just ranting at my own stupidity

[bacos]

Here I am, finally putting the bike back together after weeks of disassembly and cleaning and tweaking...

 

I put the left caliper on. Hm, bolt doesn't seem to go in right. That's weird, I took it off, after all, was fine then. Fuddle with it. Put it in. Threads, goes in a bit, just... tight. keeps going in though.

 

Must be PO put some loctite red in the threads. PO did some other weird stuff, so why not this too. Whatever. Just force it.

 

Bolt twists off.

 

I *knew* better. I learned wrenching from Dad, and Dad woulda had my ass in a sling if I'd pulled a bonehead move like that in front of him.

 

But no. I was in a hurry. I've been wrenching the bike for weeks now (part time obviously, it's a new-to-me bike with uncertain history so I've been going through everything) and I've still got more work to do but I can't do it til I get it warmed up and I can't warm it up til I can ride it, and I've been unable to do that because of another whole debacle over getting the new front tire mounted/balanced so I only got it back today...

 

Now I'm going to have to wait for BeemerBoneyard to send me a new caliper, take the tank back off, drain and flush and bleed the entire damn brake system AGAIN, having just done it once to install Spieglers... (2004 integral whizzy brakes no less!)...

 

<beats head against wall>

 

I knew better. That just makes it worse.

 

and no I'm not going to try to get the bolt out of the caliper.  I'm sure I can manage it - I have a drill press - but I don't have metric taps and it's uncertain the threads won't be bunged and it's just not worth the headache vs the relatively little $ BeemerBoneyard's asking for the used caliper. (Free caliper to good home if someone wants to try it.)

 

 

Just one of those things where you gotta vent and your spouse ain't the right direction to do it in.

 

 

 

 

[Rinkydink]

They say it builds character...and costs $$$

 

[Hosstage]

I hate it when I only have me to be mad at!

[szurszewski]

At least you broke it off in something easy to replace! 
 

There is a very recent thread over on ADV where a person broke a caliper bolt reinstalling. Got it out. Ordered new bolt. Puts front bolt back in, breaks rear bolt off again. 
 

I said, dude, obviously you are doing something wrong or there is something wrong with that hole; since you got the front bolt in two for two and you’re zero for two on the rear, it all but MUST be the hole. Stop trying to put a bolt in it! Tap it or have it tapped!

 

He was like, nah - first time the torque wrench was wrong and that’s why I broke it; second time I don’t know, but I’m going to try it again when I get another bolt...

 

I can’t bear to go back and see what happened next. 
 

Which is all to say, I think a replacement caliper is a smart choice.

[Hosstage]

I'm sure third time will be the charm!

[szurszewski]

2 hours ago, Hosstage said:

I'm sure third time will be the charm!

You inspired me to go find the thread. Took me awhile because the title was something like “need help with final drive service” - but the help he needed was how to remove a broken caliper bolt. Apparently the third time did work. Not sure how you break two caliper bolts “easily” and not the next one. After that are three pages about how hot rotors and calipers and final drives and headers get while riding. 

[bacos]

I might try getting the bolt out once it's out. I'm sure it's possible.  'cept I have a whole other bike that needs work after I finally get this one put together...

 

I really am surprised the bolt twisted off. I was just using a 3/8" ratchet and I'm a weakling computer nerd. Those aren't aluminum bolts are they?

 

I'm going to assume that PO bunged up the threads somehow but managed to get them in the last time... somehow...

 

for now I need to figure out how to swap the caliper without having the entire system completely drain out on me. :(

[szurszewski]

1 hour ago, bacos said:

I really am surprised the bolt twisted off. I was just using a 3/8" ratchet and I'm a weakling computer nerd.

 

 

The dude on ADV said the same thing - well, sort of - the first one he said he had his torque wrench set too high, and just kept cranking...but the second one, he swears, he wasn't putting much force on at all. I've snapped off a fair share of bolts, but not -yet!- in a caliper. They are pretty stout (M10) so it seems like you *should* have to crank pretty hard to break it. Weird.