I have taken the rear brake cylinders out and want to inspect them,
in my Haynes manual it says ‘use a source of fluid supply and apply
pressure to push out the piston assembly’ I suspect mine are pretty
stuck in there, how would I do this?..scarry discovery today
is that there is only brake pads on one side, the other side have
either dropped out or were taken out at some point and never
replaced!
Stephen–
T.Stephen
Newtown,CT, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from T.Stephen sent Sat 13 Jan 2007:
Stephen,
Plumb up a grease gun to the fitting on the caliper. The
grease gun will generate 1000+ PSI, more than enough to get any
stuck piston out.–
Ray Livingston - '64 OTS Santa Cruz, CA
Santa Cruz, CA, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from T.Stephen sent Sat 13 Jan 2007:
Or, fill the cylinder with water, screw in two bleeder screws, and
throw it on the barbecue (piston facing up, BBQ closed, charcoal
going full blast). In short order the piston will pop out, gently
in most cases. Listen for the pop and take it out right away, the
temperature will not get near racing brake fluid boiling point
(550F). Cylinder and piston should be unaffected. I have done
this a number of times. It’s fun!
Jerry–
Jerry Mouton '64 FHC
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from mouton sent Sun 14 Jan 2007:
If all else fails, as it did with a friend of mine, grease gun
etc.didn’t work, lock the cy. down in a good vise and use a 2 ft.
wrench on the flats of the piston, I used a pipe wrench, leaves
marks on the piston but who cares if it works. Once you get some
rotation your home free. I’ve used this method many times and it’s
always worked. Good luck…Dan, New Bern NC, 66 2+2, 68 OTS–
Daniel Bierbrauer
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
Stephen,
If you can’t get them out with compressed air I’ve heard of people
installing a grease zerk and using a grease gun to get them out. If
you try the compressed air first take care where the thing will go if
it comes out.
pauls 67ots
I have taken the rear brake cylinders out and want to inspect them,
in my Haynes manual it says ‘use a source of fluid supply and apply
pressure to push out the piston assembly’ I suspect mine are pretty
stuck in there, how would I do this?..scarry discovery today
is that there is only brake pads on one side, the other side have
either dropped out or were taken out at some point and never
replaced!
In a message dated 1/13/2007 9:18:27 PM Pacific Standard Time, jagdood@gmail.com writes:
Stephen,
If you can’t get them out with compressed air I’ve heard of people
installing a grease zerk and using a grease gun to get them out. If
you try the compressed air first take care where the thing will go if
it comes out.
pauls 67ots
Also, If you plan on getting them sleeved, the place who did mine prefers to
remove them themselves.
Best, Mike Moore
I have removed stubborn pistons from the caliper this way:
Put the caliper in a vise to hold it securely so it’s not wobbling all over
the bench. Have the pistons facing up so you can work on them.
Use two thin bladed flathead screwdrivers, or other stiff thin metal pry
bar, that can be inserted into the slot where the rubber boot fits into the
piston. Then place a small fulcrum, like a small block of wood or a small
piece of metal dowel, on the piston and using the screwdrivers as levers
carefully apply pressure to pry the piston up and out of the caliper. The
key here is carefully. You don’t want to damage the slot where the screw
drivers are inserted into the piston groove. The piston will start to move
with the steady pressure, and as it does you will need to increase the
heights of the fulcrum blocks…it’ll become obvious.
I’ve done several piston extractions in this manner and it has worked every
time. I also used this method when pulling out the master cylinder piston.
Good luck.
Randy_________________________________________________________________
The MSN Entertainment Guide to Golden Globes is here. Get all the scoop. http://tv.msn.com/tv/globes2007/?icid=nctagline2
It’s so easy to safely remove stuck pistons with a
grease gun, I don’t understand why anyone would do it
any other way. No damage, no crappy old rusty brake
fluid flying all over, no trying to locate the piston
that shot across the room, etc. In retrospect, maybe
the other ways are more interesting and challenging.Larry— Randy Olson holtian143@hotmail.com wrote:
I have removed stubborn pistons from the caliper
this way:
Put the caliper in a vise to hold it securely so
it’s not wobbling all over
the bench. Have the pistons facing up so you can
work on them.
Use two thin bladed flathead screwdrivers, or other
stiff thin metal pry
bar, that can be inserted into the slot where the
rubber boot fits into the
piston. Then place a small fulcrum, like a small
block of wood or a small
piece of metal dowel, on the piston and using the
screwdrivers as levers
carefully apply pressure to pry the piston up and
out of the caliper. The
key here is carefully. You don’t want to damage the
slot where the screw
drivers are inserted into the piston groove. The
piston will start to move
with the steady pressure, and as it does you will
need to increase the
heights of the fulcrum blocks…it’ll become
obvious.
