Rear Pad Change Haaalp

[Kezzieboy]

Okay, so I removed the calipers, cleaned everything up, painted them, changed the discs...but now can't get the new pads in? I just don't see how the outers are meant to fit between the caliper and the disc?

Anything obvious I'm missing?

[Niall]

Need to wind the piston back in. Its on a thread. I used a bit of metal in the cut outs in the piston to wind it back in but you could also tap it round with a screw driver. Wind it back in and your pads should fit.

Oh and once you wind it right back in, you might find that the first time you press the pedal, it may go lower than normal (start the car and just pump it a few times before driving it) and you may also get a little weep of fluid from around the piston after winding in.

[Kezzieboy]

Nope, it's the outer not the inner that wont go, I've wound the pistons in anyway...any other ideas?

[Niall]

Are you sure its sitting in the carrier properly? Been a while since ive done pads on a 306 but doesnt 1 have some tabs on the back and the other doesn't? Get them round the wrong way and they wont fit properly.

[Connor]

Yeah there are slots in the piston at 12 3 6 9 'o clock and there is a notch on the back of the pad that slots into it

[Kezzieboy]

nope, it's definitely the outer pad, the one with a flat back.

[Connor]

Make sure the calliper is sliding free...if its stiff the you might wanna think about getting it replaced

[Kezzieboy]

what do you mean?

[Toms306]

Did you wind the piston all the way back? If not, that'll stop you getting the outer pad back in, I've done that myself before.

[Kezzieboy]

yeah, pretty sure, how would it effect the outer pad anyway?

[Niall]

because the carrier moves when the piston is moved against the disc

[Toms306]

Yeah, that.

[Kezzieboy]

mmkay, anything I can do if it's seized up :S

[Mattcheese31]

mmkay, anything I can do if it's seized up :S

MTFU? . . . . .

[Connor]

Sliders will need regreasing if they're seized

[zx_volcane]

We had your rears apart

Sliders were free, we cleaned up the surfaces with the spinning wire brush of death etc so old pads slid freely

Should all go back together hunky dory

As said maybe just need to keep winding piston back in to make room for beefier new pads

[MartinL]

What do you mean they wont go in? As in tight going onto the caliper. Where the pad sits in the caliper, top and bottom.. file the pad down till you see the metal. Problem with pattern brake pads is they paint them black then the pads are to big

[Kezzieboy]

Brute force and ignorance saved the day, levered the carriers out with the arse and of a hammer, and then beat the shit out of the sliders to get them past the pads. It's tighter than a nuns lady garden, but back together. Cheers lads!

[Niall]

Sounds f*cked to me. awaits thread "why is my wheel brown and ive got through a set of pads in 500 miles"

[MartinL]

As niall is suggesting, id take them back out.. file the edges down and chuck a sh*t load of brake grease in there or else the pads wont mive in your calipers and goodbye to new pads, hello a new new set of pads

[Kezzieboy]

I'll take it for a spin tomorrow and see what happens, I remember Tom having a bit of a f*ck on getting the old pads in too, but I'll bear the filing trick in mind. I'll soon know if they're not going to move.

[MartinL]

Okay just take care hahaa

[Kezzieboy]

Also, they must be boving a bit, at I reversed it off the chocks, and then moved forward and the handbrake held...so they can't be stuck solid???

[MartinL]

Yeah they must have some movement then but after a few hundred miles, and the brake dust gathering in the caliper carrier they will start to seize up if they were tight going in :/ just keep an eye on them

[Connor]

Its not a problem with the pads sliding in the calliper, its a problem with the calliper sliding itself, if you've had to lever it that hard to get it to slide, how do you think the calliper is going to release itself when you left your foot off the brake? It won't and you'll wear the pad out in no time

[Rippthrough]

Or overheat the first time you go for a run and set the pad on fire.

[Kezzieboy]

well it's clearly not seized too tight, as the car rolled forward without the handbrake on? I had to lever it to begin with, but after that it freed up a bit, probably just because it hadn't been that far up it's travel for a fair while (since the pads were last changed a few years ago).

[Rich306]

As long as you greased up the sliders when putting then back together it should be fine

[Kezzieboy]

Had a check today and got everything sliding free, one of the calipers is still a bit stiff, but after a fairly thorough shakedown it was only a wee bit warm, so I reckon that'll settle down nicely. I'm not quite as mechanically retarded as I used to be, it seems.

[Kezzieboy]

To bump this thread, I took the little metal shims off the back of the pads for ease of fitting, and now they have started rattling like a bitch, any tips on what to use to replace them?