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Found a weird trick for stuck brake caliper pins
Had a 2012 Ford F-150 in the shop last month where both rear caliper pins were seized solid. Tried heat, PB Blaster, the whole deal and nothing budged. Ended up grabbing a cheap propane torch and heating the bracket right around the pin for about 90 seconds, then hit the pin with a cold wet rag. The quick temperature change broke them loose and I had both pins out in under 10 minutes. Anyone else tried that method or got a better way to deal with stuck pins?
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riverknight11d ago
That cold rag trick works but you gotta be careful not to crack the bracket.
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gonzalez.vera11d ago
Oh man, I gotta push back on that one. Honestly I think the cold rag trick is way overblown for most people doing basic bracket work. I've seen way more brackets crack from people trying to be too gentle with the cold rag method than from just going slow with steady heat. In my experience, if you take your time with a proper heat gun and let the bracket warm up evenly, you're less likely to stress the metal than shocking it with cold. Your mileage may vary of course, but I've had zero issues doing it the "wrong" way for years now.
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jamieh7611d agoMost Upvoted
Tbh I feel like I'm the poster child for the "wrong" way. Last time I tried the cold rag trick I ended up with more cracks than a sidewalk in winter and a bracket that looked like a potato chip. Ngl I just use steady heat now and hope for the best, usually works out better than my "fancy" attempts anyway. Honestly my workshop is more of a experiment graveyard than anything else, so take my advice with a grain of salt.
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