V8LexGS

Hello, all. First post for a newbie member of the forum....Any advice is greatly appreciated.....

I bought a 99 GS400 in 5/08. Black on tan leather, 125k miles, needed maintenance items which I knew I could complete as I did extensive maintenance on my previous Japanese cars. Paid $9600.

Did full timing belt and serpentine service....no issues.

I bought Brembo rotors, and Akebono pads, and as soon as I got the fronts apart, I found that one of the Caliper slide pins would not come out of the bracket. It seems that the grease has been gone from the boot for A WHILE.....and it's not coming out so I can replace it. I have tried to rotate it out, turning with a ratchet, and also used a screwdriver/hammer to try and tap the pin out. I clamped a pair of vice grips around the head, and tapped that with a mallet as well.

I am not sure how else to try and get that pin out of the bracket so I can replace the pin, the boot, and finally get some frickin grease in there.

Any ideas guys??

wowitztai

iTrader: (1)

get new calipers.

V8LexGS

That response is about as shortsighted as buying a new cell phone because your battery is dead.

The pins/boots/grease cost around $45 total. Plus I get the satisfaction of knowing I did the job myself, and saved a bundle.

OR I could go buy calipers as you suggest. There's a $400 fix to a $45 problem. You SURE you aren't a mechanic at a Lexus dealership? Replace everything seems to be all they have to say either.

Anyone got anything useful to suggest how I get those pins out? I am going to try really dousing the stuck pin in some kind of penetrating oil and see what happens......what ELSE should I try?

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

I sprayed wd-40 in mine when i had OEM calipers. Then I smacked it a few times with a metal hammer. Mallet did no good for me because doesn't provide the kind of shock to break loose the seized gunk inside. It finally came off after wrestling for 10 minutes. Also, if they are not sitting all the way inside the hole, you can hit the pin from the top so that it'll break loose. Essentially, you're tapping it in. Once the pin moves in, at least you know you've broken up the seized particle. Then proceed to turn it with a rachet and you're golden.

V8LexGS

GSteg -

I thought about that, but at the time didn't try it because I was thinking it would damage the rubber boots....

Meanwhile, it seems you can buy them from Sewell for a couple bucks....I am going to try this again this weekend, and maybe some dealership here in Cincinnati has them too and can get em w/o waiting for shipping.

From your post, it sounds like you think there will be just dried-up grease in there, or actual corrosion?

ISFjimmy

iTrader: (5)

HAHAHAAH.

sorry i cant help...

GCOP

That happened on my SC, I used a lot of penetrating oil, and an impact, just went forward and back until it loosened up. I little hammed knock on the out side did n't hurt either.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

The rubber boots are the least of your worries. At least they're replaceable. Most of the time, it's just dried up grease. The caliper's heat does get hot enough to evenly dry the grease. I dont think the oem slider can corrode. The material looked coated in zinc perhaps?

V8LexGS

GSteg -

Exactly.

The slider pins are coated in a zinc-like material....it is "gold" in color, and the pin itself doesn't seem "rusted" or "corroded."

My thoughts are dried grease, too......and you're right, the boots are negligible in cost, and are something I should probably replace anyhow, not knowing the full maintenance history of this vehicle.

kit cat

iTrader: (6)

i like this guy already
i had that happen to me also. As GSteg did, I just sprayed WD40 the crap out of it and took a mallet and banged the bejeebus out of it. And like you said, screw the boot, it's a good excuse to replace them.

FrankT

This happened to me but I sheared the head of the pin off and ended buying a new bracket.

I thought about what I could have done different and like others have mentioned use penetrating oils but I also would use a propane torch and heat up the bracket.

good luck

V8LexGS

I like the idea of using heat.....

My theory is that if dried grease is the real underlyng issue here, the heat MAY loosen that old grease just enough.

And with the boots pretty much being declared a loss at this point - who cares if they burn.

I was totally worried about shearing the head off that pin....what did the new bracket set you back?

FrankT

new pin $9.16
new bracket $111.12
new boot $3.05

good luck with the torch...

V8LexGS

NO DOUBT!!

$112 for that caliper bracket is highway robbery, but purchasing auto parts for any car is expensive.

They should provide you a complimentary jar of Vaseline at the door to a parts store just to prepare you for the ramming you're about to get.

We should start a petition to send to Lexus Corporate and let them know we would rather have personal lubricants provided to us at their service departments rather than cushy seats and WiFi. LOL!

I hope the torch works. I just hate to replace something that is repairable. My grandfather taught me a lot when I was a kid in regards to fixable items VS throwaways.

His advice stuck.

jspecdan

don't apply the torch for too long. you don't want to overheat everything causing the metal to get hard and brittle.

but otherwise, if you have to replace the caliper and/or bracket, try remanufactured calipers they're OEM but cleaned up and all the little parts that go on and in the caliper itself are replaced with new parts.

good luck!