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I have a 2012 Ford Fusion SEL and have decided to try to replace brakes and rotors myself. I have successfully got the caliper and piston removed. Successfully reset the piston. Put the new rotors on and started putting things back together.

When I try to out the caliper assembly back, 1 bolt wont go in all the way and will stop in 1 spot. This prevents anything else from being seated properly. Any ideas on how to get the bolt past this spot?

The short one represents the bolt going in properly but the one sticking out is stuck in that position

enter image description here

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  • Welcome to Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair! I cannot see the image at work, but wondering if the bolts are two different lengths (seems you kind of say that)? If so, did you try putting them in opposite spots?
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Aug 23, 2018 at 12:50
  • Thank you for the comment. The bolts are the same length and size. Yes I have swapped them in hope that it would work
    – gmalenko
    Aug 23, 2018 at 12:51

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Firstly, are you sure the full depth of the hole is clear? Try poking something smaller than the bolt (e.g. the shank of a next size down drill bit) in there to make sure there's nothing blocking it.

Next check the thread - can you see any damage to it? Looking at the lengths of the two bolts, it's only going in a couple of threads before it gets stuck, so yo should be able to see if there's damage?

If you can see it, you might be able to clean it up with a bit of wire wool, especially if it's just got clogged up with something. If that doesn't work, you'll need a tap set to clean the threads - or an old bolt with a couple of slots cut with a hacksaw. I'd buy a set of nice new bolts for it and use the current ones to clean the threads...

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  • Hello Nick, I have the assembly in hand and can see right through the female end. The threads inside and the bolt appear to be undamaged. Do you know of a way to clean the inside threads without a wire tool?
    – gmalenko
    Aug 23, 2018 at 13:25
  • @gmalenko Nick suggested that if you did not have a tap, then you could use the existing bolts with a slot and get new bolts...
    – Solar Mike
    Aug 23, 2018 at 13:33
  • Yup - You need something to get in there and dislodge whatever is stopping it. Another bolt the same size & thread, a bit of wire wool wrapped round a coffee stirrer, or a tap
    – Nick C ♦
    Aug 23, 2018 at 13:34
  • Thank you for this. I got it successfully back on. Now to the next problem
    – gmalenko
    Aug 23, 2018 at 14:02

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