OMG! somebody help me...!! - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

rice · 01-14-2006, 07:37 AM

i started at 4 am and stopped at 7 am, 3 hours for me to change 1 side of my disc brake, yes, 1 side!! *sigh, and the worst part, I broke the screw that goes into the caliper, omg! how can i replace this? is it even possible?? what happaned was that i just finished puting in new brake pads and closing up the caliper when it just doesn't stop!! i kept screwing it in but it doesn't stop! it wants to go in more!

i thought to myself, "why is it not stopping, omg, somebody help me" *sigh, because I remember it was a pain to take out so I must screw it in pretty tight, right? thats what i was thinking, and then POP! the twisty thread part of the screw came off!!

I am so scared to drive my car now, one new breake pads on my left tire and the old one in my right and that broken screw in the caliper!! *sigh

I need your guys' input, how should I fix this broken screw that bolts onto the caliper? Im so scared to drive my car now....and i have to go to work in 3 hours, *sigh

Froggmann · 01-14-2006, 09:29 AM

You basically have 2 options,

1. If there is any bolt remaining hanging out of the caliper then pull off the caliper and use a pair of vice grips to unscrew the bolt. If this is the case get a can of PB Blaster to break the bolt loose.

2. If the bolt broke flush with the caliper you have two ways to get it out. 1 Drill it out and have it re-tapped. 2. Drill into the center of the bolt and use an EZ out to remove the bolt.

Your last option is to replace the calipers on your car, not just the messed up one but both as they should be replaced in pairs to keep braking even. But that is your final and most expensive option.

Raddman · 01-14-2006, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rice

i started at 4 am and stopped at 7 am, 3 hours for me to change 1 side of my disc brake, yes, 1 side!! *sigh, and the worst part, I broke the screw that goes into the caliper, omg! how can i replace this? is it even possible?? what happaned was that i just finished puting in new brake pads and closing up the caliper when it just doesn't stop!! i kept screwing it in but it doesn't stop! it wants to go in more!

i thought to myself, "why is it not stopping, omg, somebody help me" *sigh, because I remember it was a pain to take out so I must screw it in pretty tight, right? thats what i was thinking, and then POP! the twisty thread part of the screw came off!!

I am so scared to drive my car now, one new breake pads on my left tire and the old one in my right and that broken screw in the caliper!! *sigh

I need your guys' input, how should I fix this broken screw that bolts onto the caliper? Im so scared to drive my car now....and i have to go to work in 3 hours, *sigh

I would start thinking about a getting a ride to work right now instead of trying to get that bolt out because your still going to have to get a replacement bolt...If you got the bolt loose when you took it off then it shouldn't be frozen that bad...Hit it with some PB blaster before going to work(Without your car) and when you get home do what Frogg said about getting the bolt out, it shouldn't be that hard removing it......Might want to put some anti-siege on the bolts so it doesn't happen again...good luck...Radd Guy...

rice · 01-14-2006, 06:05 PM

Updated: allright guys, today i changed the other side and the same freakin thing happened!! but this time I was taking the caliper off instead of putting it back on, anyways, it turned out the I was turning it the wrong way, omg! i'm such a freakin noob loser, by the time i knew it i heard a POP and the thing popped out, the screw broke in half.

I guess i'm gonna have to bring it to a shop where they can drill it or something and take it off, does anyone know if I can just use any screw for the calipers or do they need to be caliper-specific screws?

From this first time experience for me, I learn that brake pads are very easy to change, but will take some time (for me it was 3 hours for the first front tire and 2 hours for the second front tire) and dont do it when it's freezing cold, i did mine outside winter freezing cold tonight and it was a big NO NO! Sliding the caliper back in was the hardest part after installing the new pads, omg....*sigh

Im still scare to drive my car because both the calipers are hanging only to one bolt, the top ones, if anyone has a 93-97 corolla and would like to change their brake pads, give me a hollar, i dont want someone to do the same mistake as me, its such a pain

Trace · 01-14-2006, 06:12 PM

damn... thats pretty crazy...

