Tweet
Right on. Thanks CP. My hanes manual should take me through the rest of the process I imagine.
-
-
If not, I've posted the step-by-step up in the mechanics section before.Originally posted by Looneybonics
Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoetComment
-
Ooooh. Even better. Funny. I was gonna say someone should do that. I looked (not very hard obviously) and guess I looked right over it. Good lookin out CP!Comment
-
Odd, I didn't find it when I searched either...Originally posted by Looneybonics
Reposted for your benefit:
Well, for the rear on your bike there are the two seals at each piston, plus there's a tiny round seal that seats between the two piston halves. That should be it in an ideal world. My personal experience is that I always mangle the allen-heads on the two bolts holding the two caliper halves together if they haven't been separated since the bike came from the factory (but that could just be me). So I end up ordering the bolts too, usually after the fact, because each time I tell myself "it taint happening this time" it does...Originally posted by g_man500a
You need some way of forcing the caliper pistons out, which means separate the caliper halves, remove the pads, reassemble, then pressurize them to push the pistons out. Most shops use compressed air to do this, but I live in a condo, so I figured out a field expedient method -- which consisted of a bicycle foot pump from Walmart ($12 -- same one I use for my tires), the cone-shaped attachment that comes with it, plus a rubber vacuum nipple with the end cut off (to make the cone big enough to fit the hole where the brake line normally attaches). After that, it was simply a matter of pumping it up (and then pushing one caliper back in and clamping it in place with a C-clamp because the two calipers weren't coming out evenly). Finally I got both to come out far enough that I could finish the extraction by hand (no using metal tools on the caliper pistons or you might ruin their surfaces).Originally posted by g_man500a
---------
Also read:
In which I talk about how to actually do the clean-the-pistons part of the rebuild (about halfway down the page).
and
Which covers a lot of the pitfalls & has more info.
plus:
which covers some of the above and has yet more info.
plus Black_peter's comments here:
Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoetLast edited by The CyberPoet; 02-21-2008, 04:03 PM. Reason: Links updated to new VB-driven format & thread ID'sComment
-
Awesome, Thanks again. I thought I was goin crazy.
Changing Bike brakes is a lot different than changing car brakes. Car brakes ya just pop in new pads with the use of 3 tools or so from stat to finish. With the bike I'm going to need a bike pump, a freakin sherpah and a partridge in a pear tree to get it done. Probably reads more complicated than it is. *shrug*Comment
-
Actually, doing a caliper rebuild on a car is just as wise and gives you the same benefits -- most people just aren't as atuned to their brakes on cars as riders are.Originally posted by Looneybonics
Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoetComment
-
There are brake piston spreaders that are cheaply acquired at most auto supply stores. For those times when your pistons aren't floating back quite far enuf to allow installing new (much thicker than the worn) pads they are the "cats ass"
Comment
-
*Hangs head* Soooooo.......When I looked at my brakes to see how much pad I had left when I first posted this thread.....what I thought was pad....actually wasn't. I felt boneheaded as all hell once I took them out. Below are pictures. =/Comment
-
Holy smokes! How long were you riding like that?****** WAS...Ma Ma Ma My Katana ******
Si hoc signum legere potes, operis boni in rebus Latinus alacribus et fructuosis potiri potes.Comment
-
God knows. I was totally embarassed in my own presence (after taking them off) that I was such a lamer to have mistaken the actual metal bracket as brake pad. I've been looking at the same size metal braket for, who knows how long. I've been braking with metal for a while. Left pad is half worn down. I've got 7800 miles on it......so....I guess a while. Boner move, but lesson learned.Comment
-
More importantly, time to measure the width of your rear rotor to make sure it has enough metal left. The wear limit (minimum width at all locations) for replacement is 4.5mm (0.18") for the rear. Fronts are 4.0mm (0.16").Originally posted by Looneybonics
If the disk is worn thinner than those measurements, it no longer has the strength and heat capacity required for safe operation, and may warp or in extreme cases may overheat the wheel bearings through heat transfer, plus it can permit the caliper pistons to extend beyond their seals, resulting in total brake failure of that particular brake (front or rear).
Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoetComment
-
Crappy. Looks like I'm now in the market for a new Rear Rotor and/or rotor thickness measurement tool. What are those tools called and where can I get one for a decent price?Comment
-
Called a micrometer. Tool stores, auto parts stores. Probably cheapest you'll find in terms of cost is HarborFreight stores or HarborFreight.com (see http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...Itemnumber=895 ). You may also be able to find an auto parts store that will loan or rent you the device for a day against a refundable deposit.Originally posted by Looneybonics
Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoetComment
-
i would aslo try a machine shop there pretty common toolsComment
Comment