SPONSORED LINKS

Caliper with no pads and a badly damaged rotor, how to remove the damaged brake rotor?

Tiny
ALPHAA10
  • MEMBER
  • 1998 BUICK LESABRE
  • 3.8L
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 255,000 MILES
I was given this Buick as a gift, but did not realize the condition of its passenger front caliper and rotor until too late to save it. Now, I am left with a caliper with no pads and a badly damaged rotor. Both will be replaced, but first, I must remove the damaged caliper and rotor.

As you can see in the attached photos, there is not much left to work with. Although I have replaced caliper and rotor assemblies before, this has become a challenge.

First, the caliper, itself, appears to have been installed without the two slider bolts which thread into the ends of the sliders. As you can see from the photo, only a hole is left on each slider end, where the bolts (15mm?) Belong. I have drawn an arrow where each of the two holes is visible.

Second, the severely damaged rotor (see photo) cannot be removed without removing the caliper assembly. Although I have searched as carefully as possible with my fingers in the dim light (and despite using a flashlight) I cannot find the two bolts which hold the caliper to its frame. If you need another photo, I can repost within 24 hours of reading your message.

This is my first brake work with this car, so feel free to correct any misunderstanding you find in my description.

Please review the caliper photo and suggest where I should find the two bolts. If you have the ability to mark the photos with a bit-map editor like Windows Paint, and draw a circle or arrow to the likely spot, that may help.
Images (Click to make bigger)
Thumb
Thumb
Thumb
SPONSORED LINKS
Saturday, November 30th, 2024 AT 8:13 AM

