changing rear brake pad on euro

[adammet04]

ok

so i got some endless brake pads for the rear

and ive been able to get the claiper off and put the pads in , but i cant get the caliper back on ...


i need to retract the piston/armiture (the bit that presses the brake pads onto the disks essentially,

but its a b$%^$ to push bad, in that i cant do it !!!

ahhhhhhhh

ideas...anyone else done this yet?

i done some searches for how to replace the read pads but no luck

if anyone got some ideas..post em up :)

thanks

[EuroDude]

Yep you need to push the piston in. Get a small block of wood and push it in, if that wont work.

[EDIT], Dont use a vice grip for the rear.

I think the euro's use the rear brakes for the handbrake, so if you have your handbrake on, put the gearbox into gear (or neutral on 5AT?) and release the handbrake. MAke sure the car wont roll though, so it must be on flat ground, with bricks holding the other wheels stable.

Removing the lid off the brake fluid reservoir may help release the pressure.

[aaronng]

NO NO NO, don't do that!!!!!

The rear piston has to be rotated as well as pushed at the same time. Use a larger screw driver or get a proper piston rotating tool from supercheap ($15).

If you force it in, you'll break the parking brake mechanism.

[adammet04]

Cheers mate,

tried all that (exception of placing car in neutral, able to put handbrake down without it)

yeah i think i need a G-clamp (yo!) or C-Clamp..possiblly to press it in.. unfortunately dont think i have those..

it seemed like the piston was pretty set in its way ..eg no amount of pressure from a

the handbrake is used (on the passenger side.)

and so that needed to be detached as well just to get caliper off..

im grabbing a maintainence book and stuff tomoz...maybe ill find a suitable clamp tomorrow....

[aaronng]

Hope you read my reply. You don't need a clamp. Only your hand strength. Oh yes, release the handbrake too!

[adammet04]

NO NO NO, don't do that!!!!!

The rear piston has to be rotated as well as pushed at the same time. Use a larger screw driver or get a proper piston rotating tool from supercheap ($15).

If you force it in, you'll break the parking brake mechanism.


lol

ok well i didnt place TOO much pressure on it..

been able to replace the old pads for now..

ill look for a piston rotating tool as well tomoz

thanks aarongg

[learner]

ohhh.... is it?? wat i did is use a C-clamp to push it in....
didn't know there is a tool for that... do u have a pic of tat piston rotating tool?
also, how do u know u broke the parking brake mechanism??? are there any way to check?? for my one.. it seems fine.



NO NO NO, don't do that!!!!!

The rear piston has to be rotated as well as pushed at the same time. Use a larger screw driver or get a proper piston rotating tool from supercheap ($15).

If you force it in, you'll break the parking brake mechanism.

[adammet04]

I think the mechanism is only on one side...

i was working on that side first (by chance?)

[adammet04]

Hope you read my reply. You don't need a clamp. Only your hand strength. Oh yes, release the handbrake too!

Ok will give it another go tomorrow..

I dont believe i have damaged anything, because i put the hand brake on while i put my wheel back on the the tyre didnt budge..in fact for some reason the hand brake seems firmer now (like after a honda service) LOL

[adammet04]

+1 rep and a virtual hug to arrongg on cofirmation tomoz if/when i cofirm u are correct mate :)

[adammet04]

can we keep this here until resolution of issue and then move to technical?

[adammet04]

nother question which way to rotate it ( the piston )?
maybe it will only go one way..im sure the book will confirm it anyway

[EuroDude]

Alright had a look at the servicing manual, thought the rear was the same procedure as the front..

man I could have sworn my Civic SI's rear calipers were the same "O" type as the front..


but anyway.. Adam, use some needle nose plyers or a large flathead screwdriver and rotate it (try both ways to determine the correct rotation)
When the handbrake is released, it doesnt take much to push it in - just apply constant pressure while rotating and it will slowly go in.

[destrukshn]

actually i think the civic you wind em back as well.

[aaronng]

Pliers work, but I don't recommend them. If you slip and the pliers hit the boot that is around the piston, then look forward to spending $200 on a rebuild.

The C-clamp can work because the point of contact is rotating. So a C-clamp with the end fixed can also push the piston in. Of course, if you add a piece of wood in between, you won't be rotating it and it won't go in.

Don't worry about your parking brake being damaged for now. It takes very strong force, like a C-clamp with an extention for extra force.

[aaronng]

ohhh.... is it?? wat i did is use a C-clamp to push it in....
didn't know there is a tool for that... do u have a pic of tat piston rotating tool?
also, how do u know u broke the parking brake mechanism??? are there any way to check?? for my one.. it seems fine.
Did you use the C-clamp without wood in between? The C-clamp could have rotated the piston while you were pushing it in, so there won't be any problem.

If you pull your handbrake up and it works, then nothing is broken. heheheh.

[tony1234]

Did you use the C-clamp without wood in between? The C-clamp could have rotated the piston while you were pushing it in, so there won't be any problem.

If you pull your handbrake up and it works, then nothing is broken. heheheh.
That's int.The fronts don't have to be rotated.Please let us all know how it's done for future reference.

[aaronng]

That's int.The fronts don't have to be rotated.Please let us all know how it's done for future reference.
Yes, only the rears need to be rotated as it is pressed in because of the parking brake.

[BusterSonic12]

what sorta endless pads are they? did you change the front too?

[adammet04]

The pads are endless SSM's ..i dont have the money to replace the fronts yet, ive replaced the rears cause they only have about 2mm left on them and were flagged as an issue by the service dept when i took the car in for a service. Ill most likely replace the fronts in December.

Off to go get a piston rotator and service manual today..hopefully wrap this up by tonight !


cheers

ads

[aaronng]

The tool needs a 3/8" ratchet to work with. If you don't have one, supercheap has a crappy 30+ piece socket set for $7.

[adammet04]

Ok kids!

all done!

Ill just share some of my issues / things i noticed while doing this,

i got the tool i needed (it looks like a cube with bumps in different configs on each side, i had the relevant ratchet so that was good

got everything off, slide in the pads, screwed back the piston and voila !! its all good, took the car for about 15 mins breaking in the breaks (40km/h braking to 15) and the car responding well...


What i found with my car......

i found that the bolts/screws holding the calipers together on one side had almost seized (eg very **very** hard to remove) it was this side that had a pad that had worn more than on the other side..put some anti seize on them (screws) and they are ok now. I had to remove the hand brake cable on both sides to effectively get the calipers off. im happy to take pics of which bolts i took off if this would be helpful to others..(pm if i need too)

a word of warning to others, these bolts/screws are very easy to round off (in my opinon) make sure you use the right socket for the job (its especially important.).. im not sure but they seemed to be made of a softer metal than some of the other screws on the car.

the piston moves in in a clockwise direction. it does require some force to twist and push at the same time.

**there are no service manuals available for the euro at this time AFAIK (eg gregories or haynes books) i got told by the autobarn guy he hasnt seen books for many cars at all post 2004 that are jap made.....****

cheers to everyone who contributed to this thread...

im happy for this to be closed and moved to technical

Ads ! :)

[BusterSonic12]

how are u finding the new pads?? endless SSM, right?
feel any difference in them?