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Had a day last week where every single job went wrong
I do mostly brake jobs and oil changes at a shop in Phoenix, and last Thursday I had three cars in a row with seized caliper bolts. Took me almost 7 hours to finish what should have been a 4 hour morning. Has anyone else had a day where the universe just seemed against you on the simplest stuff?
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tessap732d ago
Oh man, that sounds rough. But you gotta watch out with those seized caliper bolts in Phoenix especially. The heat out here can actually cause the bolts to expand and seize up worse than they would in cooler climates. Penetrating oil is your friend, but you probably already know that. Also, just a heads up, a lot of shop manuals will tell you to use anti-seize compound on those bolts when you put them back in. Its not just for the rust belt cars. It'll save you from repeating that 7 hour nightmare.
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charles8362d ago
Did you try a map gas torch on them? I know it sounds crazy with all that heat outside, but sometimes a quick blast of heat on the bolt head can break the bond if the penetrating oil isnt working. On my old truck I had a similar issue with the bolts on the lower control arms. I ended up having to drill one out. That copper anti-seize is a godsend though, I put it on every bolt that touches the brakes now.
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mason_reed472d ago
Heard a mechanic say once that heat cycling from Phoenix summers can actually make bolts harder to get out than just plain rust. You think the anti-seize is worth it for brake parts even if they're not caliper bolts?
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