Can't replace brake pads on GQ front right

I bumped into an unexpected pain in the butt type of problem today. I was replacing the brake pads on my GQ(1990, single piston) front end. All went nicely on the left hand side and it’s was all over less than ten minutes.
All I had to do was to undo one bolt and lift the calliper top assembly. Then press the piston with a clamp and slide in the new pads, lower the calliper top assembly again. The two bolts that hold the calliper top assembly moved freely without any dramas for me to push it back in again.
Right hand side is another story. After two hours still I can’t get the calliper top thing to go in.
The reason is that the bottom bolt is stuck like it’s welded to the calliper body. I can turn it both ways with a spanner, but no chance pushing it in or taking it out. The top bolt is fine, it comes out easily and goes in the same way.
What can I do to get it to move guys?! Hitting on it with a mallet or hammer didn’t work. It won’t move at all, but it turns, though without moving in or out.
I took a photo, but can’t post it as I can’t find the USB cable to transfer the photo to the computer.
I will post the photo tomorrow.
I tried my best to describe it, but I know a photo could’ve saved me thousand words.
I have no idea why it’s stuck like that. I had to put the old worn out pads back in. Since they are pretty flat worn, calliper top not moving in(and out)doesn’t affect the ability to lower the calliper top.
I’m also beginning to suspect this is probably the reason I feel the brakes aren’t good enough to hard stop the GQ when I need to do that. I feel brake’s bit too weak, but I know it’s a heavy car and I got disc brakes on both front and back.

Any help would be great.

Thanks guys

When rotating your only turning the bolt, the sleeve will be what's fused solid..
There is no good news with this. You need to remove the whole assembly, and press it out then depending in condition, re-grease or replace the sleeve..
Happened to my car at around 400 thou. I took it to the specialist so if it needed replacing they could do it there And then..

I had all new seals put in mine not long ago and one side had a seized pin..... there was no rescuing it and it had to be replaced.

Not uncommon when they are not serviced enough considering the places we take these cars.

Thanks Kallen. I guess there's no easy way out for me this time. :)
How about taking it out and leave with some WD40 then attach it to a vice and try some tapping or banging?!

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Originally Posted by Westy's Accessories

When rotating your only turning the bolt, the sleeve will be what's fused solid..
There is no good news with this. You need to remove the whole assembly, and press it out then depending in condition, re-grease or replace the sleeve..
Happened to my car at around 400 thou. I took it to the specialist so if it needed replacing they could do it there And then..

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How extensive is your parts list. If you wish to do that then I'd be ordering a new sleeve straight up, a some sorta small honing sanding device to clean and smooth Off the inside of the caliper..

From memory it wasent expensive considering I had my car back the same day.. $150ish from memory..

Are you talking about the caliper slide?? Or the bolt that holds the slide pin on to the caliper??

Scratch that. I reread.

Happened to me not long ago. To be honest, it's a pain in the arse to get it out once it's seized. The only way I eventually got it out was, to take the whole caliper off the car, and belt the slide with a hammer until it came off. I did leave the pin in wd40 and clean it up, re greased and put new seals in. Seems good now, about 8,000km on.

I'm not saying that's the best way to do it, but it sure as hell worked for me. If that's not something your overly keen on, get another one from the wreckers and rebuild it. Seal kits are pretty cheap

Just attached couple of pictures.
I wasn't good with the terminology. But, I reckon it's bit clearer with the pictures.
Thanks mate.
P.S. In the second picture, the bolt on the ground is the one that goes into the slide pin to fix the caliper piston
to the caliper body. Both of the bolts are good. Just the bottom pin won't move.

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Originally Posted by lhurley

Are you talking about the caliper slide?? Or the bolt that holds the slide pin on to the caliper??

Scratch that. I reread.

Happened to me not long ago. To be honest, it's a pain in the arse to get it out once it's seized. The only way I eventually got it out was, to take the whole caliper off the car, and belt the slide with a hammer until it came off. I did leave the pin in wd40 and clean it up, re greased and put new seals in. Seems good now, about 8,000km on.

I'm not saying that's the best way to do it, but it sure as hell worked for me. If that's not something your overly keen on, get another one from the wreckers and rebuild it. Seal kits are pretty cheap

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Take the rubber boot off fill with penetrine or some other penetrant and screw the bolt in hit with hammer to get it moving and to pull it out use pliers on the bolt head and lever it out generally once its moving it will come out get some good high temp grease and wet and dry sand paper give it a good rub and greasing don't forget the caliper bracket should be all good

Thanks mate.
You just gave me idea of how to use a home made hydraulic press.
:thumbup:
BTW, by caliper bracket, did you mean the sleeve that the pin goes into?

