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  1. hawkman71

    When to turn rotors or replace?

    This is what I expected, sort of, to see. These are screenshots from a youtube video. Supposedly a 2007-2015 Nav/Exp how-to. He's doing the fronts but he has the plastic caps / hex head / slide pin-screws that you see in the pics. He's removing the same part (caliper) that I am but a different...
  2. hawkman71

    When to turn rotors or replace?

    Neither the front nor rear of my vehicle (2011 EL) had Torx for removing what I removed. (I didn't touch the caliper bracket/web but I'm pretty sure they are bolts, too. In the rear, I inserted a socket with a hex head on it. Can't recall size but I think I wrote it down somewhere. On the front...
  3. hawkman71

    When to turn rotors or replace?

    Can't respond in full at this time but if I said my "caliper fell off", then I mis-typed.
  4. hawkman71

    When to turn rotors or replace?

    I didn't disassemble the caliper. That is the caliper. There is what I'd call a caliper bracket, that holds the caliper in place. That's all that remained attached to the hub. I've done lots of brake pad jobs. I always remove the caliper - with the difference being that the brake pads are...
  5. hawkman71

    When to turn rotors or replace?

    So, I took a photo of the left-side calipers. Here's what I got. They look quite different from each other. FRONT: At the very top and bottom are the two regular bolts I removed to take off the caliper. When I first reached back there, I was looking for plastic caps and grabbed what I guess is...
  6. hawkman71

    When to turn rotors or replace?

    I'm saying on the rear, there were two plastic caps to pop off, then a hex was inserted to loosen (what I think you are calling) slider pins - bolts that have a smooth exterior to allow the brakes to move in and out. I loosened those, pulled the pins out far enough, and pulled the caliper off...
  7. hawkman71

    When to turn rotors or replace?

    First photo shows one of the bolts, already partially loosened that held the caliper. (The other bolt at the top already removed. The next photo a closer up version. I had to hold that flattened plastic piece on the other side of the caliper-attachment point to get the bolt to thread out.
  8. hawkman71

    When to turn rotors or replace?

    This also surprised me - two bolts held the caliper in place. No slider pins with Allen key to remove. (like on the rear of this same vehicle). The only moving part was the caliper pistons themselves. The pads slid on those clips. The old ones were dirty and not smooth. I did NOT grease the new...
  9. hawkman71

    When to turn rotors or replace?

    I was going to ask about that. That side can't even be braking evenly, can it? This is more of a big job, I guess. I can't recall how the calipers are attached. Will involve bleeding, which I've done before... but it's been awhile.
  10. hawkman71

    Rear end out of control and sometimes "shimmies" hard to the left

    Thank all of you for your help! I'm sorry there are periods of time where I don't respond. Everything was coming to a head there before Christmas. I was stressed, etc. Sincerely appreciated. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
  11. hawkman71

    New quick strut won't line up.

    A local shop-owner, upon hearing I was going to rent a spring compressor and do it myself, told me to bring the struts to him. He had a press mounted on the wall. He did it free-of-charge b/c he didn't want to see me get hurt. He told me he's surprised he didn't realize it, either. He hadn't...
  12. hawkman71

    Rear end out of control and sometimes "shimmies" hard to the left

    Update: Long story short with other threads here handling the details: I replaced four shocks with Bilstein 4600s, keeping the rest of the assembly original. Drives like a dream now. Thanks for your help and suggestions!
  13. hawkman71

    When to turn rotors or replace?

    I decided to leave my brakes for after my trip. Guess what? While in Canada, the brakes started grinding. Not the warning sound but the bad sound. Never heard any "warning" squeal. The wheel even made a noise just while rolling, so I started to worry about wheel bearings. I bought pads at...
  14. hawkman71

    How do I ... Fix crossed threads in hole...

    Bought a tap from Fastenal. 16M. Thread count 2. They do not carry metric dies! What's up with that? Found a guy who had metric set. He lent me his 16mm die. Everything worked like a charm.
  15. hawkman71

    New quick strut won't line up.

    Guys. You will not believe my stupid move. With a pending 800-mile drive to Canada looming, I bought some Monroe quick struts, deciding to pay my stupid-tax. I took the problematic strut out and then the other side which I had already completed. When I compared the two, I realized that I had...
  16. hawkman71

    New quick strut won't line up.

  17. hawkman71

    New quick strut won't line up.

    I had to go to a quick-strut assembly for the front shock replacement of my '11 EL Ltd after a frustrating experience with replacing shock only. I'm under the gun again b/c of a pending Christmas trip and no Christmas shopping done yet for the family. I bought Monroe quick-struts from Advance...
  18. hawkman71

    New strut seized. Will not compress during install.

    I will mention that after doing the rear struts and stabilizer links the previous week, the ride was so much improved it was amazing. If I had stopped there, I'd probably be happy right now. When that snap ring slipped, it adds doubt.
  19. hawkman71

    New strut seized. Will not compress during install.

    I tried to twist the strut back the other way and then I noticed the spring was bowing out on one side.it wasn't lining up good at all and I got nervous about it so I took it back to the shop to have the shock absorber taken out and reinstalled. While we were letting the pressure back on the...
  20. hawkman71

    New strut seized. Will not compress during install.

    I don't know how 'compressed' it was when it was received (new, in a Bilstein box). But once, the nut was screwed on and the spring compressor was let off, then it was whatever length it needed to be, I imagine. However, when jacking up the lower control arm/hub to bring it up to the UCA, there...
  21. hawkman71

    New strut seized. Will not compress during install.

    Ok. Thanks. I tried twisting it back and noticed the spring is bowed out. Scared me, so I quit working on it. I'll bring it back to the shop where we switched them out in the morning...
  22. hawkman71

    When to turn rotors or replace?

    I'll look where you guys suggested. A quick glance yesterday showed me $88-$140. I figured $20.00 was a deal. But, I'll man up and get new ones soon when I replace pads, too, and just leave it for now. The front wheels are always black. The front seems to take a lot more of the braking, and...
  23. hawkman71

    When to turn rotors or replace?

    I was going to say the same thing. Optical illusion.
  24. hawkman71

    New strut seized. Will not compress during install.

    Installed new struts yesterday. Used original springs. Bilstein 4600. The top bolts didn't line up. Leaving the bottom end in the bracket, I used my hands to twist the top just enough to line it up. Installed and appears fine. Same thing on the other side but this time I could not twist the...
  25. hawkman71

    When to turn rotors or replace?

    For the sake of time, I might just leave them as the braking is good. Then, I'd get them turned when I can have that lined up and done.

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