I was changing my brake pads yesterday.. and while I was trying to compress/push the piston back into the caliper so that it'll fit over the new thicker pads.... I can't seem to get the piston boot (Rubber thing) around the piston in right.. there will always be a bit o ra lot of piston boot sticking out...

I'm doing this by hand, so probably a bad idea?

I was wondering for those that change ur brake pads.. what do you do to compress the piston? and what do you do about the boot that sticks out?

i was thinking I should use a large c-clamp like most ppl and just apply steady pressure and push it in slowly.. then the boot will fit okay.

I'm hoping thats the case. Not sure if that'll do the trick.

anyhow any inputs on this matter is much appreciated... thanks.

 

the c-clamp trick works the best.

 

Make sure you take the cap off of the top of the reservoir before you compress the calipers.

 

yeah or the system will overflow..

but I think I'll go with the bleeder needle route.. seems like its not a good idea to flush fluid back into the master cylinder if you have ABS... *shrug* not sure but to be safe I'll do that..a nd I'll make sure air doesn't get in too..

I also just noticed some dents on my piston. ARGH.

I must have damaged it somehow... or it was worn.. but I dont see how tahts possible with the light mileage... 25k

now that obviously will effect braking efficency... I wonder what should I do about it.. leave it alone for now and replace it later... or replace it asap?

its the brakes, afterall.

sigh. the dent is at the edge of the piston... the piston will still apply evenly on the pads, but over time, who knows.

I guess I'll have it replace some other time.... I think I know the procedure to do it, but seeing as how I'm screwing up so much, maybe i shouldn't mess with it.

 

Agreed. Using a c-clamp makes the job much easier. About the dent, is there any way you could post pics? It might not be as bad as you think...

 

well I just finished everything. realigning the piston in with a piston compression tool I rent at Pepboys... was going to buy a c-clamp, but if they have a tool specifically for this job and I can rent it, why not?

the piston isn't really an issue... the er.. dent part just happens to be at the side where the ring doesn't even touch the pad... so thats a good thing... well when I used the pistol tool it rotated the piston a bit and now the dent part touches the pad about.. but overall I think it'll be fine.


the bad news is, I found out the left front piston boot is damaged. there's a rip in there.. so I'm going to have to get that replaced.. which will cost a bundle. sigh.

what I think I will do is remove that entire caliper with the damaged boot completely and just take it to a shop to have them do it for me.. which will save me some labor cost... and reinstall the caliper myself and bleed the entire system AGAIN.

on another note.. even though there's a small rip in one of the boot, and a dent on one of the piston...

the new system filled with new fluid and new Nissin brake pads performes great.

as always, the best way to learn is through experience.. but its also the most expensive way to learn.

never rush a job, and always have the proper tools before you do a work!

 

You learned a valuable lesson my man, but you wouldn't have unless you tore it apart. It's all part of learning. Next time, you'll know what to do. I wouldn't worry about it too much. As far as the caliper goes, I wouldn't have them fix the old one, just get a reman one from an autoparts store. A1-Cardone makes a good rebuilt caliper. Sometimes it costs more to get the old one fixed than it would for a new one.

Congrats on your brake job!!! It's not hard, you just have to have the guts and the time to tear it apart. Before you know it, you'll be rebuilding engines.

 

:werd:

 

Hey your only 3 years late, good job noob.

 

I'm not late, this tools is brand spakin' new.