quick brake pad change question

vsboxerboy · June 14, 2006, 04:22:30 PM

what keeps the pad on the piston side of the caliper in place...the one on the far side has those holes whicvh the caliper goes through but what about the other one??

hmmmnz · June 14, 2006, 04:47:14 PM

nothing its just floating. it sits in the space on the mounting bracket

vsboxerboy · June 14, 2006, 04:52:25 PM

thanks!

scratch · June 14, 2006, 04:57:39 PM

Actually, there are two metal clips that the brake pad has "hooks" to be placed under.

Make sure u have put in the plastic plugs into each piston
Put in the far side brake pad
Push the pins through the far side brake pad
And you will note those two metal clips, those are where the piston side brake pad hook under.

vsboxerboy · June 14, 2006, 08:50:41 PM

Yeah I'm still a little confused about how to get these guys on, I think I might just need that caliper spreader or whatever they call it to open it up further so that I can fit the rotor between the pads.

Egaeus · June 14, 2006, 09:14:09 PM

You definitely have to compress the pistons to put new brakes on. A C-clamp will do the trick.

Kerry · June 14, 2006, 10:50:15 PM

Not sure what year you have (or if we're even talking about the front caliper

) but maybe this series of pics will help?

vsboxerboy · June 15, 2006, 07:02:16 PM

So I'm still not able to get the pads around the rotor. Am I suppoused to remove any more bolts or something. All I removed was the two hex bolts that kept the caliper bolted to the forks. I then used my fingers to pull apart the caliper assembly enough to get the pads off. Trying to do the revese of this is making it very hard to get the rotor in between the pads. I even tried to get the older, thinner set of pads back on without any luck.

edit: its a 1991 and we're talking about the front brakes right now

rangerbrown · June 15, 2006, 07:11:58 PM

Quote from: Egaeus on June 14, 2006, 09:14:09 PM
You definitely have to compress the pistons to put new brakes on. A C-clamp will do the trick.

i used my fingers

scratch · June 16, 2006, 12:37:39 PM

You may have to open the cover on the resivior, so that the fluid has someplace to go when you push on the pistons; be careful though, that it does not overflow.

vsboxerboy · June 16, 2006, 01:50:50 PM

aaaaah could someone do a quick walkthrough of how to do this. I'm getting stressed cause I have to get my brakes on because I am moving out of my house and am just not having any luck with this and am starting to get worried.

che mike · June 16, 2006, 02:00:45 PM

like Egaeus said, you need to push the pistons back into the caliper to give enough clearance for the new pads; this could take a lot of force and could require a C-clamp. also, as stated by scratch, you may need to open the front brake fluid reservoir to allow the fluid level to rise. you may also need to siphon out some fluid to prevent overflow.

for a few general tips, check out kerry's how to on replacing the brake fluid:
http://www.bbburma.net/HowTo/BrakeFluid_Replace/
it contains good tips such as to make sure you wrap the reservoir with a rag. brake fluid is bad stuff!

also: do you have the Haynes manual? if you do not, i highly suggest you pick one up asap, before continuing. no use in breaking stuff out of ignorance. it has things you need, such as the fact that non-permanent threadlocking compound should be used on the front caliper mounting bolts. and the correct torque level to which to tighten said bolts. people on this board will try to help you and point you in the right direction but invariably they will miss a few details, and those details could cost you. brakes are important, you don't want to mess them up! also, don't forget that DOT4 brake fluid absorbs water and you should only use fluid from a fresh, unopened container.

finally, more specific to your situation:
what do your caliper pistons look like? are the outside diameters shiny, or do they look dirty and gunky and perhaps corroded? if the pistons are corroded they may simply refuse to budge back into the caliper bore even if they hadn't been leaking before. try spraying the pistons with brake cleaner and then pushing them back in.

how far worn were your previous pads? what condition are the dust seals around the caliper pistons in? had the caliper been leaking? how was the brake lever feel prior to this operation? just trying to get an idea of the situation, and if it may be time for a rebuild.

my 2c.

average · June 16, 2006, 02:48:40 PM

While were on the subject: For those of us that earlier model bikes. what mm allen key do we need to remove the front caliper? I want to go pick up a set but want to make sure i get the right one.

End of threadjack........

che mike · June 16, 2006, 02:52:20 PM

Quote from: average on June 16, 2006, 02:48:40 PM
While were on the subject: For those of us that earlier model bikes. what mm allen key do we need to remove the front caliper? I want to go pick up a set but want to make sure i get the right one.

End of threadjack........

8 mm

vsboxerboy · June 16, 2006, 03:15:33 PM

-how do I push the pistons into the caliper it SEEMS like they're fully seated and once i push them back with the clap do I take the clamp off before putting the rotor back in?

-I dont have the manual but I agree that I really do need one. If I wans't in such a rush for time I would definately order one right now

-the caliper pistons are clean looking but not mirror shiny by any means and they move pretty fluidly

-the previous pads are about half the size of the new ones so I'm pretty sure that they dont need to be changed yet. Because time is an issue, I'm trying to put the old pads back in but still cant do even that!

che mike · June 16, 2006, 03:21:39 PM

yes, you have to remove the clamp and install the pads before you put the caliper onto the rotor. the idea is to push the pistons back in, then they stay in place. if they're not staying in place then you'll probably need to open the reservoir.

unless ... if the pistons are fully in their bores maybe the pads still aren't installed correctly.

vsboxerboy · June 16, 2006, 03:29:04 PM

well what happens is that if i turn the caliper over the piston will come out so it doesnt seem like there is any pressure behind them

che mike · June 16, 2006, 03:49:49 PM

'if you turn the caliper over the piston will come out' !?

now: when you say 'piston', are these metal pieces you're talking about, or the rubber bumpers? the pistons are metal (aluminum i think), and shiny. the bumpers fit kinda loosely in the pistons and act to damp out vibrations.

if the pistons have really come out you'd have break fluid everywhere. is this the case?

the pistons should NOT just fall out of the caliper when you turn it over. the bumpers do fall out, though.

vsboxerboy · June 16, 2006, 05:46:19 PM

well I got the origionals back on but I guess the same question still would apply for the new pads. I'll go and get a manual when I get settled into my new place. Thanks for all the help though

che mike · June 19, 2006, 02:19:07 PM

where are you located? maybe when you're done moving someone on the board can have a look and try to help.

News:

quick brake pad change question