wow those came out really nice, good work

Too much ;) While straightforward stuff, the work is fairly tedious. Track season is upon us and I'm not going to have a lot of time for extra projects while fixing the stuff I'm bound to break...

Thanks for the compliment tho! :)

Great write up, thanks. I don't suppose there is anyway to get the pistons out without using compressed air? I just got my rebuild kits for both front and rear calipers, but I don't have an air compressor.

its pretty tough. you can remove the caliper and pump the brakes. since there is nothing for the pistons to press against they will pop out. problem is its likely only one will pop out and thats the end of that game. you can try fiddling with blocks of wood and stuff to try and get each out enough to pull them the rest of the way. i took mine to a shop and got them to do it. it was a mazda dealer actually and they did it for free.

Very nice job!

You can use a bicycle pump if you have something to seal the hole for the brake line and an attachment for the bleeder valve.

https://www.rx7club.com/suspension-wheels-tires-brakes-20/brake-caliper-piston-removal-333883/

;)

I need to do this very soon, thanks for the writeup. I am debating powdercoating vs painting.....

Thanks Mahjik, I limited my search to the 3rd gen forum like a dolt :o

Thanks, I may try this since amazingly i have a bicycle pump despite the 2 bikes that haven't moved in 5 years.

I just rebuilt my fronts this morning.

A couple of extra notes:

1) take care to be sure the dust seal snap rings are fully seated. The groove they snap into isn't very deep and one ring I put in was almost but not really seated.

2) I had no compressed air. I removed the pads and pumped the brake to compress the pistons onto the rotor. This extended the pistons about 75%. Watch your brake fluid reservoir here, since you'll be pushing a lot of fluid into the caliper.

When removing the pistons, I was able to pull two of them out with my fingers. I used a channellock pliers to grab the other two holding them on the part of the piston that sits outside the dust seal groove. I gently rotated the piston back and forth while applying pressure to the channellocks to pull out the piston. Do NOT touch good part of the piston.

3) Push the pistons 100% of the way in before installing the caliper.

Also, next time you're changing pads, make sure the pistons are sufficiently retracted into the caliper. Otherwise you'll shred your dust seals and have to rebuild them all again.

Late Question
 

Please excuse my reviving this old thread, but can anyone tell me whether the MityVac can provide enough pressure (about 18 psi) to extend the pistons of the front calipers?

mity vac=no

OK, thanks. I'll use my tire air compressor, then.

i have a question, when you take off the caliper, does the brake fluid just start rushing out or anything, or does it stay in the line? i want to clean and repaint mine but dont want to mess anything up

i am rebuilding mine right now. The fluid just dripped out, no gushing. I would get a cup or something to catch the fluid in though.

Only one piston came out on one caliper using air pressue and 2 came out on the other. THe board I used was too small and let the piston come all the way out. I haven't had time to work on getting the others out.

Quick question though - can you use degreaser to clean the outside or only brake cleaner?

That looks awesome!

If you are having issues keeping your rotors from warping you might want to look into cryo... I've heard you can't warp a cryoed rotor.

I am currently rebuilding my calipers also. I have been looking for a metal polish to do this. Anyone have any recommendations? I have checked with a lot of local auto stores and mostly get blank looks when I tell them what I need it for.

Hardware store.

when i got my caliper rebuild kit, it came with red grease specifically for the piston seals - should i use it or use brake fluid only to grease the piston chamber?

I have a question here

I have a small and a big air compressor,. small one for pumping tires, Big one for air tools (oiled)

Will this tool work with my tire compressor ?

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...ol+Accessories

or This ?

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...ol+Accessories

Thanks

Thanks for taking the time to share!
 

Great job and nice pics along the way.

Enjoy the summer!

I don't know what kind of compressor you have. I pressurized mine with my 5 gallon compressor. Two of the four pistons came loose. I had a heck of a time trying to loosen the others. I decided to take it "Just Brakes" They popped them loose at no charge, degreased the caliper and gave me a small bottle of assembly lube. I think the guy running the shop was impressed it was for an RX7 or he was going to charge about 20 bucks. 20 bucks would have been worth it any way.

So, with my experiance - try your compressor at home (with a piece of wood between the pistons) and if that doesn't work - take them to a brake shop where the have the tools to help get them out.

Looks really clean now.
Take some pics with them on.

So, those are the right accessories ? right ?

Hmm, my compressor should be able to, its 10 gallon with I forgot what 3 or 5 hp ?

Thanks a lot sir :)