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So, while destroying my hands and my pride...

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Posted by: layoutd---------------------

during an epic battle changing my rear tire, i deceided to change out my pads on my brakes. i believe that the last person to own my bike must have never used a torque wrench and just put the cheater bar to everything. even with some "deep creep" the bolts are hard to come off. the sad part..
as i was attempting to remove the pad nuts from the caliper, the allen keyway spun through, striping the nut. what are my options? drill and tap? buy a new one? is there a tool for this?


Posted by: kmccune---------------------

I really hate allen bolts !

Can you get a vise grip on it, if you can try the torch (careful what and how much you heat, there are seals in there) and use the vise grip to back it out, carfull of the threads.You could drill it and use an easy out but those bolts are hardened and don't drill very well.

May be someone else has more/better input. what do ya think guys.


Posted by: DirtRoller---------------------

When steel bolts are threaded into alu. they sometimes gawl to each other. This seizes the bolt.
Try to spray some type of lube (liquid wrench) onto the bolts. Lay the bike on its side so the lube can seep into the threads.
For the striped allen bolt, try to hit the head with a drift and bring it back to size. Since these bolts are metric, try the next size up in standard if you can not make the the metric size work.
A socketed allen key on a impact driver might work also.
Good luck


Posted by: layoutd---------------------

the vise would be good, but these nuts are recessed. these bolts aren't metric?! damn, that could have been a problem too, i thought everthing on the bike was metric. the metric allen key, fit awfully well, maybe i can get an easy out to bite on it


Posted by: kawikdx250---------------------

Quote:
Since these bolts are metric, try the next size up in standard if you can not make the the metric size work.


That's probably the best idea. Tap it in lighty and make sure it's all the way in.


Posted by: DirtRoller---------------------

Quote:
Originally Posted by layoutd
the vise would be good, but these nuts are recessed. these bolts aren't metric?! damn, that could have been a problem too, i thought everthing on the bike was metric. the metric allen key, fit awfully well, maybe i can get an easy out to bite on it


A 6mm allen wrench has always worked for me. If you bought a cheap set of allens that might also be the prob.
Lube, let sit, and tap lightly on the head. If you don't have a driver you might want to try to hit the allen wrench at the same time you are turning it loose.
Permatex makes a prod. for this (product # 133A) so the steel bolts don't gall to the alum. That will help for the next time.
If this does not work you could always torture the bolt out with a LARGE hammer and sharp chisle, or vicegrip on its huevos, or blowtorch on its feet.
There's a saying... "when going in the wrong direction the slower the better". Just trying to add a smile to your prob.


Posted by: domino dave---------------------

Same thing happened to me (and a lot of other people...search the threads).I soaked mine with penetrating oil for three days, then I drilled the stripped allen hole and tried an easy out . Still no luck! Applied some heat and finally got it. Good luck. Dave


Posted by: BRYDEN1---------------------

Find a Torx bit of excellent quality that will drive into the stripped hole. Use a T handle or breaker bar on the socket and tap it with a hammer as you gently apply turning pressure. Use heat if it is available. Heat and shock are your best friends when anything is seized.Good luck


Posted by: motorider200---------------------

I would be very cautious about using an ez-out from my experience they just end up breaking and making the problem worse. We just went through the same problem with my dads xr. First we tried putting a vise on the pin that led to the pin breaking in half. Next we tried and ez-out and vice on the remainder of the pin. The ez-out broke right away and the rest of the pin broke off too. The next thing we did was ruin several drill bits trying to drill out the ez-out with no success. Finaly we took it to a machine shop and they were able to drill it out but the threads had gotten bugered up so we had to order a tap and re-tap the treads. One thing I did that almost worked was pounding a bit with a star head on it into the allen head and cranking on it. Heat didn't help either. Hopfully yours will come out easier than what mine did.


Posted by: kmccune---------------------

I like the torx bit idea, cause if it breaks you aren’t stuck with a chunk of very hard steel in the way of drilling the bolt out, like you are when an easy-out breaks off, though they usually strip for me, I have broken them.


Posted by: canyncarvr---------------------

You're somewhere that a whole lot of people have been before.

For one thing, (next time) always use an anti-seize product on the pin threads. Permatex for example.

Always use a good tool. Allen wrenches commonly are abused and the resulting damage makes them a loose fit to start with..and that's not a good thing.

Even so, you are likely going to have problems.

I always use anti-seize, I change pads often so it's not a matter of them sitting around for a couple of years (2-3 sets of rear pads a year, easy), and my wrenches are brand new and of decent qualtiy (MotionPro).

Still...last time I went to change pads the head of the brake pin just plain gave out.

Heat? Not a chance, imo, due to aformentioned seals inside.

I ended up drilling thru the failed allen head, using a bit that was large enough to effectively remove the actual straight part of the pin from the threaded portion. That gave me a large enough diameter and depth to use a decent sized EZ-out (Snap-on). It came out pretty easy!

A couple of problems with this procedure: Make sure you don't mess up the caliper threads with too big a bit or an unsteady hand. Use the smallest bit you have to to separate the straight pin from the threaded portion. The more meat you leave for the EZ-out to bite into, the less chance of damaging your caliper.

Then get some aftermarket pins (Moose makes them. I don't know if they have the correct size. Steahly has them in his catalog). They will have a hex-head you can use a socket (6-point of course) on as opposed to an allen head (socket hex).

I tried the torx approach. Not nearly enough metal left to bite. Tried drilling into the pin to get a better torx bite. No joy.

Good luck!



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