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Originally Posted by 93patrol

Take the rubber boot off fill with penetrine or some other penetrant and screw the bolt in hit with hammer to get it moving and to pull it out use pliers on the bolt head and lever it out generally once its moving it will come out get some good high temp grease and wet and dry sand paper give it a good rub and greasing don't forget the caliper bracket should be all good

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Yeah mate that s the one

How did you go mate get it sorted

Interested to know how this went? Can you not put the caliper/bolt back in and undo the top one instead and use that to remove the bottom pin?

you can but the slide is there so you dont wear out one pad before the other the piston pushes the inside pad on the disk and the slides move the caliper to get the outside pad to contact the other disk. OP didnt have a drama taking the pads out he had a drama with the slide not working

I know? I don't think you understood what I meant.

Given the maintance require for the pin !.
The calipers don't need a kit in em while your at it?.

Yes. I can get the pads out and put the existing ones back in.
Problem is not being able to put the new thicker pad in and also, of course, the slide pin is jammed.
I can only manage(just manage) to put a new pad in one side and then not enough room to slide in the second one due one of the slide pins jammed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 93patrol

you can but the slide is there so you dont wear out one pad before the other the piston pushes the inside pad on the disk and the slides move the caliper to get the outside pad to contact the other disk. OP didnt have a drama taking the pads out he had a drama with the slide not working

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Hi Robo,
I've been onto it(purchasing a kit). I had to put off the project due to other dramas and just getting back to it.
Tomorrow I will be working on pulling the jammed pin out using home made methods.
Then, based on the condition of the pin and sleeve, I would've have decide whether kit is needed or not.

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Originally Posted by Robo

Given the maintance require for the pin !.
The calipers don't need a kit in em while your at it?.

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Got caught up with other stuff mate.
I'm onto it tomorrow and finish it off, hopefully,
I'll keep you updated with pictures and stuff.
Thanks

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Originally Posted by 93patrol

How did you go mate get it sorted

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Didn't quite understand what you meant mate.
Bottom pin is jammed. So, I need to find a way to pull it out without breaking it.
I got few ideas from here and I'll be on to it tomorrow.
Thanks

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Originally Posted by Parksy

Interested to know how this went? Can you not put the caliper/bolt back in and undo the top one instead and use that to remove the bottom pin?

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Hi,

Thought I'd get this thread going again because I've got a similar problem. One of the caliper slides won't come out. The weird thing is it turns in the sleeve and it will go in and out a little bit so it's definitely not seized. I don't understand what could be holding it in there. Any ideas?

G`day Niel
I think that the pin you are referring to is the one fitted with a thin rubber anti rattle sleeve on it.
This sleeve has become sized to the housing but the pin is still able to move, The sleeve is only about 2mm in thickness so if you can pull the pin STRAIT out the only thing that will be damaged will be the sleeve.You will have to use a fair amount of force and pull strait. I used a slide hammer screwed into the pin and a bit of WD40 . It will be the housing that has rusted and grown to the sleeve causing the problem
Beers and Cheers Pearcey

Thanks,

I managed to get it out in the end. As you said, it needed a fair bit of force. Should I be able to buy just a new rubber sleeve or do you have to replace the whole pin? The pin on the other caliper seems to have lost the rubber sleeve and just slides in and out of it ok (the sleeve is still inside). I assume it should have something on the end to keep the rubber sleeve on the pin?

Cheers

Neil

Neil, one pin has the rubber sleeve and one is a pin with a flat machined along it`s full length, both sides will have one of each. The one with the flat does not have a sleeve and is just a straight pin,the one with the sleeve is machined down to take the sleeve but but nit has a retaining lip at the end. I don`t think you can buy the sleeve separate. Caution don`t take too much material out of the pin hole when you clean it up as if the pin is loose you will end up with a rattly caliper and this will cause premature pad wear and possible caliper damage. hope this helps

Thanks Pearcey, one side doesn't seem to have the retaining lip and has lost the rubber sleeve in the pin hole. That said, it slides in and out of the rubber sleeve quite nicely. On the other side (the side that I couldn't get off) the rubber had perished and slid over the retaining lip hence jamming it in the hole.