Changing Brake Pads Help

[SargeRX8]

Hey all,

Trying to install a set of QFM pads I bought from a guy here. The back ones were easy. Removed the old, grabbed the old brake pad in the caliper to compress the piston. Slide out and insert new one.

The front is being a bitch. I can't compress it. No matter how hard I squeeze it(using those adjustable plier things). When the pads are in and on the car and someone presses the brake, I can feel them moving, I just cant push them back. Does anyone have any advice? Do these need to be turned or forced?

R33 GTST Series 2.

[Duncan]

firstly, be careful!

the piston needs to slide back straight into the caliper. if you try and force it at an angle it might seize. and if you push even harder you might manage to score the bore and damage it permanently.

firstly....clean everything really well with brake cleaner. this will remove as much old brake dust as possible. even scrub lightly around the piston with a nylon brush.

then - before pushing it back, make sure your master cylinder is almost empty. If it is not it will overflow when you push the pistons back.

then, you need to push them back as straight as possible. use something long and wide to lever them downwards like a large spanner or thin hammer. take it slowly and change from side to side to make sure they go evenly. a g clamp is even better it will push them back straight.

[SargeRX8]

I will buy some brake cleaner tomorrow. I don't want to interfere with the hydraulic system as I just recently had my fluid topped and bleed properly.

Can I do one piston at a time or should I do both at once? One at a time I can use a clamp to squeeze each one in. I can squeeze the 2nd brake pad in its just the one that sits on the outer side I cant push in.

[Duncan]

they should all retract exactly the same way. if one is much tighter it is probably not straight or already seized.

as you push one piston in all the others will want to move out. you have to push them all together, or hold 3 while you push the other one

[DVS JEZ]

I normall leave a brake pad in against the pistons u are pushing on. This helps move them together and keep them square.

Use the adjustable multi grip pliers and squeeze.

If ur brake fluid has recently been topped up then once u push the pistons into the caliper there will be brake fluid all over the firewall. When this happens wash it down immediately with water

[SargeRX8]

They wont squeeze they really do feel stuck but when someone presses the brakes I can feel them moving in and out.. This is annoying. The back was a piece of piss.

[SNOQPY]

my rears were a bitch to push back in. but having a g clamp made it alot easier.but yeah clean the piston, maybe hit it with a SMALL squirt of WD40 to help lube it up as it goes back in.

[SargeRX8]

f**k finally done with just slightly overflowing the fluid bottle. I used a multi grip, the one with the screw end to adjust bite, and a piece of cardboard wedged between the pad and the rotor to ensure it sits flat as possible and slowly squeeze then adjust the tool to be tighter then squeeze until I fit the other one in.

I cleaned off as much of the gunk as I could and I think that helped.

Cheers guys, now I just need to find the damn retaining clip for the push pins.

[DVS JEZ]

Gotta love loosing the retaining clip. If u cant find it use some thin but strong wire to

[SargeRX8]

Its not the wire part bro its the metal thing which puts tension on the two pins, the flappy piece of metal. I went to a skyline wrecker and he wont sell it to me because he reckons he wont be able to sell the caliper without it lol.

Its the n parts you can see above NIssan. Where can I get them? Are they essential to have? Would Nissan have them? Ive been driving my car since I bought it, without it lol.

[Duncan]

umm that is not ideal, the spring clips hold the pad in the caliper.

I have used r pins for years instead of the wire to hold the pins in, but I've never tried it without the spring clips

[Legionnaire]

This may help you

[Beer Baron]

well the pins should keep the pads in the caliper ok, but from memory the spring clip works to keep the pads up against the pistons. without them the pads 'might' rattle around a bit on the pins but most likely they'll be ok. personally though I would just call up nissan and buy a pair and stick them in. they are not expensive (maybe $20 for a pair) and easy to put in.

[Beer Baron]

BTW when you were first trying to push the pistons in did you have the cap off the master cylinder? seen plenty of people trying to push pistons in with the cap still on which makes things pretty hard as the system is sealed so there's no room for that pressure to go. eventually the pressure will escape somewhere (usually through the cap) but sometimes it pops post the master cylinder seal etc which is not good.