Hi. I have a 2012 xD. I was trying to replace the front brakes. When I tried to remove the caliper mounting bracket bolts, they just spin. They don’t tighten or loosen. Just spin ( with a little resistance, they don’t just twirl around). They seem like they’re stuck to the boots. If I try pulling on them, the boot stretches. I didn’t want to rip the boots. Anyone else ever have this issue? The weird thing is that the bracket seems to be tightly in place. I replaced just the pads, but I’d like to go back and remove the mounting bracket to grease the bolts, clean the boots and add the new clips. If anyone has any suggestions, I’d like to hear them. Thanks.

 

There should be a hex or flats on the 'pin' portion where the caliper bolt screws in...use those to hold it while you remove the bolt. It would look like this...

Caliper Pin (Hex or Flats) - Mounting Bracket - Bolt If you look at the picture below, and yours may not look identical but those are Toyota caliper pins, you can see the 'flats' on the head of the caliper pin...use a box end wrench on those to keep it from spinning.

 

Hello.

Thanks for the image of the pins. But, I believe my caliper mounting bracket bolts are threaded and screw in. The caliper bolts ( the small ones on the left in your image ) come out fine, it’s the mounting bracket bolts ( the ones with the boots) that just spin and don’t unscrew. I watched a YouTube video to be sure I was doing the correct thing, and sure enough, I see those bolts being removed and reinstalled with a torque wrench and tightened to 79 ft-lbs. The ones in the image don’t seem to be threaded. I admit ignorance, so maybe I just misunderstood your reply. Thank you for taking the time to post your reply with those images.

 

The threadless ones in the image are caliper alignment pins.

Mind if I ask why you're removing the brackets? Changing brake pads should on require removing one caliper bolt and loosening the other caliper bolt.

 

I think there is some confusion to terminology here. Caliper is the thing with the piston that when hydraulic fluid is pushed up against it tightens up your brake pads against the rotor. A caliper bracket is what holds the caliper on the rotor. What you're referring to as bolts with 79ft/lbs of torque to tighten sound like the caliper bracket bolts. The thing that bolts on to the wheel spindle. A caliper bolt is normally only 20-25ft/lb of torque. The caliper guide pins are in the caliper bracket and those pull out. Sometimes they are hard because of rust and corrosion. Can you clarify or provide a picture of what you are referring to? Thank you.

 

I’m sorry I don’t have a picture. But yes, it is the caliper bracket I am referring to. The caliper bolts and caliper itself come off easily. I wanted to remove the bracket bolts to clean and re-grease them, and clean the boots. I have 100,000 miles on the brake system and thought I should get in there and do a nice clean/re-grease job.

 

Here's a diagram from the Scion xB Service Manual but I cannot imagine your xD is wildly different...it looks to be just a bolt and, on the xB at least, it does get torqued to 65 lbf.-ft. so your xD might indeed be 79 lbf.-ft.

But you said they just, and I quote, "When I tried to remove the caliper mounting bracket bolts, they just spin. They don’t tighten or loosen. Just spin ( with a little resistance, they don’t just twirl around). They seem like they’re stuck to the boots."

You got the caliper off, so you managed to remove the caliper bolts but it sounds like you're talking about the caliper slide pins. They just pull out and the boots hold them pretty tightly. It'd be far easier to give an answer if you were able to put up a picture. And you don't need to remove the mounting bracket to put the new clips on or remove the slide pins...pinch the boot on one side so it's pulling away from the pin and work the pin out, there's nothing holding them in but the boot and whatever crap has built-up on them.

 

Thank you so much for that diagram and explanation!! I think that explains it perfectly. I appreciate your help and all the others who have posted! I’ll go back and make sure I get everything all cleaned. Thanks again!!

 

Limit grease to the thread-less guide pins only. Your threaded bolts require a specific torque. Grease might alter the torque value.

 

Excellent advice...

 

also only use hi-temp silicone grease for slider pins.