21 Replies

Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 48,363 POSTS
Na, the rotor looks fine! (Kidding). Lol that is a good one! I would look down inside the slider pin bolt holes and the head of the bolt should be down in there. You can't see it because of the caliper, pad and rotor wear, can you take more images please? You don't see this very often.
SPONSORED LINKS
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+2
Saturday, November 30th, 2024 AT 12:14 PM
Tiny
ALPHAA10
  • MEMBER
  • 214 POSTS
Thanks, Ken, I needed an uplifting moment-- this has been frustrating.
Yes, I'll try to post some photos tomorrow (Sunday). The photos, despite the indirect lighting, turned out surprisingly clear.
The diagrams you sent should help me orient my search.
Thanks for being there, compadre.
BG
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Saturday, November 30th, 2024 AT 11:34 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 48,363 POSTS
Yep, you are welcome, have a great week, talk to you soon!
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Sunday, December 1st, 2024 AT 10:31 AM
Tiny
ALPHAA10
  • MEMBER
  • 214 POSTS
When I began my photo session this afternoon, working outside, the sun was too low on the horizon for a revealing photo of the caliper area. Will try again tomorrow, under better lighting, and post the new photos ASAP.
BTW-- I did look inside each caliper slider, and inside (a short distance) is a hex recess socket. My concern is simply, shouldn't there be a bolt at the end of the slider tube, at the very tip? That area appears to have a few machine threads, though I did not touch it with a screwdriver tip, to determine threads are actually present.
BTW-- Has 2CarPros changed its website? I noticed a Facebook login prompt that I had not seen before. And the diagrams you sent as attachments had disappeared, even after I logged out and then relogged. Do you know what is happening with (1) the website and (2) your attachments?
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Sunday, December 1st, 2024 AT 6:11 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 48,363 POSTS
There is no nut at the end of the slider bolt, just the Allen wrench, I believe it is 3/8. We did not change our website, so I am not sure what is going on.
SPONSORED LINKS
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Monday, December 2nd, 2024 AT 9:42 AM
Tiny
ALPHAA10
  • MEMBER
  • 214 POSTS
Ken, as I recall, you provided diagrams or other graphics to help me orient my search for the two bolts. When I checked your previous message this morning, the attachments were missing. Could you post them again? Thanks.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Monday, December 2nd, 2024 AT 10:02 AM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 48,363 POSTS
Sure, here are the caliper replacement instructions. Check out the images (below). Please let us know what happens.
Images (Click to make bigger)
Thumb
Thumb
Thumb
Thumb
Thumb
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+2
Monday, December 2nd, 2024 AT 10:15 AM
Tiny
ALPHAA10
  • MEMBER
  • 214 POSTS
To be continued.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Monday, December 2nd, 2024 AT 10:31 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 48,363 POSTS
Lol, sounds good.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024 AT 9:56 AM
Tiny
ALPHAA10
  • MEMBER
  • 214 POSTS
Today, I was out working on the car and managed to understand the caliper "problem "well enough to plan my next move-- to buy a 9mm / 3/8-inch hex socket wrench to remove the caliper slider bolts that will permit removal of the caliper from the caliper bracket. It's all downhill (in a good sense) from there.
The next challenge is using the torque wrench with accuracy, though someone told me, all I have to do is tighten the bolts with as much force as I can apply, and that should be enough.
Working alone, I am going to use the "gravity" bleed method and (almost)) completely replace the original brake fluid. My brake fluid will come from a new, unopened container.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Thursday, December 5th, 2024 AT 6:03 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 48,363 POSTS
I would not over tighten these bolts and use the torque specs above. The gravity bleed works well so there is no problem there. Let me know if you need anything else.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Friday, December 6th, 2024 AT 9:43 AM
Tiny
ALPHAA10
  • MEMBER
  • 214 POSTS
You notice, I quoted a nameless somebody who meant his comment facetiously, I am sure. Over-tightening should be avoided at all costs, as anyone who has been through that will attest.
BTW-- I want to be sure of the terms used in your spec sheet. Is the 38 foot-pound spec applied to the slider bolts' hex socket? How would I attach a torque wrench to an L-shaped hex socket wrench? Or do I need to buy a socket with a hex male end?
SPONSORED LINKS
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Friday, December 6th, 2024 AT 11:05 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,572 POSTS
As you intend to work on this vehicle, I would suggest buying a hex bit set like those shown. They work far better with a torque wrench and enable you to use regular ratchets with them. You can get functional ones from places like Harbor Freight or Lowes stores for around $30.00 or you could go to Snap-On and get a 210EFTAMY set for around $300.00.
Image (Click to make bigger)
Thumb
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Saturday, December 7th, 2024 AT 12:45 AM
Tiny
ALPHAA10
  • MEMBER
  • 214 POSTS
Thanks, Steve. If this is what I need to apply proper torque, I need a set, but there is a complication.
1. On inspection, my caliper appears to have a 3/8-inch hex socket at the end of a one-inch-deep recess/cavity, with smooth, non-hexagonal sides. The depth was measured from the cavity's shoulder to its bottom, and suggests the hex socket head set you mention will not reach all the way to contact the hex end, inside the caliper.
2. In my previous post, I asked whether 38 foot-pounds is the proper torque to apply to the caliber slide bolts. Is 38 foot-pounds correct?
3. Do you use a digital or mechanical torque wrench? What do you think of the digital torque wrench as a useful tool?
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Saturday, December 7th, 2024 AT 7:37 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,572 POSTS
They make long-tipped versions of those as well. Yes 38 lbft is correct. I have beam style, click style and digital. Digital is nice but not really needed unless you get into things that call for a torque and then additional angle to reach the full torque. Even then the other types still work fine, you just need to do some math in your head.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Sunday, December 8th, 2024 AT 6:33 AM
Tiny
ALPHAA10
  • MEMBER
  • 214 POSTS
Awaiting the arrival of the long-tipped hex socket, I discovered my newly purchased set of Raybestos ceramic front disc brake pads lacks anti-rattle clips. Raybestos was no help, claiming their "Professional Grade" brake pads are not shipped with anti-rattle clips. I have searched everywhere, but you may know of a source for the brake clips.
* The original clips are probably damaged beyond repair.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Friday, December 13th, 2024 AT 11:53 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,572 POSTS
You are looking for a brake hardware kit. The place you bought the pads from should have them available. If they don't then one of your local parts store like NAPA or O'Reilly should have them.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Friday, December 13th, 2024 AT 6:05 PM
Tiny
ALPHAA10
  • MEMBER
  • 214 POSTS
Thanks, Steve.
I have covered that route, already, but I did not try NAPA.
They seem to have everything, whenever I check.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Saturday, December 14th, 2024 AT 11:27 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,572 POSTS
If you bought Raybestos pads the rattle clips should already be riveted to the pads like the circled areas. If they are not then you likely have the wrong parts. The only other item are the guide pin bushings and those generally are not included unless you buy specific brands. Those are available as GM-19261286, AC Delco-18K279X, or Raybestos-H5609A
Image (Click to make bigger)
Thumb
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Saturday, December 14th, 2024 AT 2:23 PM
Tiny
ALPHAA10
  • MEMBER
  • 214 POSTS
That is the answer I needed.

Of course, I had checked for the clips with a customer service rep at Raybestos, but he said my pad set does not include anti-rattle clips. (So much for staff training at Raybestos.)

On receipt of my front pads set purchase from RockAuto. Com, I had checked the clear plastic-covered pad set, but did not know how an "anti-rattle clip" should look. Your photo exactly matches my pad set and its riveted clips.

Many thanks for that one-- I was all set to order another pad set which came up on NewEgg. Com when I searched with "Buick 1998 LeSabre brake hardware". The NewEgg search engine delivered two hits, after ignoring my "1998" and "LeSabre" descriptors. (See photo) The photo shows four clips at the very bottom of the image.
Image (Click to make bigger)
Thumb
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Saturday, December 14th, 2024 AT 6:06 PM

Please login or register to post a reply.

Related Brake Rotor Replace/Remove Content

VIEW MORE

Sponsored links