ok i know im doen somthen wrong but i dont know what..i got new pads for the rear and i cant get the caliper to open up enough..
i even got the little tool to spin caliper piston in to make them fit...
but its not going in enough..
its a 99se

does anyone have any suggestions.....

 

I had that problem on my 96. I ended up just having my mechanic find out what was wrong. It ended up being a bad piston inside the caliper. So we just replaced the caliper.

 

i was affraid of that...i olny tried it on the passenger side..ill have to try it on the driver side..and see if in fact that is my issue...

if any one else has any pointers thanks...

 

$75 Autozone ... I have had the same problem and replaced both of my rears. There is a thread on this in 4th Gen right now ... post there mate! lol

p.s. if you don't have / can't get the tool to spin the piston in, needle nose pliers work well

 

Have you made sure to remove the parking brake cable from its normal (slightly tensioned) position?

 

I had the same problem, it is your caliper. Got it from Autozone also, check it out.

 

just to make sure you are turning the piston and not just trying to push it back right? sorry had to ask. anyway is it stuck as in it will not go back further or just will not move at all? I had a stuck piston but it would screw one way and not the other so i just took the piston out by unscrewing the piston and taking it out of the caliper, it had all kinds of junk on it buildup of some kind because of the tear in my rubber boot. anyway i cleaned it up and screwed it back in and it worked great much easier to screw in and didnt cost me for a new caliper. when you do this be aware the brake fluid will drain out so you will either need to be fast or bleed your brakes afterwards

 

I was trying to change my rear pads earlier and I could not get the piston to reset. I have been reading on the forum and it appears that its common for the piston to seize. Is this true?

Should I just go out and purchase new calipers and replace them? I'm thinking that this car is creeping up on 200k and the calipers have probably never been replaced so why not.

Then is replacing the calipers an easy job to do? I'm mainly concerned about what happens when you detach the brake line and getting fluid everywhere.

I replaced my fronts last week with no issues and would like to finish the backs sometime soon as they are pretty bad right now.

Thanks.

 

Rear calipers cost about $100 each and are simple to replace. And it is common for the rears to freeze up when the emergency brake works as it does on our maximas.

As for fluid loss, just have the new caliper ready when you disconnect the brake line from the old one and switch it right over. A little fluid might drip out, but it is under no pressure so only a little escapes.

 

yeah exactly after this post a few months ago i went out bought two new calipers for the peace of mind..and had them done and back together in 30 mins....its super simple and u have to bleed the brakes when done..and if u do it quick enough u dont loose that much fluid...

 

You have to line up the dimples in the piston to fit the nibs on the pads. Or else it will be too tight.

 

You need to bleed the system once you open the lines.