Thanks to Re:5kcstq brake question

[Kneale Brownson]

Did you turn the piston while pressing?  The rears require turning  along 
with the push in to get the piston to retract.  Some pistons have a (I 
forget) 11, 12 or 13 mm hole in the center for an allen wrench that size, 
while some have notches on opposite sides of the perimeter for a special 
turning tool.  You CAN use waterpump pliars if you're real careful to not 
tear the rubber boots or chew up the perimeter sufficiently that the boots 
will fail later.   You turn clockwise.

However, if you're experiencing the piston hang-up problem, you actually 
should remove the piston and examine the cylinder.  I'd bet you'll find 
corrosion on both the sides of the piston and the walls of the cylinder, 
and that's the source of the hang-up.

My feeling is that these rust deposits occur because of moisture in the 
brake fluid that hasn't been flushed regularly, AND that once you've had 
the pads hang onto the rotor long enough for the wheel to become really 
hot, you've also compromised the paste in the parking brake assembly 
housing, so the entire caliper should be stripped,  decorroded, cleaned and 
resealed after application of fresh appropriate lube.


At 01:50 AM 07/13/2001 -0400, Chaadster at aol.com wrote:

>Thanks to all who wrote with ideas (knotnook, doyle, leung, et al.); it
>turned out that the caliper piston was sticking.  I removed the caliper, and
>yes, the e-brake cable was dragging, but it seems to be due to the fact that
>the piston won't retract (I tried to press the piston in, but it wouldn't
>budge).  I'll pick up a new caliper tomorrow and install it ($138, S&G
>Imports) to verify the assessment.  If there are any tips on caliper
>installation, don't hesistate to write, as this is my first attempt, and I
>don't even have a Bentley Manual!  Thanks again, guys!
>
>Chaad