Why didn't you just bring it somewhere in the first place and get it done, or have someone help you if you weren't 100% sure what to do? I dunno... Hope everything works out man

rice · 01-14-2006, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trace

damn... thats pretty crazy...

Why didn't you just bring it somewhere in the first place and get it done, or have someone help you if you weren't 100% sure what to do? I dunno... Hope everything works out man

yeah, thanks man......i hope everything works out too, i didn't wanna bring it to a shop because i enjoy working on my car and shops probably charged me more than what i paid for my pads, its been a crazy two nights for me, hopefully i'll learn from my mistakes

Raddman · 01-14-2006, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Updated: allright guys, today i changed the other side and the same freakin thing happened!! but this time I was taking the caliper off instead of putting it back on, anyways, it turned out the I was turning it the wrong way, omg! i'm such a freakin noob loser, by the time i knew it i heard a POP and the thing popped out, the screw broke in half.

Looking at the way bolts turn can be deceiving at times especially if your under a car

...I learned a good trick from watching PBS "This old house"...The plumbers always say "Righty-Tighty Lefty-Loosey"...A good thing to remember taking anything off

..And I feel your pain in working on cars in freezing weather, did it many times and it sucks when your fingers are so cold/numb you can't even put a nut on a bolt

...Good Luck...Radd Guy...

***REN69*** · 01-14-2006, 07:29 PM

Should've brought it to a mechanic in the first place if you weren't too sure. BTW trace is a girl.

punter · 01-15-2006, 04:30 PM

What screw are you talking about where does it go I don't remember any screws into the caliper when i changed my pads.

rice · 01-16-2006, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by punter

What screw are you talking about where does it go I don't remember any screws into the caliper when i changed my pads.

the two bolts that holds the calipers to the pads, one is on the very top and one is at the very bottom, you have to get those out in order to get the caliper off and change the pads, they hold on to the pads or rather clamp on the pads, right now my calipers are hanging from only the one bolt on the very top, i'm gonna go to the local junkyard and find another caliper screw today, wish me luck

punter · 01-16-2006, 02:28 PM

Right... so when you say screw you mean bolt,

Are those the bolts that connect the caliper to the hub? Because there are no bolts/screws holding the pads in. If so those bolt are pretty big, what did you use to break those??
Any chance of you posting some pics.

Raddman · 01-16-2006, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rice

the two bolts that holds the calipers to the pads, one is on the very top and one is at the very bottom, you have to get those out in order to get the caliper off and change the pads, they hold on to the pads or rather clamp on the pads, right now my calipers are hanging from only the one bolt on the very top, i'm gonna go to the local junkyard and find another caliper screw today, wish me luck

Rice don't you think paying a little extra change for new bolts from a parts store or a dealer would be a lot better them sloshing around a junk yard at this time of year?

...Also you never said if you got the busted bolts out yet if not how are you going to do that?...I have driven with only one bolt on my caliper before but only on one side and not for long...Good Luck and let us know how it turns out...Radd Guy...

azcorolla · 01-16-2006, 04:08 PM

You'll get it done. Good luck to you, and don't worry about screwing up. Everyone does it every now and then, not just noobys - that's how you learn. From now on, you'll know how do do this job, so it was worth the pain.

toyotaspeed90 · 01-16-2006, 05:08 PM

worst case scenario you'll just need a new caliper & bracket, which usually isnt' any more than like $50 after core & has a lifetime warranty

thao · 01-17-2006, 09:52 AM

all you gotta do is get an ezout bit and drill the screw out. if you can't get one, use a regular drill bits and while drilling, move the drill side to side. go to the junk yard and pick one out. the auto store will not sell you the screws only. either go that way or buy two new calipers. you are looking close to $170. you can also get a discount if you bring your old caliper to them.