So i am installing pads on my mom's 97 saturn sl2. The front work great. Car stops good now after test drive. So i go to install rear pads. When trying to push the piston in on the caliper, it wont budge. I had dropped my mom off while she gets her hair done, figuring we would be done in an easy 20 minutes.

So i am pushing as hard as i can on the piston, my girlfriend helping. The bitch wont move. So i start hammering it with a piece of metal and rubber mallet. Doesnt move. I got the great idea to see what happens when i push the brake pedal down while the piston is not pressing against anything. Surely enough, it extends. Now its stuck out and inch further than it was to start. Its been an hour so i am hurrying because im 30 minutes late to pick my mom up. Well now the caliper will not even fit around the original worn pads.

So i figure ok ill just drive without that caliper attached. Now the brake fluid line is wide open and flowing fluid everywhere. I didnt know if an open line would really jack some shit up, so i was really scared to drive anywhere. So i almost desided to put some cauking in the line to plug it up. Luckily i didnt. I just clogged it with some tissue and a bolt (it didnt stop shit from leaking anyway). I drive to pick her up and its been 2 and a half hours. Shes pretty mad. And im driving with no rear caliper and a shit load of air in the lines, basically on manual brakes with about 200 feet stopping distance.

I go home, jack the car up again. I continue to jam as hard as i can against the piston, my gf as well. it does not freaking move. now i notice that the piston has some laterall play. Shit, we busted the seal on in inside. Now when i press the brake pedal, fluid flows out around the piston. Bad ass is what i said to myself. So we had to buy a new piston, luckily it was only $60. Installed it, and bled the lines, brakes all work great. I never touched the other rear caliper to this day.

Lesson learned, dont replace things that dont need replacing just "for the sake of it"! The car will stop just fine with new front pads only! Also dont JAM or POUND anything that shouldnt be. It will cost you.

 

drumminforev

I had the same bad experience last week and now I realized that there is something behind the piston on rear caliper for the sake of parking brake. I broke a $5 C-clamp when trying to push the piston back and end up paying $100 to have it done by Midas.

 

mine was terrible, i tried painting the body moldings on my ls without cleaning/prepping the moldings and they were still on the car h: i ended up ripping them off and putting white tape over the holes.

 

I'm currently putting in some Tokico Blues with Eibach sportline springs and i had to remove the shock after i was done because i didnt realize i missed one part (a condom looking thing) that goes right above the bumpstop so yeh it kinda went bad and i spent like 3 hours on just one so im leaving the rest for sunday cuz i have work in a little bit...

 

my first diy was headers on my crx and an exhaust. it took me a while about three hours just go to the fact that i had previous welding experience in the past. my second diy was my motor cause it had 235,000 miles and went bad. but i had helped with a few swaps prior so was in the right direction it took me two days. just take your time man you will learn just do a lot of research!

 

mine was a cold air intake on a 95 acccord...lets just say dont cheap out it doesnt fit right..took it out sent it back a lot of arguing and my money back....but it didnt take long just never fit right

 

Well I havn't done much to my car since I like the way it looks OEM. IN fact, I have only changed the light bulbs from stock to Hallogen blue brights, added intertior red hallogen lighting, replaced my shifter to an aluminum S2000-like handle, replaced the OEM pedals with custom aluminum pedals and foot rest, and added Vent shades to my windows and sunroof - Pretty cosmetic. The easiest has been the door edge guards by far.

My hardest was not due to complications really, but just the effort. Yoy don't know sweat until you have to drill holes into the sheet metal of your pedals. (save for some engine parts) those are the strongest parts on your car.

I am installing the factory Aero kit on my Accord. I actually purchased it for under $900 online (including shipping and exhast tip) that compares very favoribly with the $2500+ the dealer wanted to charge me.Plus you can't beat the feeling of satisfaction after doing something to your car.

 

In repsone to Drumminforev's Gayass Caliper

I dunno if that is the lesson one should take from your experience. I will not belittle you or anything since we all go throug shit like that and it sucks when you feel utterly helppless and desperate when you think you've ruined your car.

Honestly, the lesson here is the same in many of these posts. You just needed the right tools and the proper research. You should have researched EXACTLY how to change those pads and used/bought a C-Clamp and used some liquid wrench type spray to help with the caliper. Also, when you replace anything on breakes, you should do it all the same time, that way they wear out evenly, so you were right in replacing the rear once you started with the front.

IMO

- Ant

 

suspension + grinder + 16yr old = junkyard

 

my first diy was tryin to do rotors and pads on my 99 lude, I couldn't budge the bolts. after wasting a day of my life I paid a local shop to do the work.
My second diy was tryin to do gauge overlays, nobody ever said you can't pull the needles out lol. so I did and ruined the gauge cluster. $200 later w/ a used cluster and the milage reset I was back where I started.
my 3rd diy went off w/o a hitch when I installed my aem v2 intake.