Help with brake pins

Help! I’m trying to change my brake pads and I can’t get these pins out. Bc of rust. I’m not sure how to attack it. Any recommendations?

 

Punch? Hammer/mallet?

 

Apply penetrating oil or WD40 everywhere the pins contact the caliper and let sit. Hammer the pin until flush with caliper on the backside. Attach vise-grips to the exposed head and twist and pull.

Definitely replace with new pins when reassembling.

 

I’ve tried all that. There rusted good in there.

 

Even with a punch and hammer? Heat it up

 

Looking at the amount of rust on and around the caliper plus the rotors. You will likely need replace calipers (pistons will likely stick/bind going back in). I would just replace calipers loaded with pads and replace rotors.

 

Those things can take a beating. Don't be shy. BFH, knock it around a bit. Do they move at all?

 

You could try putting an air-hammer on them and see if you can 'shock' them out, but as mentioned, based on overall condition, I would just go with new all around.

 

Congratulations, you own the CRAPPIEST front brake design of all makes, models, years etc. Period. These friggen things suck. Four pistons per caliper to stop a 4k lb truck. Floating pads just begging to get hung up on those stupid pins. I replace the calipers with every brake job. Good luck.

 

I know you don't replace the caliper with every brake job.

 

More often then I’d like. They absolutely suck. Probably great in Arizona but NFG in the Northeast. Inevitably one, or two of those stupid twerpy pistons hang up, brakes drag, pins get all covered in crap. STUPID.

 

Question. Are the steering knuckles the same between 5 and 6 lug? I would love to put 2wd brakes on mine. Normal, old fashioned, one piston, floating calipers. Like nearly every other truck on Earth? (For our age anyway)

 

they are difficult to remove but not impossible it just depends on your tools. Smacking the pin with a hardened punch will just distort the end of the pin and now you cant drive it through. If you have an oxy acetylene torch with a small tip you might be able to heat the end of the pin and not do any damage to the caliper piston seal or boot. Oreilly auto parts has them for apx $60... they arent Toyota made but for $120 you can be DONE in about 3 hrs.

 

Totally agree with this. Autozone has a lifetime warranty on calipers and pads. Not even worth trying to get the pins out, bring the whole shebang back and get new ones every time I do pads.

 

If they move at all, I would take an old chisel or similar and scrape off as much of the rust as possible. Use needle nose vice grips to turn the pins as you do this. Then continue to attack with heat, oil, and BFH as others haven mentioned. Hopefully that helps reduce the diameter of the pins

 

I used a big C clamp to spread the pads away from the rotor. It loosened up the pins significantly.

You could also just cut the middle 1/3 out of the pins and then push them out with a C clamp.

 

Put a button head rivet pean on a rivet gun (air hammer). bappp bappp a few times on the button head of the pin and it will break the rust free then tap them out. If they are a real pain, just drill the button heads, like you were going to pop rivet heads off, and use a punch pean in the air hammer to push the pins out.

 

Remove both caliper bolts, cut brake line and replace everything

 

wd-40, punch pin that will fit the ID of the hole.

 

People in the rust states know better. You need to make sure you can break free the other end of the brake line before cutting it