Caliper removal

[P. Kennedy]

Looks like I have a choice of bolts on the backside of the caliper: 2 normal 17mm bolts, or the 2 internal hex caps inside their own little rubber housings with plastic caps protecting them. Which ones need to be removed to get the caliper away from the rotor, and do I need to disconnect the brake hose at the caliper? :confused:

[Shocker]

The Hex ones, no.

[P. Kennedy]

Many thanks. Glad to hear it, as they are easier to access. :D

[P. Kennedy]

Well...I was shocked. The information given above couldn't have been more wrong. The internal hex head bolts had nothing whatsoever to do with removing the calipers. For future reference, it's the 17mm normal head bolts.

[Shocker]

Well you have no idea what you are doing then cause those are the one's to take off to remove just the caliper and not the bracket. And you didn’t say you wanted the bracket off also.

http://http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=AF93&mospid=47305&btnr=34_1191&hg=34&fg=05


Look the caliper comes off with the hex bolt I've done it a million times.

[christophbmw]

Well...I was shocked. The information given above couldn't have been more wrong. The internal hex head bolts had nothing whatsoever to do with removing the calipers. For future reference, it's the 17mm normal head bolts.
the two hex sliders are the ones that need to be removed, and once you have those off then you can take the braket off.......ive done hundreds of these, if you want to make life difficult, then take off the 17mm bolts first;).

[P. Kennedy]

Well, no I DIDN'T know what I was doing, which is why I sought help on this forum. No need to rub salt into anyone's wounds.

So do the allen head bolts just need to be loosened or removed if I want to take off the whole caliper assembly. I am replacing leaking differential seals, and Bentley(s) indicated I need to remove the axles at the diff.

Your Real OEM link above doesn't work.

[christophbmw]

....loosen them, them take them out, and then remove the 17mm bolts that hold the braket in place. make sure you lube the sliders when re-installing them.

also, the rear axle seals are i pretty togh job for the DIY'er. i would recomend having them profesionally done, if they are not installed perfectly (which is difficult to do if its your first time) then they WILL leak, trust me, and you will have to do them again. just my 2 cents.

[P. Kennedy]

Thanks for your response. Yes, I know it's a tough job, as I did them last night. If they are not perfect, no big deal. I'll do them again. One learns from one's experience. Hopefully I won't have to do hundreds or millions of these to get it right.

So...the allen-cap bolts will release the caliper housing only, yes? The 17mm bolts will allow bracket removal, if I am beginning to understand. Sorry, I thought it was all one inseperable unit.

I just looked at the Bentley manual again, and it points to the two 17mm bolts as caliper mounting bolts, so I guess that's my answer. Guess I'll stick to the manual.

[christophbmw]

you could remove just the 2, 17mm bolts i geuss since your just removing it to get it out of the way. the point to removing the caliper, and the bracket seperatly is to allow for proper cleaning when doing a brake job......and to able to get the pads out.

[P. Kennedy]

Thanks. Yeah, in this case I was just moving it out of the way, no pad removal was planned.

BTW, I tried to remove the 7mm allen head bolts, but they would only come out so far, that is, not all the way. I presume this means they are not well lubricated. I couldn't get ahold of them to pull them out as only a bit of the bolt cap was sticking out of the rubber housing. Should I be able to remove those easily?

[pbgd3skier]

You should lubricate the allen bolts they are glides, and the brake will operate smoother and not wear unevenly if it floats properly. That way both pads are engaged at the same time.

To do just pads and calipers I leave the hex's in and just remove the allens.

If you need the rotor off you need to pull the hex's and if you do not feel like doing brake work at that point then just remove the hex's. Easiest to use a breaker bar followed by the old air ratchet. brrrzpp.

I realize this is an old thread but it was a confusing adventure.

[Frankie]

Well, I did not even loosen the hex sliders and it still was easy to change the pads.

Is there a reason that those allen bolts for changing pads?