rear brake pads? am I missing something?

[94tegRS]

ok, I am attempting to replace the rear brake pads on my 2nd gen and I am having a huge problem.

I take off the caliper, I take the old pads out of the caliper bracket, throw the new ones in and I put a C clamp over the caliper and try pushing teh piston back in and it wont budge, I know I dont have the e-brake engaged, and I assume the brake was functioning because the E brake does stop the wheel from turning, but maybe the cable will do what it does but the fluid wont push the piston out, not sure exactly how the whole cable ebrake actuating a hydraulic caliper thing works.

is there somethig I need to do that frees up the piston. I was figuring maybe as the pads wear, instead of having to retension the cabel all the itme something internal ratchets so that no matter the pad wear the ebrake handles range of motion/point of lock-up stays the same and I need to release this to push the piston in but I looked and oculdnt figure anything. I was thinking of removing the ebrake cable/giant spring just to try but wasnt sure Id ever get it back on so I didnt take it off. and my manuals at home so I dont got one to look at.

I put it back together with the old pads so it is driveable but I dont know that those pads are gonna last my 3k+mile trip coming up, although I will be on the freeway alot with not much stopping Id hate to ahve to pull over and figure the problem out on the side of the road when I could do it in my sisters driveway.

[integralover]

sorry to say but you just fu%ked it up. seriously. the back calipers are supposed to be TURNED in. not pushed in. you should take a pair of needle nose pliers, open them up slightly and turn the piston clockwise till it goes in. only the front calipers get pushed in. sorry to say, but you need new calipers. that's if you cannot try to turn them back in.

[94tegRS]

well, I dont think I f'd em up, at least I sure as hell hope I didnt, I mean I tried pushing them and they didnt go, I didnt push them in and waste the threads or anything, who knows, but I am about to go do this and see if they all work.

[integralover]

if ya need any pointers let me know. i'll be off and on. i watched my roomate do that same thing to his talon. he could not figure out why he broke one c clamp and three calipers. then i figured out that he was trying to push them in. just make sure to turn them clockwise. they should move with some ease. hopefully you did not ruin them. g/l

[94tegRS]

well, they both screwed in, they were a bit frozen up but not much, a bit rusty in there which is my guess why they were a bit sticky turning, they freed up after a good 1-2 turns though, I got them on, started the car, no ABS light-GOOD(they previously came on after I tried pressing them) but second I start rolling above a few MPH it comes on, I got going about 20 and kept apllying the brakes hard but not hard enough to lock up, thinking maybe something qwomewhere had to build up pressure or set itself to its position or who knows what, didnt think it would work but takes no effort to try so I figured why not. shut the car off and back on so the ABS light would go out, it did, but then the second I start to drive again I get the light. I am thinking I must have accidentally hit a sensor with the caliper and maybe misaligned it with its corresponding ring that it monitors, Ill check that tomorrow, if it dont work Ill just take out the ABS light til I figure it out and fix it and ill slap it back in.

[integralover]

yea, you gotta pump the brake before you move the car. i also found it to be easier to pull the e brake up and down a few times before to help lock it up, but you already moved the car. i usually take the brake reserviour cap off and pump the brake then put it back on and pump the brake some more. but glad to hear that it screwed in fine. did you remember to take the cap off before you started to push the psitins back in? that can make a huge difference. but, it usually takes about two revolutions before the piston turns easier.

[94tegRS]

yeah I removed the cap before forcing the fluid back. and why do you pump it before you move teh car? I didnt let any air in the system, didnt change the way it works, there is now just less fluid in the whole operation cuz the piston isnt out as far? and pumping it wouldnt get the piston any closer to the pads guz I used channel locks to grab both pads and get them tight against the rotor so Id have maximum clearance to fit caliper over(Ive never seen the pads have to fit in so tight. old ones were a pain to get out and the new ones needed a good amount of force to install, they fit but real snug) and I screwed it in some and kept testing it to where it just barely fit over and I had to still smack it with my palm to get it on, so there was no travel it had to build up or anything. only thing I can think pumping would do if it is strictly an ABS related thing.

[integralover]

when you pump the brake after you install the new pads you are pushing the piston back onto the pads before you move the car. it's a safety thing more than anything else. so when you drive off you have brakes. if you move the car before you pump the capiper pistons have not set themselves and when you need to make your first stop your brakes are not 100% yet. when i do my brakes before i move the car i have to slowly pump the brakes back or i have no brakes. it usually takes like three to four pumps, then my brakes are rock hard.

[94tegRS]

well yeah, the piston didnt need to go back out, I only put the piston in enough to get teh caliper back on. I hate that ABS light, it stays off indefinately if you sit and idle but when you drive it comes on, so it seems like it must be a sensor, cars not rolling, but pumps workling and everything, car says OK, but then it sees 3 wheels move and not the other or the fronts move and not the rears it says weve got a problem and throws on the light. I havent checked that yet cuz Im lazy but ill get to it later tonight.

also would the car know air is in the line, cuzs the brake feel soft like they need to be bled, they will still slow me down quick and lock up if I press hard, but seems like the pedal travels alot more now before it does what it should. but I dont see how cuz I didnt break open the system anywhere. so I dont know how air got in there, maybe theres a tiny leak in a hose or something now from a 14 year old hose flexing? and when I apply the brakes they dont build pressure, fluisd levels are still fine though so that one doesnt sound right to me.

[Technical_Automan]

Well when pressure reaches a pre-set point, your brake light will go on...the abs light comes on when theres a problem in the abs circuit and has nothing to do w/ the "pressure in the lines" light. You can flash code your ABS system and it'll tell you exactly what's wrong with it. As to how, you'll have to ask a dealer or read a manual for that. You should always bleed whatever brake you're working on after you're done, it takes only a couple minutes...

Also, have you ever changed your brake fluid? It's supposed to be changed every 1-2 years. After a year you lose 20% of braking pressure, because the fluid is so water absorbent (gets water in through rubber hoses), and it gets worse w/ every year which would cause a soft pedal.

[Igovert500]

Bleed your brakes...reset your ECU(make sure you write down your radio security code) if you get the light back on after that, run it for codes.

[94tegRS]

I have reset the ECU, and Ive always bled the lines after I replace a caliper or anything where I have to let air in the system but Ive NEVER bled them after replacing pads, and never had a problem, and Ive owned 14 vehicles so Ive done it my fair share of times before, not many were 4WDB though so I have never tried clamping in a screw in piston.

also the soft pedal isnt cuz of age cuz when I bought it it wasnt like this, it feels a bit better today. I might go to a tire shop and pay em to bleed it cuz once again I am in my sisters garage with no hose to put on bleder, one small drain pan, cheasy ass jack with no handle, I have to use a 6" 3/8 extension to jack the car up, most the time noones here to work the pedal. I will get a quote and see how much it is, might just do it when I get home since I can stop fine as it is. I like buying cars in state so much more now so I could take it right back to my garage/my tools/my friends to help.

[94tegRS]

and where is the ABS module in this car? I found it in my 94 as I was stripping the wreckage but never seen one when not tearing my car apart and cant remember where I pulled it from, dont remember a spot to pug in and pull codes. maybe harness gets replaced with the diagnostic tool or something?

I know its gotta be something in the calipers/rear wheel sensors cuz it worked fine with no light before I f'd up on the pad change.

[sameintheend01]

after i replaced my brakes, they felt soft for a while. it went away after maybe 100 miles.

[94tegRS]

alright, got to cali a couple days and about 50-100 miles into the drive(cantm remember exactly) the ABS light went out and pedal firmed up, and ABS does indeed work now.