Help replacing rear pads...

[Boston500F]

Hi,

  Would anyone be kind enough to post or e-mail me the proper (step by step) procedure to replace rear brake pads?

I have an 04 with about 6600 miles. I did search the wiki and found a video, which gave me a general idea. However, it did not mention torque specs or what to do about brake fluid (open the reservoir or not neccessary...).

The local dealer is asking about $75. I may have them do it, but it seems so easy and I'd like to learn how...I'm just a little worried that something may go wrong....frozen calipers or something. Also, I see most others use the aftermarket pads. Are those a better bet than OEM?

Thank-you

[bman40]

There is no torque involved - I did front and rear pads on Sunday. there is nothing to wrench....

Rear pads:

pull off the plastic cover.
Remove the pad springs
remove the retaining clips for the pad pins
sliide out the pins
pull out the pads and shims

reverse the process to replace them.

I managed the rear without undoing the brake line.

the front was not so easy - I had to remove the brake line to release the pressure enough to push the pistons back in...

mind you, my front pads were G O N E nearly metal on metal on the rotor...Ichanged them just in time... and the piistons were a mess - I had to do a quai re-build to get them clean enough...

also: order a manual...it helps tremendously to have diagrams etc to help.
the rear is very easy...

[elric8467]

Okay dude all you have to due is pull your old pads, and before installing the new pads, I would sparingly use some caliper grease(after cleaning the calipers thouroghly) to make sure everything is lubricated properly. When tightening your bolts use common sense(though if you really want to know the specs I'm sure someone can look it up). As far as brake fluid goes, it's always a good idea to flush your entire system whenever you service your brakes, and to do so you'll need to open the resevoir. It's never a good idea to compress the calipers without opening the bleader because debris could be forced back into the line. Open the bleeder and let any fluid from the piston out of the system and refill with clean fluid. On a bike it's too easy and very cheap insurance. Always check the condition of the fluid that you remove and visually inspect your lines for any wear as well as bleed out all of the lines. I'm sure others will chime in. After market *usually* is of better quality but fitment can be an issue. I like to use sintered iron pads but i have heard reports of rotors warping very easily under race conditions. Try to find ceramics if you can. And I like to both sets at once so i know what I am riding on and nothing is suspect.

[dgyver]

To push the pistons back in, after the mounting bolts are removed, I will twist the caliper against the rotor using slow & firm pressure. I do this most every time I remove calipers...and I do it more often than just to replace pads. This helps to make the reinstall easier.

Just need to make sure to pump the brake several times to move the pistons back out. I forgot to do the rear once... which I found out as I am pulling out of my driveway.

[Kerry]

Click [HERE] for some (hopefully) helpful pictures to go with everyone else's text.

[Boston500F]

Wow!  Thanks to all for the replies.

1) place bike on center stand
2) remove plastic cover
3) pull locking clips
4) slide out pins (holding down spring retainers)
5) pull out spring retainer, then old pads and shims
6) push back piston, and reverse order with new pads

That about right?

So as I understand it, I won't have to touch my brake fluid reservoir, the brake line (where it meets the caliper), or remove the caliper at all.

All the work can be accomplished by popping off the little plastic cover. I'm assuming that when I apply pressure to the piston to set it back in the caliper, it will not affect the brake fluid level. Also, will I need to push both pistons in or just the one visible in the picture?

Little confused with this line elric..."It's never a good idea to compress the calipers without opening the bleader because debris could be forced back into the line." Does this apply to replacing the brake fluid only? If not, how do I compress the caliper? and if I open the "bleeder" will all the fluid be forced out?

Kerry, a picture is worth a thousand words. Thanks very much (I saved that thread). I did not realize you still posted here, I watched your video on valve adjustments. Not brave enough to attempt that myself, I had the dealer do it, but I learned a lot from the video regardless.

[elric8467]

The brake caliper operates by hydrolicly extending a piston. When this happens, the driving force behind said piston is an amount of brake fluid. As this fluid breaks down over time it is possible for it to become contaminated with debris of variously dubious natures. When you force the caliper piston back into the caliper most of the fluid from the piston will be forced back into the brake line itself and, I suppose, potentially into the resevoir. This can *possibly* cause premature wear and and can *possibly* damage parts of your braking system. The proper way to compress a brake caliper piston:
1- Using vise grips, clamp off the brake line several inches above the fluid entry  point on the caliper. You want to make sure the old fluid cannot push back up the line.
2- Open the caliper bleeder(allele,greezert,etc...)allowing the fluid to exit the brake system when the piston is compressed.
3- Using a caliper compressor or a set of padded chanel locks, carfully and slowly force the caliper piston back into the main body of the    caliper. When doing so you will notice the brake fluid leaving the brake system.
4- When the piston is fully seated in the caliper close the bleed valve, unclamp the line, refill the resevoir, and commence normall hydrolic system bleeding protocol.
I like to replace all of the fluid with new, clean fluid each time I service my brakes. This is especially easy if you have a vacume fluid pump and should only take a half hour at the most. If you're goin to do something do it right. This way you have full confidence the the status and condition of your equipment.

[dgyver]

...
The proper way to compress a brake caliper piston:
1- Using vise grips, clamp off the brake line several inches above the fluid entry  point on the caliper. ....
...

That is a good way to ruin your lines. 

