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Frustration has set in


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I am finishing up my auto to 5 speed swap and am putting the brakes back on. I took the brake set up off of the rotor, though I dont think I had to, but now I can not get it back on. The brake pads are clamped together and the E brake and the normal brakes are not engaged at all. It almost seems like they may have come out to far and not wanting to go back in place. I have done this procedure before with no problems. Thank you all

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The brake pads are clamped together and the E brake and the normal brakes are not engaged at all.

 

Unhook the E-brake cable, if it is connected. One side of the caliper is held to the pad guide frames with a bolt with a 14mm bolt head. Remove the bolt, the frame will swing the pads out of the caliper. To get the piston back in, it needs to be turned clockwise. I made a tool to do this from a piece of 1" square steel tube about 2' long. Cut the tool end to fit in the notches in the pistonm. Find a big (like 3/4") bolt that fits in the tube for a swivel on the opposite end. I put a glove between me and the bolt head, and lean against it to keep the tool engaged with the piston. Turn the tube with a 1" open end wrench. It is a fine thread, so it takes a while. DO NOT hit the piston, or use more force than you can apply by leaning / pushing on the bar.

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Dave's right about the need to screw the piston back into the caliper. The auto parts stores sell a "multi-cube" for 3/8" ratchets that is intended to be used to turn caliper pistons back in. It shouldn't cost you more than $10. it is preshaped to match the notches in many different pistons - hence the multi-cube nickname. Screw the piston back in counterclockwise. You may wish to open the bleeder screw a bit to relieve the pressure while you screw it in.

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SO the screw that disconnects the e brake is the one that is on the lower part of the brake assembly and is encased in rubber? I dont know nothing about brakes so it is hard to understand exactly what I am supposed to do. Thanks

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Yeah, that was pretty easy. I went to schucks and the guy had no idea what I was looking for, thankfully a costumer in the store was able to find exactly what I needed for me. I found a very small tear in the brake piston boot, Im gonna ride it out cuz I have a replacement unless someone says that is unsafe or something. Thanks for the help

 

get the tool, and open the bleeder screw and then use the tools to turn it, not hard at all
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SURPRISE SURPRISE a customer was able to help you when guy at the counter couldnt or wouldnt man those guys or girls can really pi** me off with their total lack of knawledge you would think that to work in a parts store you would at least have a little knowledge of cars and or tools.:horse:

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Yeah, you get your samrt ones and you get your dumb ones. It is enterttaining to me to see what kind of service I will get. Im pretty sure I know more about working on cars then them, they have just memorived parts asnd such.

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Yeah, that was pretty easy. I went to schucks and the guy had no idea what I was looking for, thankfully a costumer in the store was able to find exactly what I needed for me. I found a very small tear in the brake piston boot, Im gonna ride it out cuz I have a replacement unless someone says that is unsafe or something. Thanks for the help

 

A small tear will be OK. You can get a rebuild kit for your caliper for about $8 - $10 that includes the seal and the boot. Also make sure you clean and lube the caliper slide pins.

 

As far as the bleeder screw goes, you can just loosen the cap on the brake fluid reservoir, but it's not a bad idea to periodically bleed your brakes anyway. After 20 years or so, you might be surprised at what the brake fluid looks like.

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