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What do I need for Brake pad replacement?

sgerksinwi

Member
First time brake job.
Do I need to compress the calipers?
If so, can it be done without taking the brake reservoir cover off?
Thanks ahead for the replies
 
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That's the one I watched.
He did not do the things I questioned.
So the answer is No to the reservoir cap?
 
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In the video you see him pry the old pads on front wheels appart with a flat screwdriver, that will compress the pistons.
Rear piston is screwed in by using a tool.
As I recall from last time I did this, I took reservoir caps off. Just keep the surroundings clean so no dust or stuff goes in the fluid.
 
That's the one I watched.
He did not do the things I questioned.
So the answer is No to the reservoir cap?

Typically, if you've worn your pads down enough to require replacement, you have added brake fluid to the reservoir. When you compress the caliper pistons, this added fluid in the system returns to the reservoir and can overflow, which you want to avoid. We suck some fluid out of the reservoir before doing a brake job to prevent this. Then, if the fluid is still serviceable, we suck all the fluid out of the reservoir when we are done and replace it with new fluid. This extends the life of the brake fluid and can prevent the need to bleed the brake system as often.

We've also seen, several times, people have added fluid to the top of the rubber fluid expansion/displacement cover. Which simply pools above the reservoir and does nothing for the brake system. Don't do that!
 
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I never have, but you do need to screw the brake calipers back into the home position. I just use a needle nose pliers.
 
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I never have, but you do need to screw the brake calipers back into the home position. I just use a needle nose pliers.

Screwing the piston, CW, back into the caliper is required only for the rear caliper. One can simply press the pistons into the calipers with finger pressure on the front calipers.
 
Screwing the piston, CW, back into the caliper is required only for the rear caliper. One can simply press the pistons into the calipers with finger pressure on the front calipers.

True if all goes well. But it is not unusual for the front calipers to take more than finger pressure to push them back into the caliper. Needle nose pliers can work on the rear caliper if the piston is free. But again, it is not uncommon for it to take a good deal more torsion for retraction than can be achieved with pliers. It all just depends.

But whatever you do, NEVER turn the rear caliper counter-clockwise! Not even a smidgen. Though not the end of the world, doing so can give you a great deal of grief.
 
Buy BajaRon's Brake Tool. Makes it much easier to turn the adjuster.
 
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