Technical Changing rear brake pads

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Technical Changing rear brake pads

Yes, also clamp the brake hose and open the caliper bleed nipple to dump the excess fluid out so there is less resistance and prevents the contaminated fluid inside the caliper going back up into the system. And take your time! It's taken 5 years for the caliper piston to move that far so retract it firmly but don't force it, I did 1/2 turn then pause to allow fluid out, go back the other way to free the threads, then same again

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I found it much easier to take the disc off and bolt the caliper back in place again so you have something nice and solid to push against whilst turning
 
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Yes, also clamp the brake hose and open the caliper bleed nipple to dump the excess fluid out so there is less resistance and prevents the contaminated fluid inside the caliper going back up into the system. And take your time! It's taken 5 years for the caliper piston to move that far so retract it firmly but don't force it, I did 1/2 turn then pause to allow fluid out, go back the other way to free the threads, then same again

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I found it much easier to take the disc off and bolt the caliper back in place again so you have something nice and solid to push against whilst turning
Well,Deckchair5, thats a good way of winding back the piston. I will be giving that a try.Its tips like this that makes this site priceless.
 
Here's some notes I made when I did mine
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[FONT=&quot]Firstly you slacken the handbrake cable. If you have an armrest then you’ll need to remove ashtray, remove rear vent, and remove lower rear portion of armrest console. 11mm adjusting nut
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[FONT=&quot]Now, as usual, you remove the caliper and old pads but now, regardless of whether you intend changing the discs or not, remove the disc. Some do rust on but mine came off straightaway so then it’s a 1 minute job. Just remove the two pegs and a light tap was all it took[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Now reinstall the caliper which again which will only take you a minute and NOW you have something solid you can push against. Most of the problems are through needing to push and turn at the same time and holding the caliper too. Fiat make a special tool for this but some have even had problems with that. This is nice and controllable and simple. [/FONT]

rear brake 1a.JPG
[FONT=&quot]Ok now it’s VITAL to let the brake fluid have somewhere to go so clamp the hose with a soft jawed clamp, here I'm using an old, very worn mole wrench but if your teeth are sharp then use a cloth to protect the hose or use a G clamp and fully open the bleed nipple. Now the fluid will be pushed out rather than back up into the system. The ABS unit wouldn’t like that![/FONT]

rear brake 4.JPG
[FONT=&quot]Now you can look over the top and be able to push in and turn the piston quite easily with a "magic cube" on the end of an extension and a rachet driver.


[/FONT]rear brake 3.JPG
[FONT=&quot]My cube didn't fit the lugs fantastically but it does the job. Turn the piston the same way as the wheel turns when going forwards to retract. Push and turn. Take it easy and if it gets hard then go back ½ turn. Fluid should be pumping out the bleed nipple and you’re doing well if it does because that means the piston is retracting of course. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]It’s about 30 turns from full out to full in and if you measure the disc and the new pads width, add it all together then you’ll know when you have done enough and can stop. My pads were 1.5cmm each and the disc was exactly 1cm so I knew 4cm clearance was the target
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rear brake 4.JPG
[FONT=&quot]Ok now you MUST leave the piston with holes horizontal (not like this) so the inner pad’s peg will slot in.

[/FONT]rear brake 5.JPG
[FONT=&quot]On with the disc,[/FONT][FONT=&quot]caliper bolts back in, [/FONT][FONT=&quot] pads in, bleed brake (probably not much air there as you’ve been pushing fluid out all the way). [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Then start engine and go on brakes hard for 15 times so it says and then adjust handbrake back again and test[/FONT]. See if your car rolls happily on a slight gradient with all brakes off

[FONT=&quot]Finally check brake reservoir level again
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Just a small query. Do you renew the small spring clips that grip the pad legs when you are changing pads, or is it OK to use the old clips? I see Apec Braking do a kit of clips for both front and rear pads of Stilos (Kit no. 1003 for the rear pads of a 1.4 16V and a few other models as well).
 
To wind the pistons in then you turn them the same direction as the wheel would go on that side when driving forwards

If the spring clips need renewing then they need renewing so you just see if they are holding the pads well. I stayed with the same clips on my rears but renewed the ones on the front
 
Decks, not heard anyone suggest before the need to bleed off fluid when turning the pistons. Is it vital you do this? What if you have reinforced hoses fitted (like mine!)? Can't clamp them off!
 
