i am in the process of taking my brake rotors off because i want to go get them turned. i got everything off and got stuck at the mounting bracket. it never fails, there is always something in the way of one of the bolts. the steering drag link is right in front of the lower bolt, making it almost impossible to get off. i am wondering what tricks you guys use to get it off. i couldnt get my 14mm wrench to go in there, i tried for a while. also i tried to take the drag link off but the main bolt hasnt been removed since it rolled off the assembly line so i probly would need an air impact wrench to get it off which i dont have. then i got tired and gave up for the night. thanks in advance for any help.

 

I went down to Canadian Tire and got a box-end 14mm wrench that had a slightly bent end. It worked pretty well for me, but you had to use the box end only to loosen it, or you'd get the wrench stuck in there!

The Heynes says to use a large screwdriver to pry the drag link away slightly to allow you to get your wrench in.

Keep trying.... You hit on the only two "tricks" there are... take off the drag link, or get a wrench that *will* fit in there. In my case, the wrench I found was a "stubby" wrench. It couldn't have been more than 5" long...

Good luck, keep the faith, you'll get it eventually

note: when you get the bolt out, don't try and fully remove it, let it hang loose. I managed to get mine completely out of the caliper mounting bracket, but not out and away from the drag link (another mm of space and I would have been able to).

Jon

 

I just replaced springs, and I think I know the bolt you're talking about. It stopped me for a WTF moment. Fortunately, I was removing the entire strut and I stumbled upon a trick...

If you remove the two lower strut bolts and four upper mount bolts (I'm not sure if the upper four are necessary, but I had to remove them anyway) - you can twist the strut enough to get to the lower caliper bolt.

I just tapped the 14mm with a rubber mallet and it broke loose.

I read a story online about a guy who got mad enough to cut the whole thing off with a cutting torch...

 

Oh, one other note - you need to steer the car away from the wheel you're working on, and you can twist it considerably without lifting the strut up off the arm/ball joint.

 

thanks guys. i think tommorow i will try a little more of the haynes manual way, but that wont last long because that book is retarded (too bad thats the only one i have ). then i will try rxtbone's idea

, ive gotten to that point when i was working on my rear brakes (******* drum brakes). first i was replaceing the wheel cylinders and on one side one of the bolts was stripped so i got a little drill happy (titanium coated bits are nice) . then i couldnt get the return spring back on and i started throwing tools at the wall...probably a good thing that i didnt have a torch .

 

I just removed the lower strut bolt nearest to the back of the car and loosened the front one and then turned the strut and the rotor in opposite directions. This was it was easier to get the strut back in place.

 

thats the trick, erick. remove the rear bolt and ONLY loosen the front bolt. then pull apart.

 

Jeez,

Then I guess I'm glad I just happened to have a wrench that fit!

Yeah the drum brakes can be craptacular to work on, but honestly I had more trouble getting the calipers off and back on in front than I had with the drum brakes.

The springs weren't my problem.. it was the damn clips with the pins in the middle! I have brand new ones since I grabbed a hardware kit, and they're Freaking Stiff! I ended up using the tire iron to compress them while simultaneously trying to hold the shoe, the pin and a set of needle nosed vice grips... what a pain.

And now I have to replace the right hand e-brake cable... has anyone done this one? looks like I have to take the exhaust out, and the heat shield above it too... Damn that's gonna be a PITA

Jon

 

On 3 Rex's I have done brakes on we used a cuttig torch and just removed a little of the lip at the bottom of the bracket and then with an air grinder cleaned up the edge. Worked great cars in service almost 10 yrs now.Do not cut off more than you need to let a regular box end wrench work....

 

that would be nice....if i had a torch....i think im just gonna have to do the thing with taking the one strut bolt off but i am having some real problems getting it off...i need to buy an air impact wrench.

vipernicus42, yea those clips were a pain in the *** too! i never replaced my ebrake cable so i dunno. im sure someone else has tho...

 

7 - it's always nice to have an impact wrench around, but I bet you can break them loose with a socket and mallet, or breakover handle... I took all four off with a little effort. Elbow grease, dude! Good luck!

 

Yeah, I found out today that the e-brake cables are done in a 3-cable system.

The cable from the handle, to (and including) the splitter AND both lines down both sides of the car, is ONE PIECE. I can't just replace the "right hand side" cable, or the "from handle to splitter" cable, because it's all one piece!

And to top it all off, the *only* place I can get it is Mazda (or Vic Brit). With the shipping and tax from VicBrit, it was easier/same price to get it from mazda for... $70! Ouch, my wallet hurts. And it doesn't look like an easy install either.

Jon

edit: the other two cables in the "3-cable" system are right at/in the drums. The ones that are about a foot long, with the springy thing and rubber

 

Here's the easiest way i could find to take care of that bottom bolt. I went to a cheap discount tool supply store and bought a $3 14mm box end wrench. My dad and i took the torch to the wrench and bent it to fit in there. MAKE SURE THAT BOLT IS TIGHT!!. I was driving down I-65 and lost one of those bolts because i couldnt get it tight enough and eventually it worked its way out. Now with that wrench i know its tight as it could possibly be.

 

I've posted this before, but the wrench you need is called a 14mm OFF-SET box-end wrench. (because the business end of the wrench is "stepped" so that it will fit onto bolt heads in recessed areas without interference from the handle). Then you need to use a bench grinder to remove just enough material from the top surface of the box end to allow it to clear the steering knuckle as you inset it onto the bolt. This takes all of about 45 seconds. You now have the right tool for the job--- and you didn't have to take a cutting torch to your car.

 

I got a socket in there...

 

i just couldnt find a offset boxend that had the right offset. so, i just made one.

 

I can relate - I found myself modding an offset to get at the f'n upper strut bolt. I didn't want to pony up $30 for the "special" strut tool, and I'm still miffed at Mazda for putting the nut so damn deep in the mount. What's the purpose of that anyway?