How To Use Disk Brake Caliper Tool Set

How to Use a Disc Restriction Piston Tool

by Jody L. Campbell

Rich Ellgen/Demand Media

Brake calipers all work under the same premise. A hydraulic piston extends from the caliper bore when demand is placed on the brakes. The movement of the piston squeezes the friction material of the restriction pads confronting the metal surface of the rotor. When replacing brakes, the pistons must exist retracted to brand room for the thicker pads and/or rotors. Not all caliper pistons use the same procedure to retract the pistons, however. Rear calipers can sometimes require the piston to be turned clockwise (or counterclockwise in some cases) to retract the piston. Knowing which type of caliper you intend to use the disc brake piston tool on will aid prevent damage to the caliper or tool.

Pace one

Support the removed caliper to the suspension or frame of the vehicle with a bungee cord so it does non hang from the rubber restriction hose. This will forbid harm to the restriction hose. If applicable, remove the pads from the caliper. Some vehicles utilise pads that remain in the caliper mount and removing them from the caliper is not required.

Step two

Read the repair manual for your specific vehicle to decide which blazon of caliper you are trying to compress the piston to. Some pistons just retract by slowly squeezing the piston into the bore. This can be done with the disc restriction caliper piston tool set or fifty-fifty a large C-clamp. Place the wedge plate from the ready onto the drive arbor of the tool. Insert the bottom of the drive arbor into the caliper piston. You can also apply the backing plate of the sometime pad or a block of forest against the caliper piston. Because some pistons are phenolic, they can cleft or break under duress. Place the wedge plate up against the outer caliper housing and tighten the tool until the bulldoze arbor and wedge plate are working together to shrink the piston. Keep to slowly tighten the tool by paw until the caliper piston is fully retracted into the bore. Loosen the tool and then remove it.

Step 3

Match up the correct adapter of the disc brake piston tool or the disc restriction piston tool set to the screw-in type caliper. These pistons have visible grooves on the face of the piston. Many makes and models of cars employ different-size grooves that require different adapters. The tool has six sides or the kit features up to nine applications. Insert the adapter onto the confront of the caliper piston until the notches mate the grooves. If using the set to retract the piston, employ the aforementioned procedure every bit in step two with the wedge plate and bulldoze arbor upwardly against the adapter on the face of the piston. If using just the tool, a ratchet and extension with suitable matching drives will be required. Turn the ratchet or drive arbor clockwise to slowly compress the piston into the bore until it is fully seated. Make sure that the piston does not apply a left-handed thread. Although rare, some cars may use a right-manus thread piston on the left side and a left-handed piston on the right side. On some import cars, bottoming the piston fully into the bore tin cause harm to the piston or parking brake mechanism. The manual will alarm you lot of this if applicable. Using a ratchet may also crave someone to hold the caliper steady for you while y'all start to plow the tool.

Inspect the caliper boots in one case the pistons are retracted and the tools are removed. Sometimes air can become trapped inside the boots when retracting caliper pistons. This will cause them to bubble upwardly in a higher place the surface of the compressed piston and can go trapped between the piston and pad when the caliper piston returns. This will impairment the protective boot. Lift up on the bubbled areas of the boot to release the air or use a plastic option (not a metal one) to assistance y'all maneuver the boot to restore information technology to its complanate position.

References

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