[elric8467]

Not if you use Common Sense. Don't clamp the line so hard that you damage it. I'm ASE certified on Brakes, Suspension, and Drive Train though I'm still working on Electrical Components. I've always done this with cars and motorcycles to no ill effect. I use a padded line compressor, but vise grips are perfectly safe if you leave a 1/4 to 1/3 inch gap between the jaws. This of course is only applicable to rubber lines. I should've been more prcise in giving instruction. Though if you have a better suggestion I'm always opoen to new information...

[dgyver]

Common sense? You have not been around here long enough.

You did not specify any parameters for limiting the risk to damaging the lines. Still it is not something I would recommend to the inexperienced. Plus this method is useless on braided lines.

If you are so concerned about contamination, why even bother trying to stop the back flow? Just replace the fluid.

[sledge]

I wouldn't let the bare jaws near my lines.........but if you are gonna use vice-grips slide a couple of large sockets over the jaws first, the polished and rounded surfaces wont damage the line while its clamped but it still needs to be carefully checked for damage afterwards

[Kasumi]

I personally havn't heard of a more anal point in a fair while.... crap getting back into your brake fluid.... I have never ever ever ever ever ever seen this happen, let alone have any sort of repercussions from simply replacing the pads without doing anything else. At most i replace a set of pads and bleed the  brakes, top up if needed. Thats it. Job done. No vice grips no nothing.

[ecpreston]

I personally havn't heard of a more anal point in a fair while.... crap getting back into your brake fluid.... I have never ever ever ever ever ever seen this happen

ditto, people are making this more complex than it needs to be! 

If there's any chance of "crap" in the fluid, you should flush it. If it's clean, then there's no concern.

[elric8467]

So.......you're slackers, who aren't worried about proper maintenance procedures, and don't know what you're talking about? Improper caliper piston compression is the #1 cause of ABS malfunction, brake fluid degradation/contamination and brake system failure.All because you feel like being lasyand not doing it correctly. Since a motorcycle's breaks operate in the exact same manner (minus the ABS on some models) it stands to reason that you should follow the same maintenance procedures. Plus forcing the piston back into the caliper without releiving the system pressure could blow/damage/stress weak lines or damage seals especially if there's crap gumming up the system. I also agree that you should just flush the whole system but this guy seems to be trying to avoid doing so, I was simply attempting to provide him an alternative solution.  Oh, and what is it with the people on this forum running their mouths when they have nothing positivley constructive to contribue< I'd like to know if Kasumi holds any certificatiuons or works in a shop or what? Any real experience to back up your opinion or just diareah of the mouth? Because I do work at a shop and I am certified and I'm telling you this is the best way to do the job. You kind of need your brakes, right? He asked, I answered. You're not even being constructive. No wonder the english lost the colonies

Bloooody waaaainker!

[elric8467]

I'm sorry.
That was uncalled for.
I don't think any has to remind the english how much they blow.

[ecpreston]

Sorry, it's nothing personal man, you're more than welcome to clamp off your lines. I can's speak for Kasumi, but I've been bleeding brakes and helping others with it for years while doing track events, preparing race cars, working on street cars, I've never seen anyone clamp the lines, I certianly haven't, nor have I seen a shop manual recommend it. Clearly some must, you could very well be right with an ABS system, I don't know. But certianly we don't have to worry about that in this case.

I usually relieve the system pressure by opening up the master, others recommended opening the bleeder, either is fine IMHO. If you crack open the bleeder and compress the piston, what incentive would the fluid have to be forced back up the line anyway? Wouldn't it follow the path of least resistance and come out the open bleeder? I just don't see what clamping the line accomplishes, other than potentially damaging the line.

Happy friday! 

[elric8467]

That's cool I'm just being rowdy. Like you said Friiiiiiiiiiday!!!!

[sledge]

Elric?
Have you ever changed the pads on a GS5?, come back when you have!

[Kasumi]

Your an arse, did you know that? ... No i didn't think so.

There are two kinds of people who work in a shop, there are the people who have common sense, experience and knowledge and employ all of them to do something. Then there are people like you, the guy who studied his text book during shop class so he could get a certificate that he could boast about saying he ticked the right boxes to work on brakes, yet you lack common sense and can't apply what you've learnt to any other situation other than the one you learned about...

People DO NOT want to start crimping their f%$king brake lines, all that will happen is they will get split. Nor do they want to spend £20 (plus paint damage risk) running bottles of DOT4 through everytime they change a set of pads.

Ive been building kit cars and custom bikes since the age of 6 at least. And in all that time i have never had a brake not work, seize or whatever the hell you think is going to happen if you don't crimp your brake line. If you bleed the brake a little to make sure you havn't got any air in that is completely enough after replacing pads.

Now go back to your shop and go back to ripping your customers off for work they don't need doing.... you know don't forget to revise for your class tomorrow about how to rip people off.

and also f%$k the hell off you've really pissed me off tonight because your a sad pathetic drunk who shoots their mouth off. Sure my point could have been slightly less offensive but it was a valid point, your only on here because you lead a sad life being drunk at home on a friday night and want to piss me off.

[Boston500F]

Thanks to  everyone  for sharing their experience on this issue. 

I'll take everything into consideration. I did not intend to start a war here, but I do still have a few questions....

1) Will I need to remove the entire caliper assembly to replace my rear pads? (It doesn't seem necessary in the pics posted by Kerry)

2) Do I only have to push back one piston? (or do they both move)

3) Has anyone managed to replace rear pads WITHOUT relieving brake pressure?