[Jnursey]

I am i the midst of trying to change my rear break pads and have been going off of a video from Kies Motorsports. I am trying to loosen/remove the bolts that hold the caliper on and I simply can not get them broken. I have sprayed PB blaster and used multiple wrenches. The thing about the rear breaks is you cant turn the wheel and create more room for a wrench. I have like 1 inch worth of travel to play with and not to mention I can barely get leverage on the wrench due to the tight space. This car is old and im sure the bolt is heavily locked up...but like I said without the proper amount of room I dont see how im ever going to get it off.

That being said...I thought there was a way to change the pads without having to take the caliper off. I am not changing the rotors. Does anyone know of a video or can explain how to do this if possible? Ive seen how to do it on the M3 breaks/calipers by pushing a pin through but I dont see that on these standard 328 break calipers.

[Billfitz]

I had the same problem the first time I pulled the rear brakes. I got the bolts loosened using a two foot long piece of 1/2" cast iron pipe on a 1/2" ratchet/socket as a breaker bar. The only way I could get enough clearance was to lift the car at least 6 inches higher than what it required to get the wheel off. The calipers must come off to change the pads.

[Jnursey]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

I had the same problem the first time I pulled the rear brakes. I got the bolts loosened using a two foot long piece of 1/2" cast iron pipe on a 1/2" ratchet/socket as a breaker bar. The only way I could get enough clearance was to lift the car at least 6 inches higher than what it required to get the wheel off. The calipers must come off to change the pads.

god damn. I had an 18" breaker bar but I simply could not find the clearance...I had it jacked pretty high too. Wish I took a picture. Maybe if I jack higher I can create enough room to be able to use the breaker bar better idk.

So I found this video...he takes off caliper partially rather than the full thing. and doing so he only has to remove 2 T50 bolts that seem to come off easier.

[Billfitz]

The assembly comes in two parts, the caliper and the pad carrier. The caliper bolts come off pretty easily, it's the carrier bolts that are a PITA. You can change the pads by just pulling the caliper. The problem is that if the carrier is corroded you can't really remove the corrosion and do a good job of lubricating the tracks that the pads sit in. They don't have a problem pulling the carrier bolts in a shop because they've got the car up on a lift.

[Jnursey]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

The assembly comes in two parts, the caliper and the pad carrier. The caliper bolts come off pretty easily, it's the carrier bolts that are a PITA. You can change the pads by just pulling the caliper. The problem is that if the carrier is corroded you can't really remove the corrosion and do a good job of lubricating the tracks that the pads sit in. They don't have a problem pulling the carrier bolts in a shop because they've got the car up on a lift.

So to be honest I am only doing this because I am trying to get the car in decent shape to sell. its old and this is the last thing I need to do to get it in a shape where I feel good about listing it. I know that sounds bad but would you advice against changing the pads without properly lubricating the tracks that the pads sit in? Or would it be sufficient to keep the car in safe working order.

[sspade]

Going to be tackling this job soon... any chance my Milwaukee impact will fit enough to get on this trouble bolt?

[Billfitz]

It depends on the condition of the carriers. Mine weren't correctly lubed at the factory, which resulted in the inner pads rusting in place on the carriers, so I ended up having to change them at only 11,000 miles. That's how I became familiar with how tight the carrier bolts can be. If your carriers are OK then you can get away without pulling them, assuming the rotors don't need to be resurfaced or replaced.

[Jnursey]

Originally Posted by sspade

Going to be tackling this job soon... any chance my Milwaukee impact will fit enough to get on this trouble bolt?

Honestly I didnt see room for an impact...but I could be wrong.

I finished the job today without taking the bracket off, only the caliper. T50 hardware came off easy and the job was a breeze. If youre planning on doing rotors too just try to have tools sufficient enough to break those bolts. If you can get the car high enough to give you room underneath than that should work with a breaker bar as mentioned above.

[rphz]

I ran into this last year as well. After several hours of attempting to get enough leverage to break loose those two bolts, I ended up buying a Kobalt battery powered 1/2" impact gun, several different length impact extensions, and a impact rated wobbly (which was connected between the extension). Took about 2 minutes...they are tight as there is blue threadlock on these bolts (make sure you do this when reinstalling).

[Jnursey]

Originally Posted by rphz

I ran into this last year as well. After several hours of attempting to get enough leverage to break loose those two bolts, I ended up buying a Kobalt battery powered 1/2" impact gun, several different length impact extensions, and a impact rated wobbly (which was connected between the extension). Took about 2 minutes...they are tight as there is blue threadlock on these bolts (make sure you do this when reinstalling).

Can anyone confirm if that is the case in the front as well? I have not seen any DIY video showing threadlock on the bolts or having to put threadlock on when reinstalling.

[Gen13 F36]

I never heard of a thread lock on all my cars. Nissan, Honda, Toyota and Mitsubishi. I remember all them brand use a lock washer on the bolt. Does BMW don't have lock washer on there?

[Billfitz]

I didn't notice any thread lock on mine. No lock washer either, just a regular washer. NewTIS makes no mention of thread locker. They do torque very high, 110Nm, as opposed to 35Nm for the caliper bolts. The pad carrier bolts on the front of mine came off much easier.

[insane11]

I just change my rear brake from the Bosch to the brembo m performance.. The caliper bolt 18mm does have thread lock on it and you need an impack gun to losen it.. I order new bolt and they have the blue thread lock on it as well..

[insane11]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

I didn't notice any thread lock on mine. No lock washer either, just a regular washer. NewTIS makes no mention of thread locker. They do torque very high, 110Nm, as opposed to 35Nm for the caliper bolts. The pad carrier bolts on the front of mine came off much easier.

When I took the old bolt off I didn't see much thread lock on it.. Just a bit of it
. But when I order the new bolt from bmw.. They have the blue thread lock on it

[juld0zer]

They have used threadlock on the rear carrier bolts since the E90/82/87 and possibly even earlier models. Crack it with a breaker bar (ususally a 2ft bar will suffice) and then ratchet spanner like crazy. Heat weakens most threadlock compounds. Ratchetting faster will keep the heat building.

If you're reusing the bolts, I would not advise torqueing to the specified 110Nm. They usually don't agree. Use the same tools you used to undo them and do them up firm.

Fronts don't have threadlock

[Sushi Eater]

I had the same issue; I tried everything I could think of, but the bolts wouldn't break loose no matter what. A "high-torque" impact wrench was my solution. I got Makita XWT08Z that is much stronger than the other impact I have. It has enormous power; it easily broke all these bolts that used to be extremely stubborn.