rear brake help needed immediatley

[wood_e]

Well I need to change my pads and a rotor. I am having one huge ass time trying to get my caliper off. I got the top bolt off with no problem but I have to idea how to attack the bottom bolt (so I can take the caliper off. The ebrake cable is in the way. I can't get a socket around it because its in the way. How does one remove that bolt!?!?!

ANY HELP OR ADIVCE IS APPRECIATED!!!!

 

[luigisho]

I don't get it. You can't get in there with an extension? shrug

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Remove the caliper via the slider pin bolts first to get the caliper (and e-brake cable) out of the way. You can actually remove the old pads and load the new ones from the top without removing the bracket, but since you need to replace a rotor you'll have to remove the bracket.

<small>[ November 27, 2003, 12:31 AM: Message edited by: SHOooo ]</small>

 

[wood_e]

SHOooo thanks... I'll remove the slider pins first! I'll give it a shot and report back here

 

[wood_e]

alright got those slider pin blots off. Now where do I go from here? Remove the caliper off the bracket?

 

[wood_e]

OK, got the caliper off and the new rotor on. Time for the pads...

 

[wood_e]

Alright, how does one go about turning the piston back in? I know I need a special tool probably, but wouldn't a needle nose pliers work?

 

[Shoaz]

They can be hard to turn, and I bet it'll be quite a struggle with just a pair of needle nose pliers.

Many places carry the little cube thing that is made for this. Sears carries them with a Lisle label, and you can often find them at Autozone, Checker, etc. Each side of the cube is sized for a different car, one of the sides works for the SHO. Put a 3/8" socket extension in the other side and your on your way.

The piston can *still* be a pain to turn in even with the tool.

 

[wood_e]

shoaz, wonderful! I'll just go to checker or autozone tomorrow, rent one of those and hopefully put this all behind me.

Would it be a good idea to loosen the bleeder when turning the piston back in?

 

[Shoaz]

wood_e:
shoaz, wonderful! I'll just go to checker or autozone tomorrow, rent one of those and hopefully put this all behind me.

Would it be a good idea to loosen the bleeder when turning the piston back in?

Doesn't hurt to open the bleeder. I do, anyway.

The little cubes are cheap enough that I doubt AZ will rent one to you, unless you just want to give it back when you're done.

 

[Shoaz]

wood_e:
shoaz, wonderful! I'll just go to checker or autozone tomorrow, rent one of those and hopefully put this all behind me.

Would it be a good idea to loosen the bleeder when turning the piston back in?

Doesn't hurt to open the bleeder. I do, anyway.

The little cubes are cheap enough that I doubt AZ will rent one to you, unless you just want to give it back when you're done.

 

[K-Dawg]

Yes, definitely open the bleeder.

If you go to Autozone, rent (borrow, whatever) the whole disc brake caliper piston tool kit. It is very easy to use and IMO, better than the cube thing.

 

[wood_e]

I have been thinking maybe I should just get a remanufactured caliper. Mine are 100,000 miles old... maybe they could use a replacement? shrug

 

[masho95]

What would make you think you need new calipers? My 95 is only a few hundred miles from 100K and my calipers are working fine. Unless you have a siezed caliper piston or some other major problem with them, I wouldn't replace them.

 

[wood_e]

I'm just contimplating the what ifs tomorrow as I'll make a mad dash to auto zone. My piston seems to be real hard to get back in, then again I tried to do it with a needle nose pliers. I guess I'll just go to autozone and get the cube or the kit to push it back in... would save me some trouble of putting a new caliper on. If i come to find that my piston is siezed then I'm going to have to make another trip.

 

[Shoaz]

FWIW, mine are always difficult to turn even with the tool. They're a real struggle. I leave one end of the caliper bolted to the knuckle to make it easier to leverage the torque into the tool. These buggers are tricky, one of my least favorite SHO maintenance items.

 

[dkal]

I have a 95MTX and the cube (KD 3355) worked pretty well for me. Depending on the year of your SHO, others recommend different retracting tools used to return the piston back into the caliper housing.
A 3/8 ratchet is used with the cube, the piston is rotated back into the caliper housing. not pushed in like other brake caliper applications.

My SHO has 72,000 and my driver rear brake caliper seized and I was able to purchase a loaded caliper for $29.99 at AutoZone. The only problem I had when installing the loaded caliper was removing the e-brake cable from the old caliper. The e-brake cable end was corroded and rusted as a result of living in the northeast, making removal very difficult.

Dkal

 

[wood_e]

This is seriously the brake project from ****.... my caliper is siezed like I thought, and now I have to remove the emergency brake cable... How do I do that? I can't see a clean way to remove the thing shrug

 

[wood_e]

ok, i am dumb... i got it off....

now about bleeding, from what I understand I have to do both sides correct?

 

[masho95]

Is the rubber boot around the piston torn? If it's not I HIGHLY doubt the piston is seized... it's just VERY difficult to turn it back in. I think if you open the master cylinder cap also while doing it, it should help out a little bit. I've only seen 1 seized caliper piston and it had a torn boot and the car was sitting in one place for like 2 years. I'm not sure how common it is.