Car folk, caliper question help.

So, last time I changed my brake pads (a while ago), the pistons were pretty stiff getting pushed back. I've just remembered about it recently when someone asked me to change their brake pads.

I'm a complete noob when it comes to car repair, and there is some conflicting information online. Some people say, if you aren't good with cars, get a mechanic to grease the caliper and pins and all that jazz.

Or, replace the caliper since they are fairly cheap. Again, mechanic? Or given my small skill set, is it feasable for me to do it myself?

Never bled brakes before either, so that would be new to me.

Should mention, it's a 97 monte carlo.

Replacing the calipers is no big deal. However if the Calapers aren't leaking then their no reason to replace them if you do replace them you'll have to bleed the brakes, and thats a pain. The best way to puch the calipers pistons back a a 'C' clamp.

Yes, I don't know how I would change brake pads without a C clamp. ;) Anyways, what would tell tale signs of leaking be? Rust?

So would you think a sticky piston is worth greasing, or changing out the caliper completely if it's easy enough to do?

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Yes, I don't know how I would change brake pads without a C clamp. ;) Anyways, what would tell tale signs of leaking be? Rust?

So would you think a sticky piston is worth greasing, or changing out completely?

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You'll see around the rubber seal will have brake fluid.

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

So would you think a sticky piston is worth greasing, or changing out the caliper completely if it's easy enough to do?

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Is it sticky when you press the brakes or just when you try to press the piston back in??

It's hard to push the piston back in. I'm not referencing when I push on the pedal.

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Yes, I don't know how I would change brake pads without a C clamp. ;) Anyways, what would tell tale signs of leaking be? Rust?

So would you think a sticky piston is worth greasing, or changing out completely?

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Wet stains on outside of caliper and a soft pedal when you brake. Also you may see small brake fluid drips on the ground under calipers. When brake pads get real low the caliper piston comes out much farther than it would with a newer pad. If the outer part of that cylinder has deteriorated or pitted with time it could scrape the O ring or seal that holds in the brake fluid and leaking may occur or a complete loss of brake pressure.

When you hold down the brakes if it gets to a point wher it stops and then continues to sink more this could be a sign that you are loosing pressure some where, either from a leak or the master cylinder is going.

Hope this helps.

Oh when bleeding brakes you will need two people and be careful not to get brake fluid in your eyes, it burns like the ****ens, trust me, been there done that;)

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

It's hard to push the piston back in. I'm not referencing when I push on the pedal.

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Thats because your pushing against the hydraulic pressure of the system. There is a trick to make it easier.. crack open the bleeder nipple just a little bit..You'll lose some fluid but not much as soon as the piston is back in close the nipple and poof problem solved.

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Originally Posted by West Coast Jungle

Wet stains on outside of caliper and a soft pedal when you brake. Also you may see small brake fluid drips on the ground under calipers. When brake pads get real low the caliper piston comes out much farther than it would with a newer pad. If the outer part of that cylinder has deteriorated or pitted with time it could scrape the O ring or seal that holds in the brake fluid and leaking may occur or a complete loss of brake pressure.

When you hold down the brakes if it gets to a point wher it stops and then continues to sink more this could be a sign that you are loosing pressure some where, either from a leak or the master cylinder is going.

Hope this helps.

Oh when bleeding brakes you will need two people and be careful not to get brake fluid in your eyes, it burns like the ****ens, trust me, been there done that

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Ahh, I see. Chris... isn't the best helping me on my car. And I don't have anyone else available to bleed brakes with me, so that looks like changing the caliper might have to be left to my mechanic.

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Originally Posted by Freakie_Frog

Thats because your pushing against the hydraulic pressure of the system. There is a trick to make it easier.. Crack open the bleeder nipple just a little bit..You'll lose some fluid but not much as soon as the piston is back in close the nipple and poof problem solved.

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Oh, okay, I've never done that, under the assumption I'd have to bleed brakes, but if I don't then yes, that would definitely make it easier.

It just seemed a lot more difficult to get the piston back in this last time. I'll have to check out the whole thing, see if i can't gander something wrong.

as long as you are careful and don't draw any air into the system you shouldn't have to bleed the brakes

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

as long as you are careful and don't draw any air into the system you shouldn't have to bleed the brakes

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LOL, and there's the sticker. careful. :8:

When changing a caliper, you're going to have to bleed the brakes, you're going to get air in there, just make sure you know what you're doing.

Just because it's hard to push a piston back in doesn't mean the caliper needs to be changed. Not all vehicles require the piston to be pushed back in with a C-Clamp(which can be purchased at autozone) Some of the newer fords, require you rotate the piston to get it back in, some are clock wise, some are counter clock-wise, refer to the manual.

I work on cars almost everyday, as I have my own drag car, and I fix several of my friends.

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Originally Posted by Neal

When changing a caliper, you're going to have to bleed the brakes, you're going to get air in there, just make sure you know what you're doing.

Just because it's hard to push a piston back in doesn't mean the caliper needs to be changed. Not all vehicles require the piston to be pushed back in with a C-Clamp(which can be purchased at autozone) Some of the newer fords, require you rotate the piston to get it back in, some are clock wise, some are counter clock-wise, refer to the manual.

