I changed the front pads, no problem... two bolts & I was in.

Well, the rear pads have the same two bolts... which I can easily remove. But then there is ZERO slack left to pull the caliper aside. The Brake line is tight and won't let me move the caliper off of the rotor. How the heck should I do this? Do I need to unscrew that third bolt that ties to the brakeline assembly?

Please help.

Thanks,
G

 

i haven't done mine yet (can't wait till powerslots get in and i get my brake pads) but i believe you may have to remove or loosen the parking brake assembly. Just a reminder, if you have your parking brake on you may want to release it. As for pushing pistions back in, you'll need like a flat screwdriver that will lay (lay the flat screw driver against the groove ....e.g. parallal to the piston - not perpendicular) nicely into the grooves and turn it the direction it needs to allow installation of new pads. hope this helps some (had to do this on my dad's '80 datsun 280zx rear wheels).

 

On mine they popped out easely!! You're gonna be unable to get them out with the parking brake ON!!!

 

I heard you need a special tool to do the rear brakes. I heard that it's pretty inexpensive though.

J.

 

Not at all!!! It the same thing as the front one

Mine where a lil bit harder to pull but come out pretty easely!!!!

 

Aren't 2k1 & 2k2 brakes different? I know our front pads are different.

Anywayz, it's impossible to move the damn thing... the brake line won't give it enough slack to clear the rotor. How the heck can it come off?... I tried the driver-side rear brake first. I dunno if the other side is the same.

Any help?...

Thanks,
G

 

i had the same problem... what u need to do... is there is a bolt under... close to the brake line... take that out..that loosens the brake line and u can take the caliber out

 

Thanks. That's what I thought. I almost chopped my head off trying to remove that bolt. (don't ask) So I quickly gave up.

Does that remove the brake line completely, or does it just loosen it? I don't want to screw up anything.

Thanks,
G

 

Just incase anyone was looking for a writeup:

Rotor & Brade Pad Installation Notes


Brake Install Notes:

Tools/Equipment:

• Jack & Jack Stands
• Impact Wrench or Lug Nut Wrench
• 14mm, 17mm, 19mm sockets & ratchet
• C-Clamp
• Rear Piston Compression Tool
• Mechanics Grease or Anti-Seize Grease
• Brake Cleaner
• Rubber Mallet


Front:

1. Put the car up on jack stands and remove the front wheels.
2. Remove the bolts holding the upper piece of the caliper on...14mm...these came off without any effort...slide the caliper off and hang it on the coil of the spring.
3. Remove the brake pads...they pop right off...pay attention to the way they are seated.
4. Remove bolts holding the lower piece of the caliper on...19mm...these require some elbow grease to remove, but I did not need any liquid wrench or a breaker bar...slide the second caliper piece off and set aside.
5. Remove the rotor...requires some rocking and tapping to remove...my stock rotors did NOT have a bolt hole easy removal so I did some light tapping on the back side with a mallet as I turned the rotor.
6. Install new rotor...clean up the wheel hub first and rub some grease around the hub to prevent the new rotor from rusting onto the hub like the stock one.
7. Reinstall lower piece of caliper...clean it up first to remove all the brake dust...tighten up 19mm bolts good and tight.
8. Install new brake pads...ensure that you remove the backing plates off the old pads and install them to the new pads.
9. Compress the piston on the upper piece of the caliper...loosen cap on the brake fluid resevoir by the driver's side strut tower in the engine bay to make piston compression possible...use a clamp and equally distribute pressure as you compress...watch for brake fluid overflow.
10. Reinstall upper piece of the caliper...clean it up first to remove all the brake dust...tighten up the 14mm bolts marginally (remember how easy they were to remove).


You're all done. Differences for the rears:

• You must remove the 14mm bolt holding the mount for the emergency brake cable to get the upper part of the caliper off...underneath the caliper.
• Lower piece of caliper is held on by 17mm bolts instead of the 19mm on the front.
• Piston needs to be turned clockwise to be compressed...I suppose you could use pliers, but you can buy a small piston compression tool which hooks on to a ratchet and makes life really easy...the one they sell at Sears has a piston pattern which fits the rear calipers on the Maxima.
• Make sure you hook the emergency brake cable onto the spring mechanism before reinstalling the upper caliper piece as it will be hard to hook back on after the caliper is assembled.

 

anyone have a writeup for a ford windstar?

 

the piece costs $7 and is needed for rear brakes on the majority of imports. i removed 2 bolts and then loosened this main bolt using this special tool. any store should know what you're talkinga bout if you ask for this tool. this pushes the caliper back, kinda like how we use c-clamps to push back from calipers. i did my rear pads awhile ago and got stuck until i found this damn tool.
don't think you can really do it w/out this tool unless you remove the brake line, but really, who wants to do that. ALSO, ebrake must be down.

good luck

 

it just lossens it... nothings is gonna happen .. dont be scurred

 

Don't the rear pistons just screw in? BTW the tips on a pair of needle nose vise grips fit the slots perfectly. I might get flamed for not using the "proper tool for the job" but when you have the wheels off and the car jacked up the last thing I want to do is put everything back together and drive to Sears.

 

well, that's exaclty what happened. i had everything jacked up, only to find out i needed that damn piece. thank god mom had left her car so i was able to get it.

 

quick question. when you guys compress your calipers do you break open the bleeder valve as you're compressing it? i was told to do this to prevent the dirty/crappy brake fluid from going through the ABS pump. just wanted to know if anyone actually bothered to do this step.

 

i compressed it with some wood and a c-clamp to avoid any rubbing. i opened the brake cap and put a rag there. i compressed until it started to leak onto the rag and then used a paper towel to absorb some. personally, i don't think there is anything wrong with this method. also, my fluid is still clear, so i dont' see grime being an issue. it would have mixed in by now.

as far as this being right, i've done it on my previous cars with no problems.

 

I swapped all my rotors and pads a little while ago. I took the rear calipers off without disconnecting the E-brake. Everything went on and works properly but I have noticed a slight clicking noise which has been going on for a while now. Anyone might now what this is?

 

Does anybody think I could get a better price on stock rotors from DAVE B than going to my local dealer? (Taking into consideration the shipping cost too).

Thanks,

Bill

 

I'd say it's cheaper going through dave because you gotta figure tax is going to be more than shipping in most cases.