rear brake pads cant fit

[bergspre]

Hi, the piston seems to be too far out for the brake pads to fit. How can I get the piston in again for more space? (i havent touched the brake)

[clankymike]

Hi
I left the old pad in on the piston side and used a set of water pump pliers to ease it back, squeezing on the pad and caliper, you need to protect the caliper with a thin bit of wood to stop it getting marked, or you could leave the old pads in and lever between them with some strong screwdrivers, it's worked for me every time.
Best of luck.....

[bergspre]

Thanks, i got it back now. But now i cant get the pads in, its just not enough space on the back side of the brakedisc, between the brakedisc and the caliper body..the caliper body wont be able to be taken down into place.

[Zergman]

I use a clamp like this:
http://static.traderscity.com/board/...amp-wood-1.jpg

works perfectly. Maybe your caliper isn't moving where it supposed to move? Some pictures pointing out the problem would really help.

[McCrankpin]

Originally Posted by Zergman

Some pictures pointing out the problem would really help.

yep.
For instance, is the caliper single-sided? (A piston on one side only).
From this:

Originally Posted by bergspre

its just not enough space on the back side of the brakedisc, between the brakedisc and the caliper body..the caliper body wont be able to be taken down into place.

I assume it is.

In which case, the whole caliper slides side-to-side on two pins, underneath little rubber gaiters.
Sometimes when you change the pads, specially if it's a long time since they were last changed, the caliper seizes on the pins. But it's usually easy to free off.
So if the caliper isn't moving side-to-side, you'll need to work out how you remove the caliper from the pins. Sometimes they unscrew from the caliper-holder, or there might be some clip arrangement.
You'll need to clean the pins - there may be rust there - and grease them carefully.
Don't damage the rubber gaiters.

A close-up photo or two would help, both sides of the caliper.
(Or the exact model of bike, probably someone here will know the procedure straightaway).

[bergspre]

Its a XT600E year 2000
I can take some pictures today. Maybe its necessary to take off the whole caliper body and clean it..i dont like the idea of having to bleed the system cause ive never done that before, so thats why i havent taken it apart yet.

[McCrankpin]

Don't worry about bleeding. Usually no need to interfere with the hydraulics at all to clean up the sliding mechanism.

It would be handy to have a solid box or something similar, the height of the caliper off the ground, to give you a solid surface to work on.

And whatever you do, don't separate the two halves of the caliper - that's not necessary either.

Just as a safeguard, make sure there's no way you can accidentally press the rear brake pedal - just in case......

[BlackDogZulu]

Pad replacement can be done by just swinging the caliper up away from the disc, but it's usually easier to remove it altogether. As long as you don't disturb the hose joint, you don't need to bleed it afterwards.

I usually use some water pump (slip-joint) pliers or at a pinch a woodworking clamp, and a big screwdriver with some wooden wedges. Anything to force the piston (pistons in the case of the front brake) evenly right back without touching the side surfaces. It/they must go right back into the caliper body so that they are flush or below - if they are proud of the caliper, even by a mm or so, they wil not go back with new pads.

Remove the part of the caliper that holds the pad opposite the piston (from memory, it just pulls off), clean and grease the sliding pins and reassemble making sure the rubber boots locate correctly in their grooves.

You've then got to get the anti-squeal shims and the pads back into the caliper - I find this the hardest bit of the operation as it is fiddly and requires three hands The shims are meant to clip in place, but if they are old they have lost their spring and will need holding. The caliper and pads should then slide over the disc, put the bolts back in, torque correctly, pump the pedal to restore pressure, and you're done.

If the above doesn't work, then there is something wrong somewhere, as it's a relatively easy and straightforward job. Pics would help here.

Hope this helps.

[bergspre]

Heres some photos. Im not sure how the sliding mechanism works and where the bolt is for that.

[Zergman]

The piston is obviously too far out, you need to push it back in. To do that I use a tool like in my previous post.

[JustMe]

Originally Posted by Zergman

The piston is obviously too far out, you need to push it back in. To do that I use a tool like in my previous post.

These tools sometimes tend to give a false sense of security. I remember when I could not move the darn piston with that tool, but could do so with the pressure of my thumb. Slightly misaligned pressure will absolutely block the piston and may cause damage. Push it out a bit more, clean the piston thoroughly, apply some break fluid and push.

BUT: Given the fact that most people have to top off the brake fluid as the pads wear down, it´s ususally a good idea to open the fluid container and remove excessive fluid when pressing back the piston - as there will just not be enough room in the container to accept all the fluid.

Cheers
Chris

[bergspre]

I have taken the piston in, shouldnt have taken the picture before i did that.
Anyway, even when the piston is completely in, there is no way to fit any break pads. The biggest problem is the outside of the brakedisc where it seems to be like 1-2mm clearance.
Basically when i push down that big clunk on the top(caliperbody?) it wont come down if theres a break pad in there. When pushed down it covers the whole thing and its too close to the breakdisc..

Some of you said sliding pins,but i couldnt find any way to move the caliperbodys part individually. It looks like its 1 whole piece.

[Zergman]

If you are disassembling it like in the picture - you have unbolted a sliding pin.
Put it back together, and unbolt the two bolts at the bottom (marked), and then try to fit the pads.


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Rear ones are super easy to fit if you got the correct pads and everything was working as should before you disassembled. I'd say maybe the disc is too big, but that's not the case here.

[bergspre]

I have unbolted the two bolts at the bottom but obviously theres something wrong. Are the 2 sliding pins supposed to adjust the width of space where the disc is coming in between?
The left sliding pin can be loosened, the caliper will then pivot around the sliding pin on the right side.

I think maybe the right side sliding pin is stuck. Is that supposed to slide out?I cant see any screws or anything, so if thats supposed to slide out it must be really stuck or rusted. ?

Here is a picture with annotations:

Originally Posted by Zergman

If you are disassembling it like in the picture - you have unbolted a sliding pin.
Put it back together, and unbolt the two bolts at the bottom (marked), and then try to fit the pads.


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Rear ones are super easy to fit if you got the correct pads and everything was working as should before you disassembled. I'd say maybe the disc is too big, but that's not the case here.

[awolxt]

Hi There!

In your photo, undo the bolt on the left and remove it. The caliper body will then rotate upwards, with the caliper almost at right angles to its original position, it should slide off (towards you). Hope this helps

Bill