Resetting the brake piston?
#16
04-17-2013 | 03:22 PM
#17
04-17-2013 | 04:31 PM
Im sure you did more harm in not putting on the pads than most experienced techs ever do on all their break jobs. Considering your car is ok now and you made it through the drive alive..... It's not that bad but damn!!!! a $50 job turned into $400 which couldve been very easily avoided... I'll bet you wont ever make that mistake again. Doesnt seem like you're too bummed over the cash lost but you live and you learn.
#18
04-17-2013 | 04:41 PM
Registered User
iTrader: (5)
Well just to comment on this... it got late the other night and I could not get the piston reset so ended up throwing the caliper back on without any pads and the old rotor. I drove the car down to the Harbor Freight store to pick up an air compressor and C clamp and some other things and totally killed the piston. It grinded against the rotor (was killing me driving the car once I got 2 miles up the road and you hear the grinding) so I have to rebuild the caliper. Just picked up from rockauto.com a new piston and 2 seal kits and picked up self bleeding speed valves to bleed the brake for under $30 with shipping (much cheaper then buying a rebuilt piston at Auto Zone). This afternoon I attempted to do the other side of the car with a 9 inch c clamp... what a breeze, the piston went right in. So the moral of the story, use a c clamp... way much easier when doing so. The funny thing, I was talking with my Mom the other day, her 2011 Maxima needed brakes, she paid 400 for just rears. I picked up rotors and hawk ceramics for 120 and if I had not screwed up the one caliper as mentioned above, it would of been an hour, hour and a half of my time. (first time doing them). What a rip these mechanics can be.
Can't believe you've been on this forum since 2006 and do something as stupid. However glad you got it going. This could have got much worse.
Im sure you did more harm in not putting on the pads than most experienced techs ever do on all their break jobs. Considering your car is ok now and you made it through the drive alive..... It's not that bad but damn!!!! a $50 job turned into $400 which couldve been very easily avoided... I'll bet you wont ever make that mistake again. Doesnt seem like you're too bummed over the cash lost but you live and you learn.
#19
04-17-2013 | 11:07 PM
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 120
Likes: 2
Lmaooooooo!!!! This is a great threat but should have been in a comedy section . IMO I reAly think it was a dumb move .. But next time for your own safety never leave a pad out of the caliper lol just a tip I seen the pads fall out when to worn and the wheel locked up and cause more disaster . Just a quit tip 
#20
04-17-2013 | 11:36 PM
If they were the front brake that you had been working on and ran into a similar situation not being able to compress the piston with your bare hands. What would you have done, just slap the caliper back on with no pads and expect a metal piston grinding on a rotor to bring your car to a halt safely. Why did you not want to put the used brake pad back in. It would have dropped in place just fine since there was not much meat left on it.
#21
04-17-2013 | 11:42 PM
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 55
Likes: 4
From: Georgetown
Driving with no brake pads is a bold move. The damage is done and you have paid for your mistakes. The tool that you showed in the OP is the tool I use almost everyday at my dealership. A c clamp gets you the same result. It is a up to the user. A co worker of mine has a two piston depressor which is awesome. No need for an old pad with this baby.
#22
04-18-2013 | 02:39 AM
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 12
Likes: 1
Wow..guess that's why they always say to leave brake work to professionals....
Seriously could have caused harm to other people out there by pulling that...completely unsafe.
I'm hoping you did it right and tightened everything down properly...
I've seen a few backyard jobs that were incredible as my time as a mechanic, had a guy do his own brakes but took it in complaining of the grinding noise...yes this dude had installed the pads on backwards...metal backing onto the rotors....
Had a girl drive in because her pedal was low...took the wheels off and the outer pad was gone on the drivers side, the rotor was half missing, the cooling fins were all rubbing and grinding into the caliper...
I use a C clamp...if the piston doesn't go in it needs rebuilding..
I also got out of the trade 13 years ago...still work on my own, need to get a shop though to play more!
Seriously could have caused harm to other people out there by pulling that...completely unsafe.
I'm hoping you did it right and tightened everything down properly...
I've seen a few backyard jobs that were incredible as my time as a mechanic, had a guy do his own brakes but took it in complaining of the grinding noise...yes this dude had installed the pads on backwards...metal backing onto the rotors....
Had a girl drive in because her pedal was low...took the wheels off and the outer pad was gone on the drivers side, the rotor was half missing, the cooling fins were all rubbing and grinding into the caliper...
I use a C clamp...if the piston doesn't go in it needs rebuilding..
I also got out of the trade 13 years ago...still work on my own, need to get a shop though to play more!
#23
04-18-2013 | 03:16 PM
The only time they're hard is when you deal with stuck pins or seized bolts, or if you damage something along the way and end up having to replace the whole caliper. Even having to do a whole caliper is really easy if you have a second person at your disposal to use for brake bleeding.
#26
04-18-2013 | 07:51 PM
Thread Starter
|
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 409
Likes: 26
From: Long Island
#27
04-18-2013 | 11:16 PM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,299
Likes: 1,487
From: By the sea, Tx
G35 sedan w/ too much money in mods
Hmmm I seem to remember that being mentioned somewhere else in this thread. OP's first post reminded me of this thread: https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-cou...g-problem.html
Good read if you guys haven't had the pleasure before.
Good read if you guys haven't had the pleasure before.
#28
04-19-2013 | 01:14 AM
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 12
Likes: 1
They do? Who says that? That's the opposite of what I usually tell people. Disk brakes are child's play to change, for the most part.
The only time they're hard is when you deal with stuck pins or seized bolts, or if you damage something along the way and end up having to replace the whole caliper. Even having to do a whole caliper is really easy if you have a second person at your disposal to use for brake bleeding.
The only time they're hard is when you deal with stuck pins or seized bolts, or if you damage something along the way and end up having to replace the whole caliper. Even having to do a whole caliper is really easy if you have a second person at your disposal to use for brake bleeding.
..they are reasonably easy to do, but are you doing them right?I seen too many f-ups by do it yourselfers to agree with you on that...
Like I said...if you had the OP doing that to his car and he's out barreling down the streets would you like to be a pedestrian going across the road?
I wouldn't say don't tackle them by yourself but you better really be sure you know what you are doing.
Oh yeah, the bleeder thing, only need 1 person with regular bleed screws...crack them open and open the master cylinder and top it up. when the fluid is flowing steady and little air is coming out, tighten them up, put cap back on master, hop in car and pump the pedal a few times, open cap and crack screws open again...all air will be expelled, be on the safe side do it 1 more time then tighten everything up fill to level and road test. No squirting mess or fluid on your paint.
By the way, even the techs at the dealership do shoddy work, nature of the business...time is money to them. Corner cutters...
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
seagrasser
G35 Cars
17
05-03-2022 09:43 AM
esotericrider
V36 General Tech Questions
7
03-04-2019 07:53 PM