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Retracting piston

manxman

New member
2014 RT. took the caliper off to clean the rotor as it was acting like it was warped. I decided to change the pads, I screw the piston in , I thought however I went the wrong way, counter clockwise as I had read on the net. So now I am looking at a piston that is all the way out and no amount of turning clockwise will not retract the piston. And it turned very hard in both directions. I have ordered a tool from Ron. So what am I doing wrong ? I have tried everything I know that I have read to no avail. I am getting tired laying on the floor and working 90 degrees to the job at hand. Cannot budge the banjo to disconnect the brake line so I imagine it is locktited on. Thanks all for any help..........
 
Manxman you might try using brake cleaner to spray on the sides of the piston and then wipe off. This may clean grit and crud out of the threads so that it will screw in easier. Also, always screw the piston in CLOCKWISE until tight. As you turn the piston you also have to apply pressure at the same time. If needle nose pliers won't work I believe Ron's tool will. It sure made it easy to replace my rear pads last week.
 
I am really sorry to hear this. Bad information is always a headache. I agree with JKMSPYDER. You will need to put some pressure on that piston. Cleaning it is also a good idea. I would add that you might try some WD-40 on the threads after spraying it down with brake cleaner. Then once you get the piston screwed in just clean everything off well.

To get good pressure on the piston, you may need to get that caliper off and into a vice. If you have a good 6 point socket, you should be able to break the brake line free. Loctite should not bind it up to where you can't get it off.
 
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I had the same issue until i was able to put enough pressure on it while turning it and it finally went in. Lots of patience was involved.
 
I replaced the pads on a chev impala for a customer and it has the same set up.Just used a set of needle nose and turned the piston in .
 
I replaced the pads on a chev impala for a customer and it has the same set up.Just used a set of needle nose and turned the piston in .

Needle nose pliers will work if the piston is free to spin and has no other issues. The problem is, this is not always the case, which leads to needing a more appropriate tool for the job. Several have done this with needle nose pliers on the Spyder. For others, this approach has not worked. And some have ruined a set of pliers trying. So it all just depends.
 
Ron's tool makes it a very simple job because you can easily apply all kinds of pressure while turning the piston CW making it a one man job.
 
I used the biggest needle nose that would fit in the holes and a wrench in the needle nose to get the leverage to turn it CW. it was tight but worked. You need leverage.
 
The piston came off the internal threaded shaft. As has been said, you need to push in hard while turning to get the threads engaged. Once engaged the piston turns easy.
 
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