alright so ive run into sum trouble with my rear drivers side brake caliper. the piston is pretty far out from inside the caliper. i have a rear brake piston tool to try and spin the piston back in, but there is not enough room between the piston and the caliper to try and spin it back in. then i tried to spin the piston by using a screwdriver and that didnt even move it. will i be able to still use this caliper or do i have to buy a new one? how far out does the piston have to be for me to have to get a new caliper?
Were your pads worn evenly, and not past the min thickness?
they were actually worn down pretty badly. its almost like my piston is frozen in place; it will not move.
thinks is it the fronts or the rears that the piston needs to be screwed and pushed at the same time? i can’t remember exactly even tho i replaced all my pads and rotors like 3 months ago.
but aside from that. even if the piston comes out, it can be placed back in as long as the seals and the boot aren’t damaged. if i were u i’d loosen the bleeder screw when u try to push the caliper in. its actually recommended to do that, JUST IN CASE the pressure goes back thru and messes up the piston cups in the master cylinder. but opening up the bleeder valve also alleviates some of the pressure too.
those caliper/piston compressors work, but yes when u have that issue u are into u will have to improvise. u can muscle it by keeping one end of the caliper mounted… and use the tool to turn the piston u push it in by hand with a wrench or ratchet on the other end. u could also try using c-clamps in conjunction of those tools.
u could also rebuild ur calipers which saves u some money, a lil extra work but isn’t all that hard. or just replace them. but if u do rebuild or replace ur calipers… YOU MUST change the other side as well. so the rears must be replaced/repaired as a pair. same goes for the front.
hope that helps.
sry i forgot to mention that it was the rear drivers side caliper…i didnt know that if i replaced a caliper on one side i would have to do the same for the other side. the boot for the piston is a little bit torn but not very badly. i wouuld try wut ur suggesting but like i said the piston is so far out that there is not enough room to fit both pieces of the tool in to spin it back in. i almost cant even take the caliper off cuz the bolts for the parking brake bracket are so rusted. btw, i unbolted the brake line because it was in the way of a bolt that i needed to take off so i should be able to spin that piston anyway right?
yea u are suppose to remove the line or at least one of the bolts to the parking break. to get access to the back side. there is a lil protective metal cover that covers the ebrake line too. and yes u did mention that it was the LR caliper. cuz if u replace just one side, the braking won’t be distributed evenly, its like just getting new brake pads for the left side of the car, and not the right. it throws things off.
the tool u are talking about should have a plate that has a hole with threads in it, for the rod/bolt part that screws the piston back in to press against. and on the end of the bolt part… is a lil attachment like a socket type thing that is flat… and has a squared hole in the center. if it doesn’t fit… then u have to just skip the plate part that is slid in between the caliper end and the piston. *** u just use the turning plate that should be able to attach to a 1/2" drive ratchet with an extension. and u’d turn it with the ratchet as u squeeze (push) the piston back in.
if u can take a pic of the caliper and how it looks… and of the tool that u are using.
i hope u understand what i’m trying to say. but it can be done. if ur piston is frozen tho… that can be an issue. if the above fails tho, u can disconnect the brake line from the caliper, get an air compressor… and an air nozzle, and a block of wood, and blow air thru where the brake line went… and that will shove the piston right out (hopefully). BE CAREFUL NOT TO HAVE FINGERS OR ANYTHING OTHER THAN WOOD OR RAGS IN BETWEEN CALIPER END AND THE PISTON.
if u don’t have access to an air compressor… take it to a shop just like that, that does brake jobs. but if u do all that, u might as well rebuild it (both rear calipers). but the way it is, can prolly be put back together. torn boots can let debris in, causing the piston to stick or not shove back in or whatever. the seal acts as the retracting spring after u left off the brake pedal when driving.
yea i get wut ur sayin squeezethis. u and i are talkin about the same tool. i tried just twisting the piston with the tool without the part that goes on the caliper end, and it didnt move it. ill try again tomorrow. it was kinda weird tho cuz teh piston on the passenger side rear was able to spin pretty easily. i hope i can get this fixed because i definitely dont have the money for two new rear calipers and i need my car for school nxt wk.
then u might have a burr or knick on the piston, or its just totally frozen. i suggest getting some brake fluid and try lubing the piston as best as u can.
The pistons were extremely hard to rotate the first time I did my rear brakes on my Integra, the car had sat for a few years.
Are you sure about replacing calipers in pairs on an Integra (or any other Honda with the diagonally connected braking system)? If anything I’d guess you would have to replace the diagonal one, not the one at the same end of the car. Either way, I did at least one caliper on my Integra without doing any others at that time.
its not about changing it diagonally… and it only brakes down to a split system if u somehow get issues where u get uneven brake fluid pressure. have u noticed that they don’t just sell brake pads in sides? they sell them as rear and fronts. not RR or LR. when all is working properly in ur brake system… all is good. but if u just replace the LR caliper/pad … what’ll happen is that the LR will have “better” braking force and will prolly start braking BEFORE all other wheels. that’ll increase wear, and that will prolly cause it to pull or shake a bit while braking.
many ppl will prolly have gotten away with just replacing one caliper, not as a set. but its not RECOMMENDED. ur brakes is something u don’t wanna go half assed on. but if u choose to do so… then thats ur call. all i gotta say is good luck.