hehe, silly boy. Why did you ask for tips if you weren't going to follow them...I said you had to turn and push the rear calipers...three or four posts up there ^^^^. tongue.gif

 

Um, because it wasn't very descriptive? I tried turning the phuckers, didn't realize you had to screw them in. The post linked above is much more decriptive on what to do. You said the rears COMPRESS by turning and pushing, when in fact the is no compression or pushing needed.

I was there with a pair of needle nose pliers turning it back and forth while pushing. I gave up, said you were on crack and did it with the c-clamp. The c-clamp made it turn enough to fit the caliper back on.

 

They make a tool just for the rear calipers.. looks like a cube with little prongs sticking out of it. It is universal, so it fits several different ways.. alighn up the correct tabs, insert a 3/8s rachet with a small extension.. and turn. The piston on the rear caliper will almost retract itself. Best 5 bucks I ever spent.

 

yup, i got mine from pepboys.

and you do have to push on it while you turn it somewhat.

 

hey guys... im doing my first brake job ever tomorrow... im 19 and dont have a clue what all has to happen here.... are there any pics of the brake pad replacement... any tips you guys have for me... what do you mean when you say "turn and push"... thanks guys

 

Pad placement is simple, just pay attention to what you take off and how. There are little thin shims/clips that attach to the back of the pad that you need to take off the old pads and put on the new.

The rear caliper has to be screwed in clockwise to bottom it out, thus leaving enough room to fit your caliper with new pads back on the rotor. The front calipers need to be compressed with a C-clamp to bottom them out. Try to get the c-clamp on as straight as possible so you push the piston back in as straight as possible. Doing it at an angle can make it bind. If you don't get the pistons pushed (for the front) or screwed (for the back) you'll never be able to fit your caliper back on the rotor with the new pads. Don't forget to take the brake fluid cap off the master cylinder (so pressure doesn't build up in there).

Bleeding the brakes won't be necessary unless for some reason you open the bleeder valve, or a brake line pops off.
Save yourself the hassle and go to a parts store and buy the universal tool for compressing rear calipers that have disk brakes. If your car has drum brakes in the rear, none of what I said for the rear brakes applies. Drum brakes are usually held together internally by springs that are stretched across. It'll make sense once you get it apart. Also, make sure your e-brake is off or you'll never get your rear caliper/drum off.

VERY IMPORTANT:
DO NOT PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL OR E-BRAKE WHILE THE CALIPER IS OFF THE ROTOR, OR EVEN UN-BOLTED

I've seen this done before, it blows the piston out of the caliper, shoots fluid everywhere and will prolly force you to rebuild or replace the caliper.

 

hey man thanks..... hey also... im wanting to paint my brake calipers... can i take them all the way off to do this or should i not?

 

Take them all the way off. You'll have to bleed your brakes afterwards but cleaning and painting them would be much easier. The safest way to do this would be to siphon out as much brake fluid from the master cylinder as possbile either with a small hose, or a hose attached to a syringe. Discard all old fluid.

Detach the brake line from the caliper and let the hose hang in to a jar or something to collect the fluid that will run off.
Plug the hole the brake line goes in to (do this before you clean.)
Get some brake parts cleaner, thick solvent resitant gloves (brake cleaner will find any knicks or cuts on your hand......real quick) some safety goggles, a wire bruch and a dremel with a wire brush. Try not to get the inside of the caliper. You don't want that stuff eating up and of your seals, so stuff a rag or towel in there.
Spray the caliper down with the cleaner and let it soak in for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes spray it again, then take your brush and go to town. Keep spraying, scrubbing and wiping it down.....just when you think you got it clean, clean it again. The surface needs to be hella clean in order for the paint to form a good bond with it and last for a long time.

Once it's clean, mask off the inside of your caliper and paint it with some high temp brake paint. Spray from about 8 to 10 inches away in light coats, letting each coat dry for about 20 minutes. You want enough light coats to end up with a nice layer of paint on there when you're done.

Peel off your tape, unplug your brake line hole and hook it back up.
When you're done with all the calipers, bleed the brakes. Get the right kind of brake fluid for our cars.....I believe it's DOT3, but check the owners manual. You'll need either one big can, or two small ones.

To bleed the brakes, you'll see the bleeder valve on the caliper. It's covered by a little rubber nipple that you need to remove while bleeding. Also, 3/8 airline tubing, preferably silicone (available at all pet store in the aquarium department) placed over the bleeder valve and ran in to a jar keeps brake fluid from squirting everywhere, so I highly recommend using it.

Start with the caliper furthest from the master cylinder and work your way in, so the order would be right rear, left rear, right front, then left front.
Fill your master cylinder to the max fill line with brake fluid, put your cap on and have a buddy pump the brakes like 10 times and hold it to the floor. When he says it's to the floor, open the bleeder valve and do not close it until he tells you the pedal hits the floor. He cannot let off the brake until you tell him the bleeder valve is closed, if he does he'll suck air back in to the lines. Keep doing it to the same caliper untill the tubing you placed over the bleeder valve stops showing air bubble flowing through it. Do this for all 4 wheels, then go back to the one you did first and do it over again. I do this up to 4 times, which is more than enough, but I do it to flush all of the old fluid out, and to make sure all the air is out of the lines. Remember, you'll have to keep topping off your master cylinder during this process, or you'll suck air in.

Some pointers.......the bleeder valve doesn't need to be opened far, nor does it need to be torqued down hella tight.....maybe opened 1/4 to 1/2 turn and tightened down 1/4 turn past snug.
If your brake pedal feels squishy, there's air in the lines. Air compresses, the fluid does not (at least not under the amount of pressure needed to stop your car) so a squishy pedal means air.
don't use water to clean your parts or even get it anywhere near brake fluid.....brake fluid absorbs water and water in the brake system is not good.

I also recommend you get some brake line wrenches as the metal for the brake lines and bleeder is a little softer and more prone to stripping the head off. If you don't know what one is, look it up on the web.

Good luck!

 

i painted the calipers while they were attached to the brake line. and hope you dont have drums in the back, they are a lot trickier than disk brakes.

 

Yeah, don't think it's easier one way or the other. With it off because you can have free access to the caliper, but you have to bleed the brakes. If you leave it on, you're limited in maneuverability and you need to mask off the wheel well and other parts, but you don't have to bleed the brakes.

It's comfort level. If you're comfortable with taking the caliper off, do it.