Stupid Break Question

[Gold Finger]

I have just been fitting 100 series break pads to the front of my vehicle. After a fare bit of leavering of pistons every thing was going well, (I knew I should not have been clapping myself on the back untill it was compleated) but on the last pad the inner one passengerside UK Drivers side US the top inner piston has seezed and just will not budge at all even with a small crowbar.

This is the stupid part of the question do I have to remove all pads and put back the old ones or can I run for a short time with three 100 pads and one old one untill I can efect a repare or replace the caliper we are talking about a week here. I do realise that the caliper should be fixed but I realy do not have time as I have to go up to Liverpool this Friday.

 

[sixsracing]

Can you? Yes, real world you can get away with it for a short time.

Should you? No, probably not. You should take the caliper off and remove the offending piston, clean it up real good and re-install, making sure that the piston now travels smoothly throughout the bore.

Your asking us to bless your driving with a known defect to the brakes on your very heavy truck. It's kind of a lose/lose situation.

 

[Gold Finger]

Can you? Yes, real world you can get away with it for a short time.

Should you? No, probably not. You should take the caliper off and remove the offending piston, clean it up real good and re-install, making sure that the piston now travels smoothly throughout the bore.

Your asking us to bless your driving with a known defect to the brakes on your very heavy truck. It's kind of a lose/lose situation.

I do appreciate your answer and yes that is what I should do, I did cringe putting up the question and I am not asking for a blessing or for any one to put them selves on the line. The breaking seamed OK prior to this unless under very heavy pushing. I suspect that the calliper will have to be replaced rather than loosening the piston as some how I can not se it budging and I do not fancy getting stuck down here miles from any where on my small holding unable to get out as it is a long ay to any garage and not many of them are equipped for off road recovery. So in the short term I will be doing one of the other and just take it very easy untill I have the parts .

 

[Scamper]

If your caliper is sticking, you should rebuild it. Probably not necessary to replace it unless it's really buggered up. Rebuild is cheap and easy.

 

[Gold Finger]

If your caliper is sticking, you should rebuild it. Probably not necessary to replace it unless it's really buggered up. Rebuild is cheap and easy.

OK thank you

 

[MoJ]

You might try using a C-clamp to compress the piston.

 

[Gold Finger]

I have a solution to my predicament which is a safe one so I need not incur any well deserved wrath.

 

[Rookie2]

If your caliper is sticking, you should rebuild it. Probably not necessary to replace it unless it's really buggered up. Rebuild is cheap and easy.

So if the piston is seized, how do you go about getting it out to do the rebuild?

 

[sixsracing]

Re-assemble whichever caliper doesn't have the seized piston and install with pads on truck. Remove rotor from the side with the problem, install caliper without pads and block free piston with beefy metal object. Cushion the seized piston with a softer than metal material, small piece of finish wood for instance. Have somebody apply pressure to the brake pedal and usually the piston will come out. I have had to break the piston out because there was no other way. This increases the risk of damaging the bore though. In my case the caliper was not available at any price and no other option was available. (Rolls Royce)

 

[Scamper]

I don't think the piston is seized--he said he cocked it trying to push it in. I think he should be able to free it with a bit of work. If not, he can replace it, but I'd try to free it first.

 

[Gold Finger]

My breaks are OK now I had to take it to one of the country garages who allowed me in at short notice as I was in a hurry they are very good and I do not abuse this. They said that the cylinder was well jammed and it took a lot of effort to remove it and the calliper had to be taken off. The cylinder was twisted but undamaged and only had very minor scoring so I can go up to Liverpool in the next hour or so. Thank you all for you advice.

 

[Gumby]

Hey, Gold,

Is break one of those goofy Brit mis-spellings like humour, or do you mean brake?



just bustin' your chops. glad you fixed your caliper. Good on ya for trying to fix it yourself and for knowing when to call it quits and have it done.