Aaaargh brakes!

[svdemon]

I just had a nightmare in the garage, started off stripping my brake calipers down for a clean and regrease. Going fine until the n/s pad retaining pin would not budge for love nor money!

Ended up with the caliper in a vice (held by the retaining pin hex head) pulled the caliper and the head broke off the pin. Its now stuck in minus the head!

Is this a new caliper job or does anyone have ideas for removing the old pin? I was thinking i could drill it out but it might be a bit messy.

Any help much appreciated!

[dirtydog]

I had a similar problem with a rear caliper and drilled out 1 pin and managed to budge the other with a pair of mole grips

If it was me i'd give it a good spray of penetrating oil leave it overnight and then get some molegrips on it, failing that drill it out

[svdemon]

I'll give that a go fella, thinking maybe heat gun/torch and mole grips, will need to get a new pin first though as its my daily ride.

Its too cold outside for all this nancying about!

[dirtydog]

I'll give that a go fella, thinking maybe heat gun/torch and mole grips, will need to get a new pin first though as its my daily ride.

Its too cold outside for all this nancying about!

Dont put huge amount of heat into it don't know if it will affect the rubber seals.

I managed to get some stainless steel pins off ebay a little while ago haven't seen them on there in a while though

[petevtwin650]

Bit of a b@st@rd.

I believe you can buy stainless pins as replacements.

Good luck.

[svdemon]

Sorted this problem, one pin just would not budge. Ended up drilling down the length of it with bigger and bigger drill bits until it was just a shell then drifted it out from one side after grinding off the nipple bit the pin sits in.

Ground four flats on either end of each pin to ensure that there is always a large part not in contact with the caliper. And of course plenty of copper grease too!

P.I.T.A! But now all good as the sintered pads are the business!

[Lozzo]

Do the pins go into a blind hole like Bandit rear calipers have? On those I've been known to drill a 3mm hole right dead centre at the back of where the pin sits in the blind hole and then use a narrow pin punch to knock the pin out undamaged. A fair bit of heat works as well to break the corrosion between steel pin and alloy. Clean the hole out and the pin then use high temp copper slip to keep corrosion at bay when you put it back together.

[dirtydog]

Do the pins go into a blind hole like Bandit rear calipers have? On those I've been known to drill a 3mm hole right dead centre at the back of where the pin sits in the blind hole and then use a narrow pin punch to knock the pin out undamaged.



They are exactly the same as some of the bandits calipers (for the front) and that's another of the fixes that a few people would recommend to get the pin out, although my prefered method is to drill it out and replace with stainless steel pins

[yorkie_chris]

I took the bobble off the outside of the caliper, this allowed me to let penetrant oil soak into the siezed part of the caliper, then get a punch and a big hammer to the back of the pin. Then put it back with some copperslip on it.

I used heat on it, as I was servicing them anyway I took the seals out so no idea if it would affect them, I was using oxyacet so the heat was directed into the pin, didn't soak into the seal area much though. I think it'd be right.

So far every time I've removed it it's come out fine.

[Lozzo]

I put new pads in the silver thing before it was collected by the new owner today, the pins came out really easily, which was a surprise considering the state of the calipers when I bought it.

[svdemon]

I tried drilling a small hole as i wasn't keen on completely removing the nipple. This pin just would not budge though!

I was ready to throw the caliper away if i didn't need the bike the next day it would have been in next door neighbours garden by now...