This past weekend, I was going to do a full blown brake job, replace all the pads, bleed the system and inspect everything, and get ready for the track day on Wed. My buddy came over to assist, and the front pads were done in about 30 minutes. This was the 3rd time I'd done it, and it gets easier each time.

But neither of us had done the rears before, and we ran into some problems. First, it took us forever to loosen the 2 17mm bolts. Not only were they frozen, but their location makes it very difficult to try anything. Finally, a 3" extension and a dead-bolt hammer did the trick, after many tries. I might blame not having the right tools for this problem.

But then, we couldn't push the piston back into the bore with the 4" C-clamp. I think an 8" clamp is what we might've needed, but no matter how much we tired, the piston would not move. So, sadly, while we did everything else, we left the rear pads alone for now.

I think we either missed a step/instruction, or didn't have the right tools, or both. But can anyone provide step-by-step instructions on how to change the rear pads and what additional tools one might need?

And I'm already looking to order a Helms manual. For the DIY projects, it seems like you can't do without it.

 

Rear brake pistons need to be screwed in, not pressed.

 

take a long screw driver, lay it across the x and turn clockwise i believe.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fso_BamBam &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">But neither of us had done the rears before, and we ran into some problems. First, it took us forever to loosen the 2 17mm bolts. Not only were they frozen, but their location makes it very difficult to try anything. Finally, a 3" extension and a dead-bolt hammer did the trick, after many tries. I might blame not having the right tools for this problem.

But then, we couldn't push the piston back into the bore with the 4" C-clamp. I think an 8" clamp is what we might've needed, but no matter how much we tired, the piston would not move. So, sadly, while we did everything else, we left the rear pads alone for now. </TD></TR></TABLE>

As mentioned, the rear brake pistons need to be screwed in, not pressed. Use needle nose pliers to stick the tip into the "cross" and start turning clockwise. The piston would go in.

Also, for the 2 bolts that you need to remove for pad replacement, you have to use a wrench to hold on to the nut on the other side. Otherwise both bolt & nut would spin together and nothing would be loosen.

 

you can pick up a 5 dollar star key at any autoshop. we use that to turn in the piston. much easier.