Help with Brakes ASAP Options

[Promasta]

so the thing the caliper mounting bolt screws into is supposed to slide in and out, correct?



Because one of them slides but the other one is stuck so i can't slide the caliper over the new brake pads because this piece won't slide in

Help Please

This post has been edited by Promasta: Aug 6, 2008 - 11:14 PM

[Galcobar]

For clarification, the bolt doesn't move, the caliper moves on the bushing, which is a cylinder held onto the caliper bracket by the bolt.

(bolt goes through bushing, bushing goes through caliper).

Try undoing the bolts holding the caliper to the bracket (not the bracket to the backing plate). Remove the caliper and then try to slide the bushing out of the caliper. If it moves, great, pop it out, clean it and the caliper and the rubber boots, then re-grease and reassemble. If it bushing cannot be removed from the caliper, then you need to buy a rebuild. It may or may not be as cheap or cheaper to buy a unloaded caliper (no mounting bracket) than a semi-loaded caliper (caliper + bracket assembly).

However the most common issue with brake pad replacements isn't a seized caliper bushing, but a protruding piston. With the caliper still on the car, slip a flathead screwdriver through the hole in the top of the caliper and try to force the piston back. If that proves difficult, loosening the bleeder screw will take the pressure off the piston and you can probably compress it by hand.