Tool Review: OTC Brake Caliper Pin/Bolt Remover Set
The OTC Brake Caliper Pin/Bolt Remover Set, No. 7302, quickly removes seized, frozen or troublesome brake caliper bolts without damage. The kit and design, exclusive to OTC, includes a striking version and air hammer adapter, allowing a technician to strike the pin without damage to surrounding vehicle components. The set allows for the removal of inboard facing pins or bolts to be removed from the outboard side of the brake caliper or vehicle component, fitting all sizes of pin bolts and shanks from 1/4" to 5/8” (6mm to 16mm). Without these specialty tools, technicians may be forced to pry, chisel or improvise to remove pins, which can easily damage rotors, brake pads or calipers, increasing the time and cost of repair.
The Review
“This tool set saves lots of time. Moreover it can save the whole job, when faced with stuck caliper pins, glides or bolts,” says Lou Fort of the OTC Brake Pin/Bolt Remover Set.
Fort, lead technician at K.A.R.S. Inc. in Huntingburg, Ind., likes that the pin/bolt removers are easy to use and the only setup involved is loading the “Air Hammer Tool” into the air hammer.
The set, which comes in a white box, offers an easy-to-read sticker, with the two tools inside.
“So far I have been using the (set) to free up caliper pins so they could be cleaned and lubed, saving the caliper rather than replacing them.” He says, “I have also used them to remove suspension component hardware, some when there was room to swing a big hammer, but more importantly when there wasn’t room to swing away. That is when the air hammer bit shines.”
He did find that when using the air hammer tool, it had a tendency to rotate. He says this makes one-handed use “risky, if not a bit dangerous.”
He also adds, “I also had a few applications where the object of extraction went from “not moving” to flying across the shop in the blink of an eye using the air hammer tool.” To increase safety, Fort suggests a slip-on clip that would stop the item being extracted from flying away to be added to the tool. He also suggests adding anti-rotational reliefs to the air hammer bit may increase usefulness and safety.
As an additional suggestion, Fort says, “I think it would be nice to have a short round pin on the very end that could be used to start a bushing moving. I know, and own, a few OTC tools that do just that. I can see how much handier these would be if there was a feature on them like that.”
Overall, Fort appreciated the durability of the tools. “I also like how well they are holding up while taking some extreme beatings,” he says.
He also liked the handle’s large knurled section. He says that it allowed for a good grip in slippery conditions. “The wide range of applications is also impressive, handling bolt sizes from 1/4” up to 5/8”. The usefulness of these tools is going to be limited only by the user."
Even with Fort’s suggestions, he remains positive about the tool. “These are well built and extremely handy to have.”