I’ve done several piston extractions in this manner
and it has worked every
time. I also used this method when pulling out the
master cylinder piston.
Good luck.
Randy
Do you use a regular grease gun? Do you put a grease fitting in the brake
line hose? I would assume the grease gun would break if the piston was
frozen.
Thanks,
Scott Willis
Mashed 60 BN7 AH Club USA
59 MGA
66 E-Type FHC
BG Euro Classics Car Club President
Bowling Green, KY>From: JOHN KOHLER jkohler@sbcglobal.net
It’s so easy to safely remove stuck pistons with a
grease gun, I don’t understand why anyone would do it
any other way. No damage, no crappy old rusty brake
fluid flying all over, no trying to locate the piston
that shot across the room, etc. In retrospect, maybe
the other ways are more interesting and challenging.
Larry— Randy Olson holtian143@hotmail.com wrote:
I have removed stubborn pistons from the caliper
this way:
Put the caliper in a vise to hold it securely so
it’s not wobbling all over
the bench. Have the pistons facing up so you can
work on them.
Use two thin bladed flathead screwdrivers, or other
stiff thin metal pry
bar, that can be inserted into the slot where the
rubber boot fits into the
piston. Then place a small fulcrum, like a small
block of wood or a small
piece of metal dowel, on the piston and using the
screwdrivers as levers
carefully apply pressure to pry the piston up and
out of the caliper. The
key here is carefully. You don’t want to damage the
slot where the screw
drivers are inserted into the piston groove. The
piston will start to move
with the steady pressure, and as it does you will
need to increase the
heights of the fulcrum blocks…it’ll become
obvious.
I’ve done several piston extractions in this manner
and it has worked every
time. I also used this method when pulling out the
master cylinder piston.
Good luck.
Randy
In reply to a message from JOHN KOHLER sent Sun 14 Jan 2007:
Larry,
But isn’t it a big gooey mess? You end up with a whole cylinder
full of grease, right? And you have to find the right plumbing
pieces to make it work, too.
When compressed air won’t work, the BBQ always does the trick.
steam is invincible, after all…and the cylinders come our clean,
too.
I have to say, since I got sleeved cylinders/stainless cylinders,
this has never been a problem, things come out just like in the
manual.
Jerry–
The original message included these comments:
It’s so easy to safely remove stuck pistons with a
grease gun, I don’t understand why anyone would do it
any other way. No damage, no crappy old rusty brake
In reply to a message from JOHN KOHLER sent Sun 14 Jan 2007:
Larry,
But isn’t it a big gooey mess? You end up with a whole cylinder
full of grease, right? And you have to find the right plumbing
pieces to make it work, too.
The adapter isn’t a big deal. Most grease guns use something like a 1/8
inch pipe fitting so just get a brass pipe nipple a couple of inches
long, cut off the threads on one end and re-thread that end with a
7/16ths 24 bolt thread which appears to be what the hydraulics use, and
your good to go!
It’s a heck of lot easier getting a spoonful of grease out of a cylinder
and a lot less risky than launching a projectile across the garage or
yard with other methods.
Besides, most LBC’s leave a grease and oil trail, not water!
Jerry, Oh yeah, the cylinders are full of grease. But
by that time I’m usually already so dirty that the
grease isn’t much of a problem.
Larry— mouton jerry@moutons.org wrote:
In reply to a message from JOHN KOHLER sent Sun 14
Jan 2007:
Larry,
But isn’t it a big gooey mess? You end up with a
whole cylinder
full of grease, right? And you have to find the
right plumbing
pieces to make it work, too.
When compressed air won’t work, the BBQ always does
the trick.
steam is invincible, after all…and the cylinders
come our clean,
too.
I have to say, since I got sleeved
cylinders/stainless cylinders,
this has never been a problem, things come out just
like in the
manual.
Jerry
The original message included these comments:
It’s so easy to safely remove stuck pistons with a
grease gun, I don’t understand why anyone would do
it
any other way. No damage, no crappy old rusty
brake
Scott, I just use a regular cartridge type manual
grease gun, not one of the little one-hand squeeze
types. I don’t know how much pressure it developes,
but I guess that it is a lot. I remove the calipers
from the mounting, remove the bridge pipes and flex
hose as may be applicable, make sure the bleeder screw
is closed, hook up a fitting to the other bridge pipe
opening, give it a few good pumps and out she comes.
Larry— scott willis ahpowered@hotmail.com wrote:
Do you use a regular grease gun? Do you put a grease
fitting in the brake
line hose? I would assume the grease gun would break
if the piston was
frozen.
