Need torque value for brake caliper bolt

I own a 2003 Venture 2 wheel drive van (8 seat WB edition/ extended version I am not sure) with 40K miles. I am replacing the front brake pads and I have removed the two bolts that hold the caliper to the caliper bracket. On each side the lower bolt had some rust on the inside treads and the bolt required allot of torque to loosen. The upper bolt on both sides were tough too but less than the bottom bolts. To finish the job, I need the torque values for these bolts. I do not have a manual for this vehicle and was hoping that someone could provide this value from the service manual. I am also assuming that these treads should NOT be lubicated and only cleaned off. If I am wrong on lubication, please recommend a type of lubicant to be used. Thanks in advance, Steve

Steve, my manual is for a 2003 Montana, but it says it also covers Olds and Chevy.

It says that the torque is 63 lb-ft on the bolt, and they say to clean and lubricate the threads with high temp silicone lube. It also says to lubricate the boot with the same lube. I'd clean the rust up as good as you can, but if they are still bad, I think you can get replacements relatively cheap.

The picture shows a special bolt with the end have a smaller, smooth "shaft" that I assume the caliper slides on.

Hope this helps...I have to do mine later this year, and bought some Raybestos. What kind did you end up getting?

Since you have a 2003 WB and I have a 2003 Montanavision, can you do me a favor? Apparently Pontiac decided to save a few bucks on the 2003 Montana's and chose to remove the center speaker up by the DVD screen. If you take flashlight and shine it up through that small grille, do you have a speaker? On my van, I can see the red paint of my roof....I've been trying to find the P/N to buy it from GM, but no one at the dealer or on-line can tell me the number (they tell me it is only available with the whole screen assembly). I'm curious if just Pontiac is cheap.....

Good luck....Glen

Steve,

My manual says 40 lb-ft., and the same as Glen mentioned about the lube.

Also, check your private messages.

Take Care,

Steve,

One other thing...the manual says you can just remove the upper bolt and pivot the caliper away enough to get the pads out. SO, it might be that the lower bolt is hard to get out because it had never been removed (assuming you've had the brakes done before by someone else).

Or, if could just be that it sees more road salt.

As far as the lubricant, I'm betting that is more for the pin lube, but the threads, but as long as it is a torqued joint, lube on the threads is okay. It not only protects the threads from rust, it also allows more of the torque to be translated into linear bolt pre-load. I use anti-sieze on almost all joints, assuming that the anti-sieze does not affect something in the joint, and in this case the rubber might not like the anti-sieze. However, silicone lube is what they recommend and is what I'd use......good luck, Glen

Greg,
Great information. Really appreciated the quick response and it was right on the mark. Tonight I will send a private message reply since it is not working right now. Thanks for the awesome information, Steve

Glen,
Thanks for looking the info up for me. I think I use the lower torque value from Greg since it is more in line with the 38 ft-lb for my Bonneville manual. As far as the DVD, I will research the info tonight and send you a reply before I go to bed. Thanks again, Steve

Glen,
For my 2003 Venture WB version, I purchased brake pads from a local parts store associated with Federated Auto Parts. The box called these pads Raybestos Professional Grade Plus disc brake pads #MD699 at a cost of $54.99 plus tax. The box also cantained four metal "pad abutment clips/shims" that recommended to be used and replaced at every pad change. I looked at the web page for Rabestos before selecting this brand. Previously, I have used NAPA and AC Delco on my other two cars (96 Bonneville and 00 S-10). I have not seen allot of difference with NAPA and dealer supplied but a friend of mine is very high on AC Delco disc pads. Given more time, I was going to order all three of my cars online from a GM dealer but ran out of time. My only observation is that the clips seem to work fine and probably will, but I like the better fitting ones that came with the car originally. No real issue, but I would have preferred ones that were made exactly as the ones I took off. On the part that matters, the pads looked and fitted perfect, now I just have to wait and see if they last the 40K, like the first set.
Now onto your DVD question. I also have a dark red van and the speaker grill you mentioned is also on my unit. Using a flash like, I see the red roof and a larger black disc surrounding the hole to the roof. There is no speaker in my unit either. I suspect that this grill is really a vent for the unit. I tried several vent settings on the dash but had no effect (as I expected) or air being blown out or in. Bottom line, I am not really sure other than it is exactly like yours and the Chevy unit is the same as the Pontiac unit. Hope this helps, Steve

Steve,

Thanks for checking on the speaker. No, it is a speaker grille because I've inspected 2002s and they have a speaker there. I've also pulled mine down to inspect it, and there is clearly a space and a plug in for a speaker.

Oh well, Pontiac saves about $5 a van, and I have to crank the volume so my kids can hear the voices on the movie!

I checked again, and my manual clearly states 63 lb-ft on the caliper pins.. This is the 2003 Montana/Venture/Silhouette factory manual. However, you'll probably be fine with the torque you mentioned.

Of course, the manual could be wrong - nothing is perfect.

Thanks for the comments on the pads. I had bought Raybestos also, and it has the metal clips. Not sure that I will use them, either, but plan on measuring the circumferential "play" of the old pads before I remove them, and make sure the new ones have similar clearance. I wouldn't be surprised if Raybestos makes the OEM and Napa pads, but hard to tell.....take care, Glen

Glen, Thanks for correcting me on the speaker grill. You are right with your inspection, while mine was just a guess. My daughter has the same van as mine and of course it is identical to my configuration (grill only). As for the torque value, I have seen a spec page from a GM product and it lists the torque as 40 ft-lb not 63. I don't know why there is a difference, but I did try to torque them as 75 ft-lb at first (prior to your posting and Greg's), and this value seems high for the bolt head size on the caliper. Bottom line, location of the bolt on the car (using a floor jack) makes torquing them a little difficult and I could not obtain 75 ft-lbs, I plan to re-torque them at a lower value at my first opportunity with lubication. I am worried that these bolts become very hard to remove with road exposure due to rust buildup. I was very surprised on the amount of force to remove them on a 3 year old vehicle. Just my thoughts on the matter.
As far as the metal clips, I thought that the new clips will allow better pad movement since the old ones had allot of surface crap from the 40K of use, thus I did install the new ones. Just hoping that they are contained and will work just fine and I haven't heard any issues with them either. Thanks, Steve