ok I'm ready to install the new brake pads on the rear caliper, but I'm having trouble compressing the piston. Do I need to take off the brake line and drain the fluid off the caliper to compress it? thanks

 

No don't take out the break lines, here is what I did when my old pads were out, I took the old pad and put it up against the piston, and took a C- clamp tightened it until the piston was compressed

 

listen to this guy it will save you some trouble

 

well I tried the c-clamp and it seems the piston won't compress. How big was the C-clamp that you used?

 

Dont tell me you used one of those small *** C-Clamps, The one that I used was the biggest C-clamp, I dont have a digital cam to post a pic, or else I would of. find the biggest C-Clamp you can

 

i have a 7" clamp pretty huge, i tighten the clamp as much as I can and its still not compressing.

 

hummmmm it should of worked, I have change all of my breaks myself like 4 times, and evrytime I used the C-clamp to compress the piston worked everytime You might have a problem with the pistion

 

Well I found out the problem of why they wouldn't compress. Well I did some research and found out the rear caliper dosen't compress like the front ones. There is a special tool that turns the piston. Like screwing a screw, it compress when I turned it to the right and it comes out when its going left. I didn't know that the piston did that.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B16 EF &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">No don't take out the break lines, here is what I did when my old pads were out, I took the old pad and put it up against the piston, and took a C- clamp tightened it until the piston was compressed </TD></TR></TABLE>
Do NOT compress the piston in a rear caliper!!! You can damage the caliper that way. ONLY do this with front calipers!

Rear caliper pistons have to be TURNED - which is why they have the slots in them. You can buy a tool specifically to turn rear caliper pistons, or you can improvise . . .

Edit: I just read that the original poster found the proper way to do it.

 

Why are you guys giving this guy bad advice? He could have damaged his brakes

Use the special tool or just find a large flat head to turn the piston.

 

Dont' have rear discs yet, but soon will. This will be much help. Thanks ya'll...

 

also, don't forget to release the e-brake!