Can't loosen rear caliper stopper bolt

[JimS]

Trying to remove rear tire and the rear caliper stopper bolt seems to be stuck.

I've already shed blood and broken a perfectly good socket in my effort. Plus the bolt head is starting to strip.
I also seem to have the same problem with the caliper pin. I have limited leverage but my allen key actually started to bend.

It seems either loctite was used or over-torqued by the dealer. How do I fix this?

Thanks for any help.
Jim

 

[ChucksKLRST]

Try an air or electric powered impact wrench. If you don't have one ride up to my place and we can try my Air powered one.

 

[JimS]

Thanks Chuck. I may take you up on that offer. Been doing a little more searching and I sprayed some WD40 earlier, but no effect (don't see how it would penetrate a horizontal bolt like that). Also found folks use PB Blaster. I'll take a trip to the auto store.

 

[Mellow]

Would heating the surrounding area work? I had to do that to loosen an o2 sensor on the header pipes but that's steel and the stopper bolt is in aluminum so I don't know that heat is a good idea, just asking... the o2 sensor wouldn't budge without heat and w/heat just turned like nothing.

 

[Stump]

I agree with Mellow... a heat gun should loosen it up. Also minimize the stress on the head of the bolt by using a 6 point impact socket...

 

[bdalameda]

Something else that can help is to take a flat nose punch and place it on the bolt head or if it is an allen bolt insert it down inside the head - take a decent size drift and give the bolt a couple of hard hits. This will sometimes break the threads loose.

 

[kckbiker]

Also found folks use PB Blaster. I'll take a trip to the auto store.

I saw PB Blaster at our local Lowe's a few weeks ago. Never tried it, but the words on the can were real impressive!

 

[Uncle Phil]

I've used PB blaster before and it does work pretty well but I don't know how effective it is on Locktite (if that was what was used). My hunch is the last person to install the bolt over-tightened it, in which case PB blaster would not do you any good. If so, your best option is an air impact tool before you round off the head. I had a Honda 'mechanic' overtighten a side panel bolt so much I had to use an impact screwdriver to get it out. And he promptly bought me a new screw after I 'explained' to him that he almost got to buy me a new side panel!

 

[kckbiker]

Try an air or electric powered impact wrench. If you don't have one ride up to my place and we can try my Air powered one.

I'm sure Chuck has one, but if he doesn't, I have a 6-pt impact socket. I'm a mile from Chuck's house and working from home this coming week, so give me a holler if I can help. If the head is rounded I also have a socket-type thing for removing bolts with rounded heads. It digs into the bolt head, kind of like a screw extractor. Hope you don't get to that point, but it might come in handy if you do.

 

[JimS]

Ya know, after I've thrown my toys outta the crib, er, tools out of the garage, it's nice to be able to come inside and find good information here. :yes:
I know siezed bolts are all part of working on vehicles, and also why I don't savor the task. :banghead:

The bolt's soaking overnight in wd40 and PB Blaster, and will take a look at impact wrenches tomorrow if that doesn't do it. Like my momma used to tell me, always eat your veggies and never pass up a good reason to buy a power tool.

Thanks for all the offers and help.

 

[Blrfl]

The stopper bolt comes with a thread locker pre-applied, and the bolt is supposed to be replaced any time it's removed. I clean, inspect and apply fresh thread lock to mine, but the dealer should be playing by Honda's playbook.

Here's the rub: Honda's medium thread locker is red and is, I believe, what's on the threads of the stopper bolt. I have a new one in the drawer that has green thread locker on it, but I'm 95% sure the one I got from the factory was red. The service manual calls for medium for parts where you apply the new stuff yourself, and I can't believe they'd put permanent on anything you're intended to remove.

If your dealer removed the old bolt, saw red and applied matching LocTite, you've got a problem. Red LocTite can be undone with heat, but you have to get the parts up to 500?F. I'd be very leery of exposing the swingarm to that much heat because some flavors of aluminum change their temper at temperatures much lower than that and some can be forged at those kinds of temperatures. Someone who knows more about metals than I do would be better qualified to comment.

Try an impact wrench first. Sometimes giving it a clockwise yank (without the impact wrench) before loosening helps, too. And the PB Blaster may help soften the thread lock.

