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Hi All. I changed the brake pads on my sc this weekend. The hardest part was probably getting off the two big bolts to get off the caliper. I had to use a breaking bar. Compressing the brake piston was also a pain, but I eventually figured it out.
My question is about the brake pins on the caliper( see below in the pic). I put them back on but they are not tight. Is there a trick to getting them back on firm? Maybe I should buy a new pair?
Also, I saw on several posts that the anti-squeal shims are not necessary to put back on as long as you use anti-squeal lubrication. Is that correct? I used CRC ant-squeal disk brake lubrication.
Just curious? Why did you take off the caliper? Did you put a new rotor on also? The pins you describe are not tight on mine either. I changed my pads about 4 months ago and they were loose ( not flopping around) and I put it back together that way and have no problems. I used the grease and the shims so I guess I have my belt and suspenders on at this point.
Thanks for your comment. I took off the caliper so I could compress the brake piston to make room for the new pads. Also, thanks for letting me know about the pins. I noticed they were not tight this morning before I went to work, and thought about it the entire morning! Now I feel better! lol
Did you open the bleeder port while compressing the pistons? Makes it much easier.
Also, the pin you refer to is the big single one that slides through the caliper body and is retained with the little clip on the other end (see picture #47748E)? I thought it was a little funky since I figured there would be two per side - but only one per side. I seated the anti-rattle/squeal spring properly (the big flat one #47743C that fits over the little wire spring), then used a screw driver to press down that spring far enough at the groove for the pin so the retaining pin would slide over without collapsing the spring into the caliper. Make sure the pin and spring are lubed with high temp brake grease. Took a few tries (spring tabs wants to pop down and into the caliper body) but came out snug and seemingly secure (although I can't see how immediately). Still snug after several days of driving so I guess that's it.
I used to struggle with compressing pistons (I hated brake jobs for that reason) until I figured out to just attach some hose to the bleeder port, crack it open, and then compress. You won't need to struggle with C clamps, etc, since it doesn't take much force. Block of wood and a lever of some sort. Plus, you bleed out some of the dirtiest, most contaminated fluid in the system. Just be careful to close the port before removing the hose so you don't suck air back in.
I cannot get damn #47743C (no 1) on tight, per the diagram. Any tips or do I just need to keep fussing with it? Perhaps it is bent a little bit and I need to get a new one? Thank you!
Take a look at this eBay auction, and zoom in. It looks like the pressure of the pin against that part, along with a single tab that must rest on the top surface of the caliper is what holds everything solid. Look at the single tab on the pin side (towards the back of the caliper, right at the dividing line between the silver and gray sides of the caliper) - this one wants to slide down into the caliper, and unless it is in place resting on the top surface, the pin doesn't compress things enough. I had trouble with that, maybe that's what's going on.
OK! I see what you are saying now. I didn't quite get the pin in the exact position. Without that ebay pic, I would not have not been able to understand, so thank you! I will let you know how it goes!
Hopefully that is the issue. I just took those apart this weekend to paint my calipers, and I remember that the only tricky part was getting that tab to stay up on the caliper while compressing things enough to get that pin to slide in over the groove in the offending part. Good luck.
I know when I did mine I had the opposite side to look at for reference. I had never done this style before. Very easy once you know how to put it together. The service manual shows using a small crow bar with a taped end to compress the two pistons. No need to take the caliper off or open a bleed valve. It was very easy. Mine lasted 96K miles on the rear. I won't be doing it again for a while.
The EBay pictures did the trick. To those pieces tight you must puch the plate further down over the pin until just going over the edge of the caliper edge facing down. There is a full desciption in the shop manual but the pictures explain well. The upper end loop of the wire spring goes in the hole n each of of the upper edge of the pad. I copied and edited the picture from EBay before it goes away.
Take a look at this eBay auction, and zoom in. It looks like the pressure of the pin against that part, along with a single tab that must rest on the top surface of the caliper is what holds everything solid. Look at the single tab on the pin side (towards the back of the caliper, right at the dividing line between the silver and gray sides of the caliper) - this one wants to slide down into the caliper, and unless it is in place resting on the top surface, the pin doesn't compress things enough. I had trouble with that, maybe that's what's going on.