I work on cars almost everyday, as I have my own drag car, and I fix several of my friends.

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Correct if yours has to be rotated back in you'll need an ABS wrench. Its this little cube thing that fits a socket and basically screws the piston back in

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Originally Posted by Neal

Just because it's hard to push a piston back in doesn't mean the caliper needs to be changed. Not all vehicles require the piston to be pushed back in with a C-Clamp(which can be purchased at autozone) Some of the newer fords, require you rotate the piston to get it back in, some are clock wise, some are counter clock-wise, refer to the manual.

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LOL, I'd appreciate it if people gave me a little bit of credit.

This thread was not a "I think it's time to grease/change the caliper, because I don't know how to push a piston in" thing, it was me remembering that the last time I changed my brakes, it was more than a little difficult to push the piston back in with the C-clamp, and it hasn't been that hard in the past. ;)

Is it froze up Connie? I've had calipers freeze up on me. But I've never had one that didn't give when I used a big ol c-clamp. I've never even heard of lubricating or greasing a caliper.

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

It's hard to push the piston back in. I'm not referencing when I push on the pedal.

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If you haven't you need to pop the master cylynder top when you push them in. If it id not poped then air gets trapped and makes it hard to push them back in. Hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

Is it froze up Connie? I've had calipers freeze up on me. But I've never had one that didn't give when I used a big ol c-clamp. I've never even heard of lubricating or greasing a caliper.

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This is what I mean when I say grease.
http://www.lukekailburn.com/caliperrebuild.html

It wasn't froze, just was extra difficult to push in.

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Originally Posted by scales owner

If you haven't you need to pop the master cylynder top when you push them in. If it id not poped then air gets trapped and makes it hard to push them back in. Hope this helps.

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Popping a master cylinder? No clue. :oops:

The rear caliper piston usually turns clockwise to push back in. The reason it's only on the rears is that it is a self adjusting caliper that keeps the brake pads close to the rotor so the e-brake works like it's supposed to. Some cars have an drumbrake style e-brake on the rear as well as rotors and calipers for normal braking. In that case, the pistons shouldn't need to be turned in to compress them.

*you may want to remove a little brake fluid from the reservoir before compressing the calipers. You can do this by drilling a tiny hole in the top of an empty water bottle. Compress the water bottle stick the end with the hole in it into the reservoir and release the water bottle so it sucks up some of the fluid.

*Buy a one man brake bleeder from your local auto parts store. It shouldn't be more than $7. It's basically a hose going into a bottle with a magnet on the bottle. Follow the directions in the kit and you should be fine. You put a little fluid in the bottle, attach the hose to the bleed valve, hang the bottle above the the caliper, crack the bleeder open, pump brakes until the bottle needs to be emptied or you get the fresh fluid coming through. Make sure to close the bleeder before emptying the bottle but also make sure to leave a bit of fluid in the bottle.

*when bleeding the brakes, start at the end farthest away from the master cylinder and work towards it (rear passenger, rear driver, front passenger, front driver). The first caliper will take the longest to get fresh fluid to it for obvious reasons.

Those are the basics

Forgot to add... it is very important to change your brake fluid periodically because the fluid absorbs water even though it's a "sealed" system. Water in brake fluid hinders the performance of the fluid itself and will corrode brake parts from the inside and lead to failure of components (i.e. sticky calipers, leaky master cylinders, etc.)

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Popping a master cylinder? No clue. :oops:

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Did this help at all?

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Popping a master cylinder? No clue. :oops:

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Just remove the top (lid) of your master cylinder (where you put the brake fluid in) under the hood before changing your pads. If you don't, you may have trouble pushing the cylinder in because the system is closed. Also sometimes the right and left caliper are not mirror images of each other and it is easier to get the c clamp right in the center of one piston so it is easy to push it in, and if you are off center with the other one it is harder to get that one to go in. I doubt that you need to change the caliper, and as you know you will therefore not need to bleed the brakes. You are smart to change the pads before the rotors are damaged. It costs almost nothing to change the pads yourself. I don't think that you want to get into changing the brake fluid yourself if you are trying to avoid bleeding the brakes. Don't involve a mechanic this time.

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Originally Posted by dsirkle

Just remove the top (lid) of your master cylinder (where you put the brake fluid in) under the hood before changing your pads. If you don't, you may have trouble pushing the cylinder in because the system is closed. Also sometimes the right and left caliper are not mirror images of each other and it is easier to get the c clamp right in the center of one piston so it is easy to push it in, and if you are off center with the other one it is harder to get that one to go in. I doubt that you need to change the caliper, and as you know you will therefore not need to bleed the bleed the brakes. You are smart to change the pads before the rotors are damaged. It costs almost nothing to change the pads yourself. I don't think that you want to get into changing the brake fluid yourself if you are trying to avoid bleeding the brakes. Don't involve a mechanic this time.

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Aha! Now I know what a master cylinder cap is! lol. Well, that should definitely make things go a lot smoother next time around. :oops:

Thanks Dale, exactly what I was looking for. ;)

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Originally Posted by scales owner

Did this help at all?

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Didn't get to it today, so I have yet to try it.