My front driver's side caliper is in a constant slight state of braking until it warms up (after ~10 minutes) and it's pissing me off so I pulled the wheel and pried the pads out.

I cleaned everything up and went to push the pistons in to get the brake pads back on, but they won't budge.

I don't have the spreader tool and prying on them with a long screwdriver (so it contacted teh hub rather then the disc surface) yielded no results and I'm not sure what to do next.

The wheel was pretty damn hard to turn with the pads in, and the pot boots were pretty torn up, so is it possible they froze? I did put some PBlaster on them and am going to go at it again later, but I don't have the time to replace the caliper right now . I literally have to get the wheel back on before noon tomarrow.

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

I couldn't move them much at all (fractions of an inch) so I had to use liberal amounts of anti-squeel on the back of the pads and gently tap them into place.

They're in there pretty tight right now and the wheel is still dragging a little. I definatly need a new caliper.

It's not all that bad though, NAPA sells them for a grand total of $43 from NAPA.

 

You really should just buy a disk brake tool. They are only 10-15 dollars at a parts store, but if you insist on being stubborn then you can use a C-clamp from any hardware store. Make sure you buy one of the bigger ones.

 

Do you think I stand a chance of unfreezing these pistons with said tool? The longer I can delay purchasing a new caliper the better. I hate bleeding brakes, especially after replacing a caliper.

I did the two rears last summer.

 

How do you use a C-clamp on the 4 piston brakes? I know how to use it on single piston ones, but I'm not quite connecting how to use it on the 4-piston ones.

-=Russ=-

 

make sure you have the bleeder valve loosened slightly as well, when trying to compress.

 

when my pots froze i rmoved the bleeder screw and put the pads in and unblocked one at a time with an air nozzel they pop right out lil bit of assembly lube and theyll go in by hand. while you have each brake piston out tak som 600 grit sand paper and clean the outside so theres no rings of corrosion on the piston. should work. and if you dont like bleeding brakes just open the bleeder slip on a vaccume line (rubber hose) stick it in the bottle of brake fluid and pump away.
Brandon

 

Are you kidding ?

The rubber boots are torn up around the pistons?

You REALLY need to get some rebuilt brakes man.

James

 

I am glad I am not driving in the twin cities right now - your heading for a wreck. Please just do it right, either rebuild them or buy rebuilds. Bleeding brakes is a good thing on a semi regular basis. Condensation develops in the brake system. A regular bleed removes it and improves the systems ability to stop the car.

 

with the pads on use a screw driver and put it between the pad and the rotor and just use the rotor as leverage.........BUT YOU SHOULD ONLY DO THIS IF YOU ARE REPLACING THE ROTORS ALSO(WHICH I DID) because it will damage it...lol

 

can't ya just use a pair of channel locks to get the pistons back. that's what i've used seemed to work ok. it's be a while though.