Jack4688's S2 Avant

[Jack4688]

Well I'm sure I'll be fine for the odd moorland blast

Low oil was what I thought first of all, having owned an Alfa Romeo for a year I got used to the tell tale noises of low oil but it doesn't appear to have drunk a single drop of oil. It's not been noticeable since that service in December, when the PAS pump was replaced too. So that may have sorted it, who knows

[Jack4688]

Well that was a productive afternoon, I can't get those ruddy 8mm hex bolts on the rear caliper carrier to slacken

Time to call a professional I think

[Error404]

Have you tried a decent penetrating oil like PlugGas?

[Jack4688]

No just brute force but not enough of it.

Is it worth me getting all the replacement bolts before tackling this again? I don't want to get them slackened off only for them to be damaged Although if I pick the thread up or shear the heads off I'm not going anywhere soon anyway Also how difficult is it to wind the rear pistons back in without a proper tool for the job?

[andy10v]

Is it worth me getting all the replacement bolts before tackling this again? I don't want to get them slackened off only for them to be damaged Although if I pick the thread up or shear the heads off I'm not going anywhere soon anyway Also how difficult is it to wind the rear pistons back in without a proper tool for the job?

Yes get spare bolts, you often mangle them removing them. Soak them first as Alex says to give yourself a chance. Hammer in the allen key bit and see if they will undo, if/when they round off then hammer on an irwin bolt extractor and undo it.

You can get piston windback tools on ebay for £10, just get one, its soo much easier, I wish I had bought one years ago.

You can wind the piston back with a pair of pointy pliers if it is not too stiff (dont stab yourself in the hand ) Water pump pliers to get it turning if its particularly stiff. Also make sure the dust seal is sliding on the piston or it will just twist up and tear.

[Vorsprung durch Technik]

No just brute force but not enough of it.

Is it worth me getting all the replacement bolts before tackling this again? I don't want to get them slackened off only for them to be damaged Although if I pick the thread up or shear the heads off I'm not going anywhere soon anyway Also how difficult is it to wind the rear pistons back in without a proper tool for the job?

I agree with Error404 and Andy10v..

Definately get a good penertrating fliud.I use Tri Flow superb stuff but expensive.Once it's had a chance to soak (apply it 2 or 3 times over 30 mins or even overnight) If doing any other jobs involving rusty nuts and bolts don't use 12 pt sockets or spanners. Use 6pt sockets as they mirror the exact shape of your nut and bolts heads with 6 complete flats side as your bolts and nuts look and you really won't round the nuts of like you will with soaked nuts and 12pt sockets. I bought a wind back tool last year to do the discs and pads on my 80 cabriolet after struggling DIY for years and it's a god send!!

[AndyP]

Get some heat on them, and have a set of these ready for when you round it!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IRWIN-5-Pc...item5ae2be3079

[Jack4688]

So the general consensus is I will round them

[sidrick]

Get some heat on them, and have a set of these ready for when you round it!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IRWIN-5-Pc...item5ae2be3079

Life savers.

[Rusty]

Yup, they're gonners.

Bolts are M10x1.25 pitch, 20mm long. They are fine pitch and from trying to get hold of some for my recent brake upgrade, they're pretty pricey! OE bolts are 10.9 tensile rated but most available outside if Audi are the higher 12.9.

[Jack4688]

Is this what I want for winding my pistons back?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brake-Cali...item43b810bdde

And will these do for the caliper carriers?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M10-x-1-25...item4605afe845

Any other bolting etc I should get hold of before destrying my braking system?

[Bowie69]

You can wind them back in with water pump pliers if you are careful with the rubbers.

[Jack4688]

Well given that I don't have any of those... I might as well ge the windback tool

[Jack4688]

OK I formally give up, everything is seized on tight! Even the spacer on the left rear. Time to take it to a professional and hand them over my money

I'll just have to put up with the noise coming from the right rear for a little longer. As some **** slammed on as soon as he saw amber lights in front of me today, causing me to do an emergency stop, I'm confident my brakes don't pose any danger to me ...yet

[Jack4688]

Went for a couple of drives through Wales this weekend and found a cracking bit of road between Knighton and Newtown, but errrrr...

Stock mintex pads? Fine for going to the shops but best avoid any prolonged, heavy use

....yeah, suffered some pretty scary brake fade . Luckily it only happened when I was travelling downhill towards a hairpin

As of today the S2 is sporting Avus II alloys again. Give it 6 months and I'll have bought another set of wheels



What do we think? Does it need lowering? Tyres with less sidewall?