URGENT: audi A6 brake calipers

[Luke M]

i know its not a fiat but thought i would ask!

mate of mines dad has just taken off his rear wheel due to a puncture and decided while it was off to change the brake pads. however we cant get the calipers to move out to take the new pads in. and now we cant get the orignals back in either! there self adjusting ones like the fiat.

anyone got any ideas on spreading the calipers to take the new pads?

 

[custard]

sure there not wind in caliper pistons?

 

[Luke M]

not as far as were aware! we think it might of seezed due to dirt but they just wont budge!

 

[Luke M]

you think if we can somehow get a g cramp on it and push it apart? or will that cause damage?

 

[Luke M]

ive just been told the caliper is like a cup with the piston at the back as you look at it pushing the back pad and the cup pulling the front pad onto the disc if thats any help

 

[polecat]

Safer to take them off and try to free the callipers. Heve you taken the main bolts off or just the slider bolts?

 

[PNL]

I would be suprised if it Wasnt a wind back piston most are nowa days

 

[Luke M]

weve taken off the one slider bolts to hinge the cup on the other bolt round to put the pads in

 

[Trancendental]

I don't know much about rear discs but I saw a guy doing them in a garage once and he had a hard time attaching some tool to it to wind/screw it up so it would tighten/release.

 

[Luke M]

yer we just looked on the Audi workshop manual and theres a special tool that looks like a bolt threaded through a metal plate that goes between the cup and the piston and pushes the piston back in.

weve tried to bodge one but no joy :bang: looks like hes driving my mates mini to work tomorrow! hope i dont have this problem with mine next week!

cheers guys for the help

 

[polecat]

The piston winders are quite cheap to buy and work on both screw and compression types. Try loosening the bleed valve. If you don't screw them back in you will trash the handbrake adjuster but the main pistons should still be ok.

 

[Luke M]

well weve given up for tonight! hes going to try and get a union tool if not were going to try with a G clamp

 

[T14086]

Not as good as the proper wind back tools but these can do the trick,though not as quick & maybe a skint knuckle or two,but cheap

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Sykes-Pickava...ryZ25644QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[DublinAbarth]

This might sound obvious but make sure of the following

Front wheels chocked if on the ground.
Hand brake off to release pressure.
Cap off ,but cover brake fluid container.

Most rears are now wind back as other have sugessted. This job is really hard work as even with a wind back tool (which turn clockwise) the rears can be the anti clockwise wind back type. You can still use a wind back tool but you have to get crafty in using it to retract the pistons. I bought one for 60euro (Draper brand) and it has loads of adapters for different makes.

bol

 

[faster4_tec]

it took us two days to wind the pistons back in on our older 1996 A6, the rear calipers are fair huge to begin with, which is part of your problem, they are just big, problem two, is that audi brakes are very very heavily servo assisted, and it takes a lot more force again to force the fluid back thru,

we did it by:-

-unscrew brake fluid cap under bonnet.
-jack car
-remove wheel and whack caliper with a rubber mallet a few times to help it free from bolts, also scrape all the excess rust off the caliper body and sliders so that its clean ready for going back together. remove caliper
-use an old style steering wheel lock that goes from wheel to under clutch pedal, take it apart and make a huge g clamp out of it!
-arrange it around caliper with difficulty
-bend the silver metal bar so that you can get more force, then put a bit of strong pipe over the end, and start winding,

we reckon if we went straight to that idea (we thought it was seized at first so tried some stuff, and various levers etc) we could have done the pair in about 3hours, AND THATS JUST WINDING!!!!

Have FUN!!!!!

 

[Trancendental]

Aren't there Wind backs that can be attached to compressors?

 

[faster4_tec]

possibly, but they'll cost money, and would be a specialised part unique to VAG cars (mainly big audi's, vag doesn't make anything else that needs that stoppig power, other than maybe a veyron )


believe me they won't seize, way to powerful for that to happen, the power would just break the brake before it allowed it to seize:slayer: :slayer:

 

[Luke M]

well we had to leave it last night, light was gone. ive left some G cramps on his doorstep for him and he was trying to find a wind back thing so ill let you know how he gets on, cheers guys!