Yay me but erm ooo..

Squiffythewombat · Post by **Squiffythewombat** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 4:24 pm

yayJust changed my front pads myself and am very pleased as ive never done that before. I thought it was going to be a lot harder than it actually was!

oooOne small thing is the OS caliper had lots of gunk in it, and one of the pistons seemed a bit sticky! Should i strip and clean this? how hard on a 1-10 rating is it and is bleeding/changing brake oil a tricky thing to do?

lee67 · Post by **lee67** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 4:40 pm

piston cleaning is easy....remove brake pads, with caliper hanging loose, put a wedge between all 4 pistons..and squeeze brake lever gently...the pistons will all pop out slightly...now using brake cleaner and an old toothbrush( ur lass's is good)..scrub the pistons untill they shine...if they wasnt bad before, they should then push back into the caliper easy, if not clean a bit more making sure the piston seals are free from gunk, a small cocktail stick works wonders but go carefull...then push pistons bavk in, you might need to use a g'clamp or water pump pliers( this is normal)...clean pad pin, and anti rattle shim,,,copper grease pin, and pad backs only...refit pads, pin anti r shim etc....refit caliper, tighten to 30nm...and job done....once u know how its easy m8

..rear is same, just a slightly diff setup..but becomes evident on removal..any more questions just ask

lee67 · Post by **lee67** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 4:41 pm

forgot to add, that changing the fluid is easy with a one man easi bleed, like i use...can change fluid, air free in 5 mins easy...did mine and clutch other day in 10 mins

Squiffythewombat · Post by **Squiffythewombat** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 4:52 pm

As normal lee your a total legend and explain things really clearly so even noobs like me can understand! Will go and buy an easy bleed kit now.

Question(sorry

) i did actually do that piston cleaning technique however one of the pistons was coming out further and faster than the others which is what leads me to believe they are totally gunked up, do you think i should just bleed them, bring the calipers inside and give them a good workdown?

also i only have an allen key set so have no idea if im tightening them to the 30nm required? (i do have a 1/2inch torque wrench, would i be able to get an allen key sized fitment for it or something?) I tightened them up as much as was humanly possible!

fishface · Post by **fishface** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 6:20 pm

[quote="Squiffythewombat"]As normal lee your a total leg end

Squiffythewombat · Post by **Squiffythewombat** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 7:31 pm

fishface wrote:
Squiffythewombat wrote:As normal lee your a total leg end

have i missed something here lol?

Beamish · Post by **Beamish** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 7:49 pm

Squiffythewombat wrote:As normal lee your a total legend and explain things really clearly so even noobs like me can understand! Will go and buy an easy bleed kit now.

Question(sorry ) i did actually do that piston cleaning technique however one of the pistons was coming out further and faster than the others which is what leads me to believe they are totally gunked up, do you think i should just bleed them, bring the calipers inside and give them a good workdown?

also i only have an allen key set so have no idea if im tightening them to the 30nm required? (i do have a 1/2inch torque wrench, would i be able to get an allen key sized fitment for it or something?) I tightened them up as much as was humanly possible!

1. If you apply back pressure on the piston that comes out first ie put the old pads in the way to stop movement, then squeeze the brake lever, the stiff piston should come out enough to clean it

2. Although the torque settings should be adhered to if possible the torque you mentioned (three white knuckles with the allen keys ) should be fine. If you are worried, take a ride to any garage and they should be able to back them off then re-torque to the correct setting in minutes.

Hope this helps

LotusSevenMan · Post by **LotusSevenMan** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 8:01 pm

Technically Squiff both pistons should come out evenly but usually one will drag a bit more than the other but not by very much. You might have to work one piston out, then clean it. Push back in with large 'G' cramp. Push it back out again. Clean as required; push back in etc. Amazing how a bit of 'work' helps them as of course they normally only move a fraction of a mm so getting them to go right in and out helps free the seals a bit too.
Good luck.

lee67 · Post by **lee67** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 9:23 am

if you really wanna do the job right, split the caliper...wip out the pistons, clean em with emery cloth, wip out the seals and remove the 2 ton of road salt/shite( white powder)...replace seals( new if needed)..refit pistons..put caliper together with new joining seal...fill will fresh fluid and bleed

Squiffythewombat · Post by **Squiffythewombat** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 12:21 pm

Hey, well decided to clean up the rear disc and caliper today instead as its so nice outside! Also decided to spend some of my budget on tools!

Any idea where i would get a CHEAP torque wrench designed for these allen key bolts or can i get an adaptor for my exsisitng wrench?

http://www.mandp.co.uk/productInfo.aspx?catRef=529640

/\ this is the bleed kit im looking at? is this what you were talking about?

Beamish · Post by **Beamish** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 1:02 pm

Squiffythewombat wrote:Hey, well decided to clean up the rear disc and caliper today instead as its so nice outside! Also decided to spend some of my budget on tools!

Any idea where i would get a CHEAP torque wrench designed for these allen key bolts or can i get an adaptor for my exsisitng wrench?

http://www.mandp.co.uk/productInfo.aspx?catRef=529640

/\ this is the bleed kit im looking at? is this what you were talking about?

It should do the job ( the bleed kit), are there any auto jumbles near you? They are bargain basements for cheap tools. A word of warning though, really cheap tools are shite! Halfords so called proffessional socket set nearly destroyed two of my knuckles, the step down just fractured (twice the replacement broke as well). If you can stick to the known brands you wont go wrong.

Squiffythewombat · Post by **Squiffythewombat** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 1:04 pm

Beamish wrote:
Squiffythewombat wrote:Hey, well decided to clean up the rear disc and caliper today instead as its so nice outside! Also decided to spend some of my budget on tools!

Any idea where i would get a CHEAP torque wrench designed for these allen key bolts or can i get an adaptor for my exsisitng wrench?

http://www.mandp.co.uk/productInfo.aspx?catRef=529640

/\ this is the bleed kit im looking at? is this what you were talking about?
It should do the job ( the bleed kit), are there any auto jumbles near you? They are bargain basements for cheap tools. A word of warning though, really cheap tools are shite! Halfords so called proffessional socket set nearly destroyed two of my knuckles, the step down just fractured (twice the replacement broke as well). If you can stick to the known brands you wont go wrong.

Sadly not, my bike is my only form of transport so cant really get to any and being a student now i cant really afford to spend a fortune on tools! I was looking at a Draper set which was about Â£13? i think? That sorts me for sockets but ill still need the allen head bit :-S

Beamish · Post by **Beamish** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 1:07 pm

Draper are ok Squiff, I bought a set of allen key sockets from Halfords that so far have been ok.