z34dumas Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 got new pads for the rear. i bought the special tool to turn the pistons back in but when i'm turning it seems like its not going in at all. definitely not far enough to get the new pads on. any ideas? I've never done the rears before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 open the bleeder valve. if it just spins and spins then you need a new caliper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19Cutlass94 Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 If the piston is out too far, sometimes you need to put alot if pressure on it to screw it back in. Sent from my iPhone in some random spot of Texas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94 olds vert Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 X2 on that. Very common problem with those rear calipers going bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z34dumas Posted December 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 thanks. it took alot of pushin and twistin but i finally got it. i saw a thread from way back that said they were both clockwise but the drivers side was counterclockwise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carkhz316 Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 I've found what works great (read: not necessarily best for you, but worked best for me) is to have a big C-clamp, as you often do with the calipers. Then, tighten the clamp somewhat, not very tightly though. Use your choice of pliers/ channel locks to rotate the piston a little bit. Then tighten the C-clamp again more. Alternate these steps and the piston will fall right back in, unless it is rusted to holy hell, then good luck. Also, thanks to this terrific forum, I learned to figure out the direction of the piston to retract it, is to simply look at what direction the piston would turn when the E-brake cable is released. I hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 The best and fastest way to retract the caliper piston is to remove the nut and washer from the back side, remove the park brake lever, and then PUSH THE PISTON STRAIGHT IN. Spinning the piston back in is crazy. You've got all the friction from the big rubber seal fighting you. Let the park brake screw do the turning on the little O-ring. Way less friction, way less hassle. Whether this works on the later-generation calipers I can't say. Maybe yes...maybe no. It absolutely works on the 93-earlier calipers, though. I've done it several times on my '92 and '93 Luminas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carkhz316 Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Forgot that part. I haven't tried that one yet, as it's not often I have to do brakes on my 2 W-bodies. But yes, absolutely correct for that procedure. Thanks Schurkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich17 Posted January 4, 2013 Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 I've found what works great (read: not necessarily best for you, but worked best for me) is to have a big C-clamp, as you often do with the calipers. Then, tighten the clamp somewhat, not very tightly though. Use your choice of pliers/ channel locks to rotate the piston a little bit. Then tighten the C-clamp again more. Alternate these steps and the piston will fall right back in, unless it is rusted to holy hell, then good luck. Also, thanks to this terrific forum, I learned to figure out the direction of the piston to retract it, is to simply look at what direction the piston would turn when the E-brake cable is released. I hope this helps! They make a tool that turns and compresses the caliper at the same time as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carkhz316 Posted January 4, 2013 Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 They make a tool that turns and compresses the caliper at the same time as well Ya I know, but the last one I tried using didn't work very well at all (yes, I was using it correctly, ) so I figured I would suggest the cheaper alternative there since most of us living on a shoestring budget at least have a pliers/ channel locks of some sort, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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