Good luck!

--Mark

 

[Blrfl]

I'm not sure what the rationale is, either. Maybe Honda doesn't trust its mechanics to properly clean and re-lock the bolts. Or they figured out that the bolts cost less than the labor for a clean/inspect/replace. Or maybe someone in the Japanese stopper bolt industry has some dirt on Honda and forcing them to call for bolt replacements is their way of extracting payment. All of the fasteners that hold the calipers to the bike are supposed to be replaced, and one thing they have in common is pre-applied thread lock.

I've never had any difficulty breaking medium-strength thread lock with just a socket wrench, but there's a first time for everything.

--Mark

 

[Hound]

I had to use one of these to loosen my stopper bolt.

The shoulders were starting to round off and I only had a 12-point socket, but I was lucky...

 

[FOG]

Heat is the only thing that will weaken loctite, if that is the culprit. In lieu of a pneumatic impact the hand held impact drivers can be very effective, as they combine the twist with the "drift punch" impact mentioned.

I have an old craftsman that I like best, it allows you to hold it neutral for the fist hit, to knock it loose, than be adjusting the angle of twist, adjust ow much rotation/whack is attempted. Mine had loosened thousands thousands of screws/bolts over the years.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00947641000P

 

[Igofar]

Had a similar problem removing the disc rotors off my old harley. Dang Torx pot metal bolts to boot.
I tried wrenches, ratchets, breaker bars, heat, and even an air impact....to no avail.
I took it to an old man who taught me something that day. He pulled out a craftsman sliding breaker bar that was only about 9 inches long....I laughed and told him all the stuff we'd already tried, including PB Blaster (great stuff by the way)....He smiled and asked me to hold the wheel. He then simply placed socket on the fastener, took up the slack, repositioned his body, then without loosing the small amount of tension, SMOOTHLY pushed through in one movement. All the fasteners came off as if they were finger tight for him! He explained that air impacts bounce around and don't maintain steady pressure, and that like a phillips head screw driver, if you use a socket or wrench, if you push too slow, you'll simply spread and round the fastener. Its all about STEADY, SMOOTH, CONTINOUS, FORCE with a little bit of speed mixed in. Ever since that day, I've become the person that folks bring stuck stuff too.
Try it for yourself. You'll be amazed.
Hope this helps.
Igofar

 

[st1300r]

If your dealer removed the old bolt, saw red and applied matching LocTite, you've got a problem. Red LocTite can be undone with heat, but you have to get the parts up to 500?F. I'd be very leery of exposing the swingarm to that much heat because some flavors of aluminum change their temper at temperatures much lower than that
--Mark

That's the part that worries me with the pinch bolt battle I can't put off much longer

You *may have luck with acetone loosening up the thread compond.
Good luck.

 

[bdalameda]

An old fashioned hand impact also works wonders. The type you hit with a hammer. Unlike air impacts that really rattle around the hand impact seats the socket at the same time it twists the bolt when it is hit with a hammer - much harder to strip out a bolt head using a hand impact driver.

 

[Tom Mac 04a]

Maybe Honda doesn't trust its mechanics to properly clean and re-lock the bolts. Or they figured out that the bolts cost less than the labor for a clean/inspect/replace.

I would say the cost/time... It took me about 20 mins to carefully clean the threads ( without damage ) before I was happy to re-install with blue Locktight.
At a shop charge of say $40 per 1/2 hr... the bolt is cheaper to buy.

 

[ReSTored]

Another technique is to use a box end wrench, 6 pt ideally, and put a bit of pressure on it to take up any slack and then use a rubber hammer on the other end. A poor man's impact wrench I suppose but it is surprising effective and I've yet to find a stuck or tight bolt that will not yield to this.

 

[stgolfer]

I guess I'm hit by the same problem. I can't get the stopper bolt off. I stripped the gear in my socket wrench, so I put a regular 14mm wrench on it and hit with a hammer. It is rounding the bolt and the wrench. Sheesssh!

I guess I have to go get an impact wrench in the morning. Doing all this work myself is almost as expensive as having someone else do it!

My only heat source would be a propane torch, and I would hate to use that so close to the brake line. Any other suggestions would be great.
I'll have to thank Russellville, AR Honda next time I'm by there.