Help Changing Brake Pads

[Guest Olly H]

I' ve just got some new brake pads for my 1.9 (front).

 

I got both wheels off, undid the lower caliper guide pin bolt. (haynes name for it)

 

Now I've take both old pads off on the drivers side.

 

However when I get to:

 

22 Push the piston fully into the cylinder

 

I can't seem to push the piston in, doesn't budge at all. I can just about get the old ones back on but that's it.

 

I've already put the copper grease on the backs of the new pads, so would like to sort them tonight.

 

Anybody got any advice please?

[Doof 11]

If you've got a G clamp or something then get a flat piece of metal of a screwdriver and put this accross the piston. Now get your G clamp and put one end round the back of the piston housing and the other end on the screw driver and wind it in pushing the piston in.

 

You wont be able to do it by hand i dont think.

[Robbie G 4]

I have 1.6 Bendix front calipers, but i used a long screwdriver as a lever between the piston and the outer caliper body to force the caliper in, and it took some raw BEHEMOTH power but it went in eventually.

[Guest Olly H]

Cheers for the quick responses.

 

I'd thought about a vice or clamp option but I haven't got one.

 

I put a small bit of wood over the piston and tried whacking it with a hammer, but the whole thing moves.

 

I'll try your screw driver tecnique Robbie, I just hope I can muster up some Behemoth power!

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

You could open the bleed nipple a little as this would let the piston go in easier - you will however have to bleed yours brakes afterwards. If I were you I'd go buy a G-cramp as this would be safer than hitting with a BFH!

[Guest Olly H]

Jobs a goodun!!!

 

I tried the screwdriver tactic, but failed miserably, dunno how you did it Robbie but it must have been a nightmare.

 

I eventually found a G-clamp (a-la-doof) lying around, was pretty easy using that and a piece of wood, then the passenger side only took a couple of minutes (easy when you know how).

 

Driven 2 miles nice and easy, seems ok so far, but I'll wait a 100 or so miles before I give them a proper workout.

 

It makes a change to fix something without breaking something else!

 

Cheers lads.

[Robbie G 4]

Maybe the 1.9 and 1.6 calipers are very different, cause on mine it was quite easy, not even requiring midget strength! Glad u sorted it anyway.

[DrSeuss 0]

I found that just using my hands i could squeeze in the callipers they moved very slowly but they did move.

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

Maybe the 1.9 and 1.6 calipers are very different

They are different, 1.6 has bendix & 1.9 has Girling (?).

 

They are a totally different design and you haven't got anyway to wedge a screwdriver between the caliper pad guide on them like you can on a 1.6 set.

 

Glad you go it it sorted, would you really need to bleed the brakes after cracking the bleed nipple off to push the piston back? I would have thought you would have been ok because you were just forcing fluid out like when you use a pressure bleeder.

 

Graham.

[Robbie G 4]

I found that just using my hands i could squeeze in the callipers they moved very slowly but they did move.

GRRRRRRR!

[DrSeuss 0]

I'm not exactly stacked it took a fair ammount of time. You're either impatient or weak

[Ahl 4]

The calipers are designed to be rotated back though (with a flat blade screwdriver say).

Just like the Haynes book of evil death instructs.

[Guest Gibbo]

The calipers are designed to be rotated back though (with a flat blade screwdriver say).

Just like the Haynes book of evil death instructs.

Hmm, strange that it took these amounts of posts to work out that the piton has to be rotated back in

[Doof 11]

It doesn't have to be, thats only the back caliper isn't it.

[Eddy5 3]

You remove the bottom screw from the caliper, and then rotate it up and back on the top sliding bolt/pin, giving you access to the pads.

 

I found the easiest way to push the piston back in was to lever it with a breaker bar, levering on the inside of the caliper. There was no way I could squeeze it back in by hand (Maybe I'm just too weedy )

 

When I got my new pads I thought they were too big (i.e. had too much pad on them), but they were just the right size.

[jackherer 543]

the calipers retract much more easily with the cap taken off the brake fluid reservoir!

 

if the level is near the top make sure you remove a little first otherwise it may spill as it is pushed back.

[Rob_the_Sparky 9]

Screw driver/spanner is my standard technique but must admit I did my 1.9 front by hand although I had very sore fingers afterwards! 1.9 rears certainly screw back in, dunno if this applies to 1.6 fronts though.

 

Wondered if someone would mention master fluid level - brake fluid is very nasty once on the paintwork, be VERY careful not to spill any.

 

Rob

[Fuqa 0]

remember to take the cap off the resevoir, also, its slackening the bleed nipple will allow the piston to retrack, just remeber to bleed the system again

[Rob_the_Sparky 9]

remember to take the cap off the resevoir, also, its slackening the bleed nipple will allow the piston to retrack, just remeber to bleed the system again

? With brake pedal released the brake system is open to the master cylinder resivoir, slackening the bleed should make very little difference (except not having to move the fluid as far).

[Guest Gibbo]

1.6 Bendix ones have to be rotated in. Just like the rear ones on 1.9's.

[sleeper205 0]

the calipers retract much more easily with the cap taken off the brake fluid reservoir!

*clink*

 

there's your penny!

 

I was wondering how long it would take someone to mention that un pressurising a pressurised (airtight) system would make it easier to move/remove the components therein!

 

 

basic physics people...

 

good man, Jack

[Robbie G 4]

Oh yeah cleverclogs, then why didnt you mention it?! I was wondering, isnt there a risk of letting air into the system if you open the reservoir?

[Guest Gibbo]

LOL Sleeper

 

we would have realised earlier if only we had went to College like you told us!

[Rob_the_Sparky 9]

Oh yeah cleverclogs, then why didnt you mention it?! I was wondering, isnt there a risk of letting air into the system if you open the reservoir?

Nope, the reservoir sits at the top of the system so air will not enter through it. Not actually checked the 205 but on many cars the reservoir cap has a breather hole in it anyway (e.g. its not a sealed air tight system).

 

Rob

[DrSeuss 0]

Yup. To allow for fluid loss there is a breather. Its not sealed, the pressures in a breaking system would easily blow up that little plastic expansion bottle. Its more to make sure the master cylinder doesn't run dry. The only restriction is trying to move the fluid back through such narrow brake lines. Its not difficult to do you just have to push slowly the slower the fluid moves the lower the resistance due to viscosity