating fluid......


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## Maxpowerz (Feb 9, 2004)

+1 for PB blaster just spray it on and let it sit for a bit


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## quiksilver18T (Jul 29, 2002)

i had the same issue with one of my 4 rear caliper bolts on my '02 Jetta

Here's what I did.

1. my rotors were in sad shape, and I was able to wiggle them out from the hub. This allows u access to the end of the bolt

2. apply heat to the bolt and surrounding area. I used a propane torch on it for about 45-60seconds.

3. applied PB blaster while it was hot. Someone told me the heat helps to draw the penetrating fluid into the threads.

4. clean the head of the bolt to get good grip with the socket. tap the allen wrench in with a hammer.

5. put a breaker bar on your ratchet. Instead of putting a lot of steady force on the bar, I kinda just bounced it on the ratchet. This got 3 of the bolts loose.


The one that got stripped, I tried:
-vise grips - couldn't get tight enough
- angle grinder - not a lot of room to work on it.

What was successful was. to take the hammer and use it to hit the caliper bracket. Since there is only one bolt holding it on, it should budge. so instead of turning the bolt, I was turning the bracket. A couple whacks and I could see a bit of movement. I did a couple whacks in the opposite direction. I was wacking the bracket loose instead of the bolt. Once I got he bracket to move a quarter turn, the rust had broken and I was able to turn the bolt off with visegrips.


I have replaced all 4 allenhead bolts with grade 8.8 M8x 30mm bolts. Bring one of your allen bolts with you, or the caliper bracket. There are different threads for these bolts. I can't remember if mine was 1.25 or 1.5 thread.

P


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## DC Jetta Guy (Jul 31, 2004)

Try the next size bigger allen socket filed down a bit on the flats, and hammer it into the bolt. The bolt will also be "shocked" loose a bit while you're hammering, too. I've done this on several occasions and it has worked pretty well. When you put new bolts in, anit-seize them first and use a torque to tighten them.


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## mk3alltheway (Feb 10, 2011)

Had to so this the other say. Easy out bit and 5/16 drill bit. Drill the hole then thread the bit in by hand and find the corresponding wrench to torque it out..


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## mtxsho93 (Jan 9, 2012)

My apologies if nerco-posting is frowned upon here but I thought that I'd share my experience if it helps someone else out in the future.

I'm in the middle of stripping these bolts out as well. Fortunately, I have a damaged nut/bolt removal set that made it super easy to remove these bolts. 

The set that I have is sold under the Sears Craftsman brand.

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-10-pc-damaged-bolt-nut-remover-set-low-profile/p-00952166000P

If the link does not work, search for either of these terms:
Craftsman 10 pc. Damaged Bolt/Nut Remover Set, Low Profile Bolt-Out
Sears Item# 00952166000 | Model# 52166

I was at Autozone today and noticed that they carry a similar set sold under the Irwin brand. 

Ian


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