compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

I bought some JDM GSR rear diScks from JDM theory a little bit ago. Before I put them on the car I decided to replace the rotors with brembo blanks and replace the pads.

Bear with me as this is my first time doing ANYTHING brake related, I am TERRIFIED of brakes.

I took the calipers off, replaced the rotors, no problem, put the new pads in, and went to slide the caliper over them and no dice. it was way too close of a fit. so I took a C-clamp to the piston and went until I broke the little handle thingy off. it is still 3/16th too narrow to get over the pads. and the c-clamp will not move any more.

any help will be appreciated. I apologize in advance if I am just ignorant, and am doing something terribly wrong.

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

sometimes you have to get a tool that presses it and TURNS the piston at the same time. thats most likely your problem. i had to do that on my rex

o and i see you bought some gsr dicks :P

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

check this out:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=43998
this is what you might need

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

Just take something and screw the pistons in. It took me a good hour to figure this out.

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

weird. I have watched my dad do the front pads on my civic once, and I've done them myself once, and both times a c-clamp was used to compress the caliper, then it stayed there and slipped right over the new pads. maybe your car is retarded?

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

i think the ones that turn it as u push it in are for abs, you, just need to open the bleeder and put one of the old pads over the piston and push the piston back, u can push the pad with a screw driver and it will push the piston back

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

In my GSR they screwed in instead of being compressed. I just used a bigass flathead. Make sure that the bleeder is open

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

you can just compress the front pads. but the back brakes require you to turn and push the piston. why do they have it this way you ask.... i have no freakin clue ???

well this is what had to be done on my rex :-\

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

aaaaaaaaaaaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ;D

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

its for the e-brake

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

so I just turn it? or turn and put pressure at the same time?

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

ya gotta turn it while ya push it in, with the bleeder open, it will go down

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

Are the parts you are putting back on OEM spec?? Just cause the lug bolts line up doesn't mean it's the right part, goto the parts store and have them check your parts versus their OEM parts (Aimco, Valucraft, etc) use their micrometer or a dial caliper for checking the width. What kind of pads are you putting back on??

Final option would be to just get the pads shaved down a little bit for fitment, then take your ---- to a brake shop next time, let them deal with it.

I've replaced quite a few brakes; everything from 4 piston bosch made calipers to motorcycle brakes.

Rarely I will see a caliper sieze up on me (my brothers '97 Eclipse GST just did!). If it does sieze up, the piston freezes and you can't budge the fucker. Solution their would be a rebuild or just buy new one from napa - then bleed the brakes.

The signs of a caliper about to go bad is it will hang, you can feel the drag in a wheel when the brakes aren't pressed. Also look for scorching around the rotor, the light discoloration of the metal.. kinda multi color.

The braking system of modern cars is an open flowing simple hydralic setup. It isn't really that complicated, as compared to a hydralic setup on a John Deere backhoe (don't even ask about the nighmares I've endured there). You got the master cylinder Y'd off to porportionating valves (F + R) then each of those is Y'd off to the calipers (or wheel cylinders if you have drums in the rear). There are no check valves, just hydralic pressure coming from the master piston in the master cylinder drawing the braking fluid from the resevoir.

I can't really explain to you how the emergency brake works on your car, never taken a late model teg apart.. maybe I will look at my honda factory catalogs to see exploded parts of it.. if I feel like loading that on my computer.


-ryan

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

Now get to it noob

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

unfortunately, i'm an expert in brakes. yeah, the front ones = c clamp, rear = turn/compress. also, open your bleeder valve before you compress ;)

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

Just go to a murrays pep boys what eer and rent or borrow the tool that turns while pushing the piston in . The tools are free to rent arond here but you have to leave a deposit. You have to turn rear calipers most of the time it doesn't have anything to do with abs, But I've never had to open a bleed er to compress a piston just sounds like extra work and a possible problem to me.

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

have you ever looked at your reservoir after compressing them without opening the bleeder ::)

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

opening the bleeder seems like common sense. I guess my only problem was I didn't know to turn it.

BTW yes the parts are OEM spec, they are directly from brembo north america (we are a distributor) for a GSR.

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

What do you mean "we" white man?

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

I just crack my bleeder valve and pry that ---- open with a fat screw driver. Make sure to use lots of padding.

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

He means "we" as in the dealership he washes cars for is a dealer, so I guess he owns the place now? ???

....and, if he was a dealer as part of the "we" clan, why wouldn't you know that you bought "disks" and not "dicks"?? ??? ??? Damn homo. 8)

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

Lol you guys are funny just open the bleed valve (hook a hose to it so it dont spray everywhere) and push the piston back in. Simplest thing in the world.

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

kind of reminds me of the time we (i don't know who else was in there with me) had to walk bigwig through compressing his calipers in chat, took him all damn day, he just didn't get it ::)

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

every set of rear discs i have ever seen just simply screwed in.

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

He was talking about fitting the pad in between the caliper piston and the rotor - not installing the rotors themselves.

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

no you need to twist the rear piston into the housing becouse of hte ebrake assembly. you cant just push them in.

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

Ah yes for rear brakes you have to disconnect the e-brake cable but if you twist that piston you're going to tear the boot...

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

big ass flat head screwdriver.....

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

any one ever tried to do two piston calipers? what kinda tool did you used, last time i did a mr2 it takes 2 c clamp. ???

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

my willwood 4 pistons go in by hand but they are brand new and have never been on a car before

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

You shouldn't have to excersise any real force the piston should slide back into the boot easily as long as the brake pressure has been relieved off of it (the brake fluid and the e-brake cable).

Re:compressing the piston into the caliper (disk brakes)
 

i didn`t took any lines off. everything still intact.
and we bented one of the clamp on the threaded part.
the caliper went bad may be?