Replacing brake pads, one faces brake calipers. In particular, their pins seem to demand attention, regarding their removal and even which is which.
The following is by my understanding.
I mention in my post from Sept 26 using penetrating fluid to loosen caliper bolts. On the vehicle I’ve been working on lately, a 2013 Jeep Patriot, the caliper bolts and caliper pins are the same thing.
A peculiarity of this vehicle is that the two pins of a caliper are different. Specifically, one has a rubber bushing while the other doesn’t. Which is which, and why?
It turns out that if one caliper pin has a rubber bushing, it’s usually what they call the trailing one, meaning the second one a point on the rotor would pass during a revolution of the wheel. The rubber bushing is meant to prevent vibration, noise, etc. It seems to work pretty well, in that regard.
Yet, the rubber bushing can make the trailing caliper pin very hard to extract. I’ve been in a situation where the caliper pin was unscrewed past the threads, would turn freely, but just didn’t want to come out. Putting a wrench around the underside of the bolt head can facilitate more effective pulling, but even then it can be surprisingly hard to remove.
Source:
Leave a Reply