From: JOHN KOHLER <@JKOHLER>
Reply-To: e-type@jag-lovers.org
To: e-type@jag-lovers.org
Subject: RE: [E-Type] rear brake pistons
Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2007 10:00:28 -0800 (PST)
It’s so easy to safely remove stuck pistons with a
grease gun, I don’t understand why anyone would do
it
any other way. No damage, no crappy old rusty brake
fluid flying all over, no trying to locate the
piston
that shot across the room, etc. In retrospect,
maybe
the other ways are more interesting and
challenging.
Larry— Randy Olson holtian143@hotmail.com
wrote:
I have removed stubborn pistons from the caliper
this way:
Put the caliper in a vise to hold it securely so
it’s not wobbling all over
the bench. Have the pistons facing up so you
can
work on them.
Use two thin bladed flathead screwdrivers, or
other
stiff thin metal pry
bar, that can be inserted into the slot where
the
rubber boot fits into the
piston. Then place a small fulcrum, like a
small
block of wood or a small
piece of metal dowel, on the piston and using
the
screwdrivers as levers
carefully apply pressure to pry the piston up
and
out of the caliper. The
key here is carefully. You don’t want to damage
the
slot where the screw
drivers are inserted into the piston groove.
The
piston will start to move
with the steady pressure, and as it does you
will
need to increase the
heights of the fulcrum blocks…it’ll become
obvious.
I’ve done several piston extractions in this
manner
and it has worked every
time. I also used this method when pulling out
the
master cylinder piston.
Good luck.
Randy
If the calipers are clean and the pistons move okay, then the compressed air
method results in far less cleanup, and you don’t waste half a tube of
grease. However it simply won’t work if the thing is old and rusty. I just
stick an old blanket inside a large box to act as a catcher’s mit, and turn
on the air. It makes a very satisfying pop, and all the mess goes into the
box. If you draw a target on the blanket then you can have even more fun
with it.
Eric
It’s so easy to safely remove stuck pistons with a
grease gun, I don’t understand why anyone would do it
any other way. No damage, no crappy old rusty brake
fluid flying all over, no trying to locate the piston
that shot across the room, etc. In retrospect, maybe
the other ways are more interesting and challenging.
Larry
Scott, I just use a regular cartridge type manual
grease gun, not one of the little one-hand squeeze
types. I don’t know how much pressure it developes,
but I guess that it is a lot. I remove the calipers
from the mounting, remove the bridge pipes and flex
hose as may be applicable, make sure the bleeder screw
is closed, hook up a fitting to the other bridge pipe
opening, give it a few good pumps and out she comes.
Larry
Do you use a regular grease gun? Do you put a grease
fitting in the brake
line hose? I would assume the grease gun would break
if the piston was
frozen.
It’s so easy to safely remove stuck pistons with a
grease gun, I don’t understand why anyone would do
it
any other way. No damage, no crappy old rusty brake
fluid flying all over, no trying to locate the
piston
that shot across the room, etc. In retrospect,
maybe
the other ways are more interesting and
challenging.
Larry— Randy Olson holtian143@hotmail.com
wrote:
I have removed stubborn pistons from the caliper
this way:
Put the caliper in a vise to hold it securely so
it’s not wobbling all over
the bench. Have the pistons facing up so you
can
work on them.
Use two thin bladed flathead screwdrivers, or
other
stiff thin metal pry
bar, that can be inserted into the slot where
the
rubber boot fits into the
piston. Then place a small fulcrum, like a
small
block of wood or a small
piece of metal dowel, on the piston and using
the
screwdrivers as levers
carefully apply pressure to pry the piston up
and
out of the caliper. The
key here is carefully. You don’t want to damage
the
slot where the screw
drivers are inserted into the piston groove.
The
piston will start to move
with the steady pressure, and as it does you
will
need to increase the
heights of the fulcrum blocks…it’ll become
obvious.
I’ve done several piston extractions in this
manner
and it has worked every
time. I also used this method when pulling out
the
master cylinder piston.
Good luck.
Randy
For all those who put grease in your brake parts, consider this. Grease is a
hydrocarbon containing low boiling point components. Unless you can
completely clean the part, you have deposits in your brake system that will
form gas bubbles at a much lower temp. than the boiling point of your brake
fluid. How can you clean the tiny ports in a caliper?
My shop manual says to never use a hydrocarbon on brake parts.
Fred,
I believe off the shelf “brake cleaner” used to clean the rest of the
parts will dissipate anything but a trace. And probably the trace as
well with any care.
pauls 67ots
For all those who put grease in your brake parts, consider this. Grease is a
hydrocarbon containing low boiling point components. Unless you can
completely clean the part, you have deposits in your brake system that will
form gas bubbles at a much lower temp. than the boiling point of your brake
fluid. How can you clean the tiny ports in a caliper?
My shop manual says to never use a hydrocarbon on brake parts.
