How to Use an Allen Wrench to Remove a Brake Caliper

When replacing the front brake pads on your car, you may notice that you do not have bolt heads on the back of the brake caliper. Some vehicles use Allen head bolt pins to secure the caliper to the vehicle. You will need to use an Allen wrench to remove this type of caliper. To make the pins more accessible, you can turn the steering wheel to the opposite direction of the caliper you are working on. This will point the back of the caliper toward the rear of the car and give you a little more room to work.

Instructions

1

Park the car on level ground and raise the front of the car with a floor jack until the front tires are six inches off the ground. Place a jack stand under the frame of the car on each side of the floor jack. Lower the jack just enough to allow the vehicle's weight to rest on the stands.

2

Remove the lug nuts securing the tire to the front wheel hub with a lug wrench. Pull the tire off the wheel hub and set it to the side.

3

Turn the ignition key to the "On" position just to unlock the steering column. Turn the steering wheel all the way to the right if you are working on the driver side caliper, or turn the steering wheel to the left if you are working on the passenger side caliper. Turn the key to the "Off" position to lock the steering wheel and remove the key from the ignition.

4

Sit in front of the caliper and find the two pins that secure the caliper to the hub. The pins will usually have a rubber boot around them. They are located behind the caliper, one toward the top and one toward the bottom. The caliper surrounds the top of the rotor hub and is where the brake shoes mount.

5

Insert the Allen wrench into each pin head and turn the pins counter-clockwise. Loosen the pins all the way and pull them away from the caliper. Tap on the bottom of the caliper with a hammer to jar the caliper loose. Grab the caliper and pull up while rocking the caliper back and forth to remove the caliper from the hub.