Disc Brakes


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Old 05-03-14, 11:48 AM
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Disc Brakes

Attempting pad replacement on 2000 Nissan Maxima. Can't seem to collapse piston in order to reinstall caliper onto rotor. All I've ever on worked on before collapsing was easy with c clamp. Help, please. How do I do it?
 
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Old 05-03-14, 11:50 AM
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I wonder if you took the cap off of the master cylinder if that would help ??
 
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Old 05-03-14, 11:56 AM
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Did that. Didn't help, but thanks.
 
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Old 05-03-14, 12:42 PM
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May have the piston cocked in the bore, try to see if you can turn the piston to check that it is not stuck. Sometimes they can go in at a slight angle and get stuck.
 
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Old 05-03-14, 01:08 PM
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If it goes in when you crack the bleeder (with a hose attached and directed to a container), sounds like a collapsed line? Or possibly something with the anti-lock system?
 
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Old 05-03-14, 02:38 PM
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Fixed

Just not "hoss" enough to push it in with c clamp. Borrowed tool from Aotozone and it worked. Still took 12" crescent and a 12" breaker bar in other hand to get it in. Thx for help.
 
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Old 05-03-14, 03:40 PM
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Thanks a lot of pressure, Ray. I would be concerned now about it either leaking or not releasing. I'd keep a check on that wheel until it seats in and runs a while.

Were all four corners like that?
 
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Old 05-03-14, 03:49 PM
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Marjob, just doing rear. Too tired after that one, finish tomorrow. One problem I had after getting compression tool was the rubber "boot" wanted to wrinkle up and I had to do it in spurts to allow it to straighten out. Will watch it as you suggested.
 
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Old 05-03-14, 04:13 PM
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That would be a good idea, Ray. If they push back in that hard with the bleeder cracked there's room for concern.

All a caliper piston has in it is a square O ring that turns slightly with the piston when the brakes are applied. Then it turns back to pull the piston off the brake pads with the release. When they push back in that hard it's usually because of rust on the piston. That gets in the way of the O ring sealing things and they usually either leak or the rust locks the piston up against the brake pad and it heats up.
 
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Old 05-03-14, 04:46 PM
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Nissan rear calipers twist to retract. I sure hope you didn't force the pistons in, if you did you've stripped the mechanical e-brake, basically destroying the internals.

Look at the face of the piston, there are 4 notches. That's where the tool bites onto the piston to twist it back into the caliper. You can use a needle nose too. Twist clockwise and apply some pressure.
 
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Old 05-03-14, 04:50 PM
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Aaaahhhh, on some Japanese makes, you have to screw piston back in, from hand, to recess it... OP, before you mess something up too expensively, do yourself a favor and buy repair manual.
Btw, that video that grandaughters referred to, is the most moronic way of resetting caliper. PLEASE, do NOT do same.
Btw. You can slide C-clamp through a window in the outside caliper, grasp the rear of it with the C-clamp base, and squeeze caliper without removing pads or caliper. Yep. I had it done quite few times. Go try replacing pads on 08 Mazdaspeed, you'll learn quite some tricks.
 
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Old 05-03-14, 05:48 PM
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That's good to know. Are the fronts the same as the rear?

(Later - I think I see from reading the post about the E brake. That's the way they provide an emergency brake on the disc caliper brake. The twist, then would be driven by the emergency brake lever, but for the service brake how does that thing work?
 

Last edited by marbobj; 05-03-14 at 06:05 PM.
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Old 05-04-14, 04:38 AM
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Quote:
"Just not "hoss" enough to push it in with c clamp. Borrowed tool from Aotozone and it worked. Still took 12" crescent and a 12" breaker bar in other hand to get it in"

Yep, it sounds like something is very very wrong here. Note: you should always refer to the service manual, or a proper guide, when working on brake systems.

IIRC, Aut*zone used to offer free online service guides on their website. Not sure if they do this anymore tho. Anyway, please do not do anything more until you have access to a service manual or proper service guide.
 
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Old 05-04-14, 09:42 AM
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The fronts retract just by pushing the piston inward.
 
 

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