adjusting rear brake calipers

[mariner]

Sirs
Trying to fit ebc red stuff pads to the rear of my chim 500.
I have the caliper off and fitted the new pads but even after opening them up a little with a brake caliper tool. The piston seems to be up a against some kind of stop and the gap between the pads is still a few mm short of slipping back over the disk.
do the calipers adjust like others by turning the piston or are red stuff pads naturally thicker than standard ones?

Am I missing something?

The fronts worked a treat with the caliper tool to open the piston and were fairly straightforward.

Richie

Edited by mariner on Thursday 9th August 20:50

[v8sag]

Fitted the red stuff's not to long ago with new disc's, just keep winding the piston back,they shouldn't be any thicker.

[crackedfinger]

I diddn't think that the front would be wound back like the rears are?

[GreenV8S]

mariner said:

even after opening them up a little with a brake caliper tool

They will wind back a long way and you need to wind them back as far as they will go. (I assume you are using a wind back tool, and not just a piston spreader.)

[V8 Animal]

I fitted red stuff all round and used the windback tool.
If you undo the bleed nipple you can get the piston right back then the caliper will slip over the disk.
Then bleed the brakes.
V8 Animal

[mariner]

Thanks for the info.
The fronts were ok with just a piston spreader.
I don't have a wind back tool but i'll get one.

[v8sag]

Or a Angle Grinder locking tool works a treat too.

[GreenV8S]

Quinny said:

Don't wast your money
Get a small G clamp and use it to apply a small amount of pressure to the piston. Then use a set of pipe grips right on the edge of the piston, so as not to mark the machined surface.
Turn the pipe grips clockwise, and as the piston receeds, just apply a bt more pressure from the G clamp, repeat until piston is back far enough.

Done this loads of times, and as long as you keep the grips of the machined part of the piston you'll be ok

Well of course you *can* bodge it, but spend a couple of quid on the right tool for the job, the job becomes trivially easy with no danger of damaging the calliper or piston.

[spend]

GreenV8S said:

...but spend a couple of quid on the right tool for the job, the job becomes trivially easy with no danger of damaging the calliper or piston.

You will probably spend far more on brake cleaner, fluid, pads & disks in the long run.. In reality its nothing compared to the cost at a garage. As Peter says, no brainer IMHO. Liberal brake cleaner & clean up before you start. I much prefer the sticking a bleed pipe on the nipple and ejecting fluid as I push the piston back, all ready to bleed as soon the pads are in, and I'm convinced it spews out the fluid most contaminated by heat

Dave

[dilbert]

spend said:

GreenV8S said:

...but spend a couple of quid on the right tool for the job, the job becomes trivially easy with no danger of damaging the calliper or piston.

You will probably spend far more on brake cleaner, fluid, pads & disks in the long run.. In reality its nothing compared to the cost at a garage. As Peter says, no brainer IMHO. Liberal brake cleaner & clean up before you start. I much prefer the sticking a bleed pipe on the nipple and ejecting fluid as I push the piston back, all ready to bleed as soon the pads are in, and I'm convinced it spews out the fluid most contaminated by heat
Dave

I think you're right. Where else is it going to be!!!

[TVR keith]

IIRC the Bible says that you have to slacken off the handbrake cable. I had to do this on mine. Access is through the O/S rear wheel arch. Bit of a beast to do but not impossible by any means

[GreenV8S]

Quinny said:

Yep you feel free to waste your money on a tool you'll use once every blue moon if you wish.
I'll stick with my tried and tested method thanks.

Which I don't consider a "bodge", but hey each to their own.

I've got plenty of tools that I do only use once in a blue moon, but that doesn't mean they're a waste of money. There are plenty that get used less than the windback tool, and I consider it money well spent. The more I think about it the more surprising I find it that with your engineering experience you still think it is good practice to grab the outside of the brake piston with a pipe wrench and advise others to do the same. It doesn't strike me as a good idea at all, and it does also seem like an awfully fiddly way to tackle the job. If you were stuck maybe, but for the sake of five quid or so for the right tool to do it properly it's a no-brainer IMO.

[mariner]

Thanks guys, bought a copy of the sealy tool on the link from Halfrauds this morning and now it is all done. Surprised that the other 3 shops, one large tool shop and 2 motor factors did not carry them, Halfrauds was my last hope. I guess with the power of the internet the phrase "I can order it in for you Sir" gets used more and more, but not if I want my car for the weekend.