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Hey OB the only thing I see amiss in your attempts, is you are using a regular chrome socket. I had an old timer ( of which I'am one now ) educate me on the need for True Impact Sockets! Yeah those big, ugly, obnoxious, black sockets. I never used them, mostly because I didn't own them, at that point in time. I had a stuck bolt, and had broken my "chrome" Snap On socket. And had asked if I could borrow his. He inquired as to what I was trying to remove, then said you used a chrome socket didn't you? I replied yes. He said let me teach you the difference. He took a Black Impact socket. Put it on "My" Impact gun, and after 10 or 15 seconds the bolt backed out!!!!! I stood there with my mouth open, and said he had broken several "chrome" sockets before he learned that trick too. Not a guarantee, but if that doesn't work. Cut It !
Hope it helps
Jack
Jack
That is a very interesting point; I have had to cut chrome vanadium steel sockets very occasionally, and the metal is quite soft.
Proper impact sockets may be much harder steel, and thus would impart a sharper impact on the bolt than CVS ones do.
Thanks for mentioning this, I had never thought about there being an effect- difference in use, other than the fact that CVS ones can break if used repeatedly.
Bit of a hold up this morning but I'm back so I'll give it a try with some heat and will see if that makes any difference
Also never gave it a thought about the Black Impact Sockets giving a Sharper Hit, unfortunately most of mine are the long ones that won't give me enough space with the Mains Impact Wrench on the end and my Battery one just doesn't have enough power
Though definitely something to bear in mind for the future
Exchange calipers definitely the way to go. Not worth trying to rebuild yours. The cost of exchange calipers is cheap really as you'll have seized pistons, corroded ports, contaminated fluid, hardened rubber seals etc.
I'd set myself a time limit to try and undo that steering arm bolt. Then I'd just get the angle grinder out! I wouldn't bother splitting the caliper.
That sounds like a Plan and also a really good idea!
But since you said don't Split the Caliper, I don't know the best place to Cut
Please could you do me a quick Sketch of what parts to hack off, as I'm not sure cutting the Steering Arm is going to be enough and there is not much room round the Back Plate for a Disc Cutter to cut off anything else
Let's call it a 4pm deadline on efforts for FBH shock, Rattle Gun, Air chisel shock etc.
Then I would go down the route Greg previously suggested when you'd sheared that bolt head on the other car. The suggestion was to undo the other steering arm bolts to enable it to swivel around your seized bolt. Then get a small angle grinder in on the steering arm along the line of the seized bolt. This should remove the tension / grip held by the arm, and then maybe you just turn out the bolt. Greg's original words (with the words "sheared" amended to "seized" were:
".....the steering arm is held on by the seized bolt and the bolt into the hub upright top left above it. The caliper is held on by the seized bolt and the bolt it is lock-wired to, a couple of inches DIRECTLY above it.
So you have three to undo, one common to the steering arm and the caliper (the seized); one holding the steering arm only to the upright (the one not lock-wired) and one holding the caliper only to the upright (the one lockwired to the one you have sheered).
Undo the other lockwired caliper-to-upright bolt and ALSO the bolt not lock-wired holding the steering arm to the upright. At this point the steering arm is in theory removable. BUT, your bolt has seized because the bolt has corroded itself into the steering arm (not into the caliper threads) so the arm is most unlikely to come off. ALL this is PRECISELY what happened to me when I rebuilt my front suspension.
You will find that once the other steering arm and caliper bolt is undone, the arm complete with the seized bolt will rotate a tiny bit about the bolt each way before it fouls a bit of car and cannot rotate further. This proves that the threads are free and it is the stud/upright hole that is tight. Undo the ball joint at the other end of the steering arm where it attaches to the rack.
Then, what I did was to get the small angle grinder and carefully cut through the steering arm down the side of the hole in it where the seized bolt goes through. This is not too tricky to do and once done, the grip of the hole in the arm on the seized bolt comes loose and it can all come off."
I've had a quick look at my 4.0 and I reckon you can definitely cut through that arm with the caliper in situ. And it won't matter anyway if you nick the caliper as it's going to be replaced.
What a mess you have, Alex!
And here was me thinking I had a mess with that XJS front suspension I got that had set in the dirt and weather for Years and sometimes under water! It came apart like a cream puff compared to the trouble you're having.
Of course I didn't mess with any chrome tools (until everything was well loosened), went straight for the 1/2" drive Impact set(s). And, if your time is worth anything to you, a set of those will pay for themselves in the first job.
I managed to Split the Calipers, with some heat from my Plasma Cutter, so now that I've had some practice and managed to not set fire to the Car, I reckon that I may be able to undo the Caliper Bolt that goes through the Steering Arm by also using some heat
Would you happen to know the Correct Size Spanner for that Caliper Bolt, as after I've heated the Bolt up, I am going to have to 'Zonk' it with a FBH and don't want to round the Corners off the Bolt Head
I also think that a Clump with a FBH on the end of a Spanner, may be more effective than using an Impact Wrench, at least to begin with and here is a Video of Splitting the Calipers together with a few stills
I've just looked in the W/S manual at the section on replacing the steering arm, and the 3 spanner sizes it references in that section are 19mm, 22mm & 5/8" AF so that centre bolt must be one of those. If I remember first thing tomorrow, I'll check it on my car and post back.
I'd suggest putting a spanner on first to protect the head before hitting it with a FBH, but make sure the spanner isn't protruding above the surface of the bolt head. You want to make sure you're hitting the bolt head to shock it, not hitting the spanner ring. Alternatively, you may get better impact pressing a large drift against the bolt head, (just fractionally smaller than the bolt head to avoid spreading the head edges) and smacking that with the FBH. That may be easier as you might then have more room to swing the hammer.
I've been using a 19mm on the Bolt that goes through the Steering Arm into the Caliper but both the 19mm Ring Spanner and the 19mm Socket seem a little bit loose on the Bolt Head, although the Bolt Head is in good shape and undamaged
Just wondering if I am missing something?
Seems a bit strange that these Spanners and Sockets seem a bit loose
The Plasma Torch is ideal for what I was doing today, although you have to be Careful as the Flame can get to 40,000 o/Fahrenheit! delivered with Pin Point Accuracy, unlike a Normal Blow Lamp
So the Surrounding Area seems to stay a lot cooler and so I'm hoping it will loosen this Steering Arm Bolt and will have to see how that goes Tomorrow
I think those caliper bolts may be designed to be 3/4" AF.
For something like this, I'd be minded to use a tight single hex impact socket rather than a bi-hex socket if using an impact wrench. Or surface-drive sockets if using a stanard ratchet bar.
It's definitely a day for pulling out all the socket sets and loose sockets to find the best fit
I think those caliper bolts may be designed to be 3/4" AF.
For something like this, I'd be minded to use a tight single hex impact socket rather than a bi-hex socket if using an impact wrencllll surface-drive sockets if using a stanard ratchet bar.
It's definitely a day for pulling out all the socket sets and loose sockets to find the best fit
I think you're right. Those bolts are SAE as I recall. The loose fit will reduce the impact effect also. 6 point impact sockets are a must. And don't use extensions. Those will drastically affect how much torque is delivered to the head of the bolt by an impact wrench.
06-27-2023, 03:07 AM
