Found out the hard way that impact guns don't belong on brake caliper brackets

Last Tuesday I'm doing a brake job on an '07 F-150, customer is waiting. I zip off the caliper bracket bolts with my Milwaukee impact like I always do. One of them snaps clean off about halfway down the thread. Turns out the previous guy had cross-threaded it and I just finished the job for him. Had to drill it out and helicoil it. Took an extra hour and a half and I ate the labor. Anyone else run into hidden damage from other people's mistakes during routine jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

ross.jason21d ago

Wait, so your Milwaukee just went ahead and finished the cross-threading that some other hack started? Sounds like that bolt was just waiting for the right impact gun to end its misery. I've had that happen with a stuck bleeder screw that "mysteriously" broke off when I barely touched it. Funny how other people's "temporary fixes" always become your permanent problem, huh?

thompson.christopher21d ago

Tbh, I'm pretty sure my Milwaukee just wanted to prove it's stronger than the last guy's ego.