2000 s70 rear brakes...stupid pins

Caberguy · Post by **Caberguy** » 16 Jul 2014, 13:02

Just spent the last couple of hours trying to replace my rear pads and rotors. Started with the left, got the caliper off, old rotor off (it came with the pad from one of the parking brake shoes), got the new rotor on, then started working on getting the pins out to replace the pads. Those buggers stymied me something fierce. I couldn't get them to budge. Sprayed them with brake cleaner, scrubbed it with a wire brush. No dice. In fact the pin ends were mushrooming a bit. Anybody have any tricks to share?

Then I decided I'd at least put the other new rotor on. Couldn't get the right rear wheel off. Bent the lug wrench, twisted off a short 3/8" extension, shredded the ratcheting mechanism on one of my socket wrenches. Went and got the 4-way wrench out of my Jeep, and of course that didn't have the right size. And then I split the seat of my pants, so I gave up for the time being.

Post by **abscate** » 16 Jul 2014, 19:21

Impact wrench/socket is the way to crack stuck lugs.

The only come out one way of course. Which way are you driving them?

Caberguy · Post by **Caberguy** » 16 Jul 2014, 19:38

Yeah, my impact wrench was stolen a while back, and I was trying to avoid buying a new one. And, not having a garage at the moment, my air compressor is stashed away and I've been sticking with mostly hand tools.

I'm driving them the right way. From the outside of the caliper to the inside, from the skinny end. It'll probably be Friday before I have a chance to get back at it. Hopefully the PB Blaster will have freed them up a bit.

Post by **abscate** » 16 Jul 2014, 20:59

3mm punch and don't be afraid to wack them hard..

Post by **dosbricks** » 16 Jul 2014, 21:15

Caberguy wrote:I'm driving them the right way. From the outside of the caliper to the inside, from the skinny end.

There are some aftermarket (made in China) pins out there with oversized "C" clips that are close to impossible to drive in. Maybe you have a set of these in there. I reused my OE pins on my last brake job because I received some of these pins with the rebuilt calipers I installed.

http://volvo850wagon.wordpress.com/cate ... rake-pads/

Scroll down to "Safety Update".

JeffHicks · Post by **JeffHicks** » 16 Jul 2014, 21:19

Sounds to me like what you need, more than anything, is for the PB Blaster to do its work for several days. The car has probably been in a salty environment for at least part of its life.

Unless somebody messed them up, those pins should drive from the outside to the inside. On my 3 Volvo wagons I've just used a punch, and it has worked fine. Some are stuck a little harder than others.

Post by **stephansvolvo** » 16 Jul 2014, 23:03

I just did all rotors and pads. I had to wack the crap out of the wheel as it was seized on the rotor face. The pins will need a good smack with a 3 mm punch and a hammer. Be patient and soak it with PB blaster. I did video of the whole job and accidentally deleted it. So I have nothing to show you now

Caberguy · Post by **Caberguy** » 18 Jul 2014, 11:08

It seems that some PB Blaster, a proper punch, and a BFH (as they say on other forums) was the key, I was trying to get it done with a phillips head and a machinists hammer. Got the left side done, busted another lug wrench trying to get the right off (I'd have been fairly well up a creek if I'd have gotten a flat somewhere on that right rear). Off to buy a new impact wrench and reclaim my air compressor from my buddy's attic.

Caberguy · Post by **Caberguy** » 18 Jul 2014, 15:13

Uggghhh... no dice. Admittedly I bought a fairly inexpensive impact driver rated at 300 ft/lbs. It got two of the lugs off, but the other three it just puffed away. Any thoughts? Back to the store to buy a better driver? See if I can get a shop to just loosen the buggers?

Post by **abscate** » 18 Jul 2014, 18:22

Electric one from Harbor freight will get it done. Last resort, drive to tire shop,pay to loosen with heat, replace with new nuts, drive back home