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That time at the Phoenix trade show when a retired Ford tech showed me his trick for freeing a seized caliper pin with a torch and a candle.

Heating the bracket just enough to melt some candle wax into the threads, letting it wick in and cool, got that pin out in under 5 minutes when my impact and penetrant had failed for an hour.
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3 Comments
taylor.mary
Good point on the wax wicking, but I've also had luck with a cheap plumber's candle and a propane torch on the caliper bracket itself, not the pin, to avoid damaging the rubber boot.
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julia_fisher28
That wax trick is a solid move. The heat makes the metal expand just enough for the wax to get sucked deep into the threads. Basically makes its own penetrating oil as it cools and shrinks back down. Keep a cheap candle in the toolbox just for this, beats buying another can of PB Blaster every time.
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wade767
wade7673mo agoTop Commenter
Works even better than PB Blaster, @julia_fisher28.
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