Rear brakes

[JasonZ34]

can anyone tell me why i can't get my rear calipers to compress enough to make room for new pads? I swear I have one all the way in and there still isn't room. I know they have to be compressed and turn at the same time but even still its like i have to grind down the pads to get enough room


edit: don't know how i ended up posting this in pushrod. oh well it's a dohc but i'm still talking brakes and lumina

[Lyle's GTP]

Are turning the piston to compress it?

Lyle

[SappySE107]

They go in quite far, so if they aren't fitting, I would guess you have to try pushing them in further.

"I know they have to be compressed and turn at the same time "

I would assume that means he is tunring the piston and compressing it at the same time.

[JasonZ34]

yeah i'm using a ratchet to turn and compress although one doesn't seem to want to compress at all, i'll see if i can get them any farther.

[Lyle's GTP]

Maybe the caliper is seized, it's kind of common for these cars.

Lyle

[JasonZ34]

one will not go in... but it will go out. it's only 1/2 in out of the caliper. Why wouldn't it go in?

How could it be seized... just trying to figure out the actual cause of how it would. The caliper is new though too.

[Lyle's GTP]

Well if it's new I'm not sure. How can it seize? Water gets in past the seals and starts rusting them out eventually they seize.

Lyle

[rhaywood]

Jason,I have done rear brakes on some cars where the park brake cables
attached to the rear caliper.If your car is like this,you may want to make sure
the cables are not pulling on the calipers making the pistons push out.

[VerbotenZ34]

If it's a Z34 (which would preclude anything but disc brakes), there is a worm gear on the back of the entire assembly that you will need to remove in order to compress the piston fully.

It took me 8 freaking hours to figure that one out!

Verboten

[JasonZ34]

I got it make with some special tool but not my brakes feel like I'm stepping on a bananna. I didn't take it of so I don't know why it would be so soft.

[Cliff8928]

Well, you have to compress the piston (turn and push)... there's a tool at Autozone that they have just for this (it's part number 27111) it's a loaner tool...

After you re-install the new pads etc... you have to kind of push the e-brake arm, hold the piston, then release the e-brake arm in order to get the piston to come back out to a better position... (that will make the pedal feel better)

(this is how a friend of mine told me it had to be done on his 90 STE)

Cliff Scott
89 BerettaGT
89 Volvo740

[Guest]

ur car has disc brakes on the rear end?

[StudlyCamaro]

my fathers 91 lumina has disk brakes on the rear.. solid disks , as in not vented, i had never seen disks like that before lol

[Anonymous]

I read in Haynes manual to take the cap off the master cyl so that the fluid can rise when compressing the calipers.

[geoffinbc]

The adjuster screw has to be adjusted all the way in. If you ahve not dont this it will be set at its last position which would have been adjusted to the worn pads.