Hello!

Good thing I found this forum, I have read some of the threads here and they are really awesome, so I finally decided to register! Also, there is one question which I haven't been able to find an answer to.

I have one problem which I came across when I was going to change the front brake pads on my '97 Honda Civic. Once I opened the caliper I immediately saw that my pads were totally wore down. This due to the brake pads not being able to retract properly. So basically, I was driving around with the car braking on its own. After removing the brake pads I added some brake grease inside the rubber cover of the piston to grease it up. However, when I press the brake pedal, the piston wont budge (or very little at least; barely noticeable) and I am not able to push it back in using a c-clam.I am not sure how to proceed from here, and I don't want to buy new calipers, since those are like 160$ each for after market ones, I don't want to know how much the OEM cost :p .

I'd be very glad for any suggestions on how to proceed!

Thanks!

 

i forget, does the caliper piston have a large X on it? or is it just a big hole? and second are you sure its the piston that isnt retracting? or could it be the caliper slide pins? id say take the slide pins out and clean / replace them. i did that on my em1, took some sandpaper to them to clean them up, then put some grease on them and put back in, works like a charm!

 

The rears have the "X" on it, the fronts have the big hole.

To the OP, you can get some used calipers if needed here for cheap: www.car-part.com

 

ooo haha thanks EL Vap133 for clearing that up! i usually forget haha

 

Thanks for the answers! I removed the pins and greased them and they seem OK, no rust and such. I just tried to move the piston again and it seems to move like 1mm in, but not further. I have heard of people getting it all the way inside by just using their bare hands. Right now it is sticking out by roughly 1cm from the caliper socket. New brake pads aren't coming till tomorrow, so I until then I wont really know whether or not they will actually fit, but to me it seems like the gap is too small just by looking at it.

 

open the brake fluid cap before you try to compress the piston, then with the caliper split apart use an old brake bad flush against the piston and press on the back of the old pad with the c clamp or the nice little tool they sell at autozone for cheap.

Like you said you'll see when you get the new pads if you reset the piston. Do open the fluid cap when you try to press it in though, it should help.

 

Go eat some spinach...jk
Relieve the pressure by removing brake line then put your body weight into it. Im pretty strong and I have to lean into it so you probably be able to if your like a girly man...jk You will have to go to an auto shop and get a clamp for that pos

 

Got the new brake pads today, and my suspicion was correct. The new pads won't fit with the piston being as far out as it is at the moment. I unscrewed the brake fluid hose and then tried to push the piston in, but no success. I am seriously considering buying new calipers. However, is it a good idea to buy used ones? And do calipers necessarily have to be changed in pairs? (because if so, I'll have to make sure both come from the same car, right?)

oh and I have the hugest blisters on my hands so I am pretty sure I gave the piston all I had, but it still wasn't enough.

 

I just ordered a new caliper I payed about 80$ and I thought it was pretty descent, it was used of course. Also, I raised the car a lil bit more and I heared a metallic bang coming from the rear of the vehicle, and then I saw some dust on the ground. Was this the hand brake? is it something I should worry about?

 

You could have gotten a caliper for as cheap as $20 from that website I gave you up a few posts.

P.S. What car or what brake calipers do you have?

 

When you replace calipers, its usually best to do both fronts or rears in pairs.
I buy my parts usually from... www.rockauto.com

You can get the calipers alone for about $35 each. They make you leave a core deposit, but shipping your old ones back you get the core $$ back. I did my wife's mustang that way and it was the cheapest and easiest brake change I have done.

 

One side will be fine.

OP, where do you live, I'm guess outside of the USA ?

That rear problem we will need more info on?

I would check that before you install the new parts only to find out the rear of the car fell apart and now its junk.

 

I have a honda civic '97 1.4i hatch. Reason that I didnt use the URL you posted is because I live in sweden. car parts here are WAY more expensive than in the united states unfortunately . My current calipers are the standard ones that came with the car I guess (I never had them changed).

 

Well, the rear, I lifted up the car via the front jack point and then I heared the metallic bang from the back. The dust I retrieved was just under the left back wheel. My guess is that I lifted the car and the weight became heavy for the rear tires and handbrake to handle so the hand brake "slipped" a little bit, but why the dust? I didnt experience the bang to be so loud nor violent to make dust come of from anywhere. I checked the area roughly to see if I could find any sign of the bang, but it seems find, no leakages or such.

 

just had another look at the back, seems like the dust came from the rear suspension, I guess the compression of them made some old rust/mud/salt come off, that is my best guess. Does this seem likely?