Which way do I thread brake pistons?

[Boneyard]

I was changing out the brake pads and using the needle-nose to wind down my pistons. I was doing the 'right is tight' thing, but the passenger side didn't seem to want to work. I gave it a turn in the other direction, and now it seems like my piston has extended all the way out.

 

Do I need to be turning it counter clockwise? Have I ruined the calipers? Will I make it to B.C. in time to see Black Sabbath?

 

Thanks.

 

 

92 Loyale, front disk.

[Niku-Sama]

mmm i thing turning it right is the way to go, some times i have to loosen the bleed nipple thingy so it goes in. you loosened yours?

[Boneyard]

Yeah, I loosened it at some point. I turned it right, left, I removed the whole hooya from the caliper (by accident). I think that may have caused the problem. The top hinge coming undone may have led to the piston completely discharging.

 

I now have the brake on. It didn't solve my problem though. That is for another post.

 

Thanks.

[idosubaru]

Turn it right, like normal threads.

 

Are you saying the piston came out of the caliper bore? Just get a rebuild kit from the store and rebuild the caliper. It's really easy and can be done on the car, there's just one seal and the rubber boot, that's it and you got "new" calipers. Clean up the inside of the bore really well of course.

 

I just bought a caliper rebuild kit for a legacy a couple weeks ago, it was $2.99 or like $100 for a new caliper.

[Boneyard]

This was a while ago, but just for follow up...

 

The piston did not come all the way out, but extended as far as it could without actually coming out. I had to screw it all the way back in, and I didn't have the time to get a tool for turning it back in. You can bet I will be dropping the money on a piston tool before I do this again. Even $20 is worth it compared to the time it takes to do this with the other tools at hand.

[GeneralDisorder]

It's messy, but I remove the bleeder screw completely and they often thread in easily that way. The reason they are difficult to thread in is because you are trying to force the fluid back into the reservoir - even loosening the bleeder screw is usually only a small help. Remove it though, and you can just thread the piston in by hand. I use a pair of needle nose pliers and stick the nose's of the pliers in the notches of the piston and turn them in. Never had one I couldn't turn in yet. Although the tool is nice as well, I find I do fewer and fewer EA calipers with the integrated parking brake - EJ's went to a drum parking brake in the rear - on the ID of the disc so both front and rear calipers don't require threading.

 

GD