The caliper is like a huge volume syringe and you are pushing the fluid back up into a small bore pipe against the working head of pressure so simply relieving that pressure by dumping it out the back of the caliper is very desirable especially as the piston itself is usually resistive enough.

If you've ever taken a used brake caliper or slave cylinder apart then you'll know it's full of contaminated, usually black fluid which falls to the bottom and so making sure you don't push that back up into the system is also very desirable.You also stand no risk of the master cylinder overflowing by the excess fluid being pushed back up there

The valves in the ABS unit may not be too happy about fluid being forced through it in the wrong direction. With a bleed valve opened then there's no pressure to build up

With reinforced hoses then a simple science trick is to put cling film over the master cylinder refill cap and tighten down the cap on top of it which quickly restricts any fluid flow when you open a bleed nipple. Don't forget to remove it again afterwards though otherwise you'll be in trouble:)
 
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Job Done

Job done, and was suspiciously easy to do. Now sipping and vodka and bitter lemon and watching Mythbusters :lol: Took me about 2 hours and I really did take it slow.

I bought a piston wind back tool kit off fleabay for about £30 delivered and it paid for itself today. Hoping I get some use out of it on friends cars lol.

Now a little concerned about my rear shocks as the rubber bushing inside the top mount looks slightly worn :eek: Anyone offer some advice for changing rear shocks on an MW?
 
Re: Job Done

Only possible difficulty is with the upper mount if you don't have suitable tools to enable you to hold the central rod from turning while you loosen the locking nut.
 
[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-52334-8-Inch-Square-Caliper/dp/B0001K9V0E/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1312698914&sr=8-3"]Draper 52334 3/8-Inch Square Drive Rear Caliper Wind Back Cube: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EDJB9D1WL.@@AMEPARAM@@41EDJB9D1WL[/ame]
 
I've been attempting to change the rear pads on my sister's 53 reg 1.6 Stilo (only about 40k miles) over the past 2 days. It's turned into a nightmare, and I'm hoping to get some advice here.

First of all, I'm aware that the caliper piston has to be turned while applying pressure, that the offside needs to be turned clockwise and the near side needs to be turned anti-clockwise. I've been using the Draper cube shown here at post #17 .


Here's what I've done;

1. Safely raised the rear of the car (handbrake off, wheel nuts loosened) and mounted on axle stands.

2. Loosened the handbrake cable and unfastened the cables from the handbrake mechanisms on the calipers.

3. Removed the 17mm bolts securing the caliper to the hub and removed the pads from the caliper.

4. Removed the brake discs.

5. Re-attached the brake caliper (to hold it in place whilst using the cube).



and what happened;


Offside
1. Initially, I couldn't get the caliper (with pads still inside) to come off the disc, so I left it and went to work on the near side.

2. I returned to the offside, and found that the handbrake mechanism was seized, so applied Plus Gas, hit it a few times and worked it free. The caliper then came away from the disc (confirming that the handbrake mechanism had indeed seized).

3. I then used the cube to wind the piston in clockwise. It was very stiff, but the main problem was that the rubber seal around the piston wasn't sliding on the piston's groove as I turned the piston (I tried turning the piston in the opposite direction to free it) and it has twisted itself off the piston, and that's where I left the job today.


Nearside
1. The caliper and pads released from this side with some persuasion, but not easily.

2. I lubricated the handbrake mechanism attached to the caliper and it was free.

3. I wound the piston in anti-clockwise with the cube reasonably easily.

4. As Deckchair found, I needed 40mm (minimum) to get the caliper and pads back onto the disk. The piston stopped winding in at 36mm. I tried winding it back out a little (came out easily) and then back in, but no, it wouldn't go any further in, again leaving me with a clearance of only 36mm. I even tried reattaching the caliper with the inside pad inserted to check that there wouldn't be sufficient room to get the outside pad in. That's where I've left the nearside.


Will I need to get re-conditioned calipers for both sides?
 
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Deckchair says on here;

On with the disc,caliper bolts back in, pads in, bleed brake (probably not much air there as you’ve been pushing fluid out all the way).​

Surely you need to put the pads in the caliper before you bolt it back on?
 
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