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How to extract a rusted or frozen brake caliper guide pin

If your brake caliper guide pin is rusted or "frozen" tight, the following procedure will have it extracted.

1) Purchase a replacement set of guide pins, rubber boots, and plastic gaskets. Images below are for reference only, your car may differ.

2) Carefully slide the rubber boot off the guide pin, and apply PB Blaster penetrating oil. Make sure that oil gets inside the rubber boot. You can also carefully slide the end of the boot which attaches to the caliper body itself, to more easily apply oil to the space between the guide pin and the caliper body.

3) Use an impact wrench or a breaker bar. WITHOUT STRIPPING THE HEAD of the guide bolt, try to rotate it back and forth. Keep rotating the guide pin back and forth and applying penetrating oil. You need to get it loose enough so that a moderate-size drive ratchet or a wrench is sufficient to rotate the slide pin.

4) You will now need to simultaneously push out the slide pin and rotate it at the same time to extract the slide pin. You can either use an extracting tool, or just use a proper-size wrench. With a wrench, you slide it between the caliper body and the bolt, wedge it, and use it like a lever against the caliper body to apply extracting pressure to the pin. 

5) With the pin extracted, obvious pitting is seen which caused the pin to be stuck. This pitting was caused by a lack of lubricating grease. This, in turn can be caused by a torn boot, or an application of a wrong type of grease. ONLY USE HIGH-TEMPERATURE grease on brake components. DO NOT EVER USE general-purpose lubricant sufficient for CV joints and ball bearings. Do not use non-automotive specific grease types.

6) Get a bottle or tube brush, and brush out old grease, if it is dry, flaky, discolored, or burnt. Carefully take rubber boots off. Put on safety glasses if you haven't yet. Gently blow out slide pin housing hole with compressed air, at no more than 30 psi (so that you don't get a mouthful of debris like I did).

7) Replace guide pins and rubber boots. Lubricate with high-temperature grease. These pins must slide smoothly enough so that your finger can easily move them in and out. Also, make sure that when depressed completely with your finger, and let go, the pins push back and pop back out a bit, which indicates that the rubber boot is not leaking air.

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