Write-Up: Replacing rear rotors and pads. (lots of pics)

I think he means how to separate the caliper from the assembly.
you have to loosen the parking brake bolt.then the caliper will be free to move out.

robotennis61 wrote:

I think he means how to separate the caliper from the assembly.
you have to loosen the parking brake bolt.then the caliper will be free to move out.

Hmm yeah I think I get it thanks Robo. The other thing you can do is release the parking brake and use a pair of vise grips to grasp the parking cable end and flip it out of the hook. (You can flip it back in the same way (in reverse) if you can get enough of a grip. 0

Umm, I'm not doing this brake job - but it's bad not to mention taking the brackets off as well as the calipers and giving things a good cleaning and relube. The lube in calipers tends to snot up, have to change it when you pull the calipers. So I'd recomned getting the cable off then taking the calipers and bracket all off.

Albertj

For the rear calipers you need to remove the parking brake bracket and disconnect the cable, then the caliper will swing up and slide off the guide pin. Also don't try to retract the piston with a c-clamp, it needs to be screwed back in.

Im trying to remove my rear caliper i removed the lower mounting bolt for the caliper but how do you get the other part off the caliper with the pin off so i can remove it

why dont you go back to your original post?all the answers are there

...wow

wow...man...

About to do my rear brakes, when you used brake to to compress piston, did you adjust it AFTER you put your pads pack in? I'm using new pads so after I put the pads back in over the rotor do I have to adjust again or does it "decompress" by itself?

After you install your pads, the piston is no longer visible. You won't be able to see it after putting the new brake pads in. You don't have to adjust it afterwards, provided you allowed for enough clearance.

You want to compress the piston enough so that you have enough clearance to fit your new thicker pads and also the rotor. When you pump the brakes, the piston will come back out putting the pressure on the pads and rotor again.

dont forget to line the cross up with the tab on the brake pad.

robotennis61 wrote:

dont forget to line the cross up with the tab on the brake pad.

?? can you elaborate on this? i dont recall ever doing that.
If i understand you correctly, you are saying there is a notch on the inner pad that must align with the "V" signs on the piston? If thats true then what happen as the pads wear and the piston turn and comes out? Does the pad rotate with it?

The spiral piston turns every time you engage the p-brake, which is a mechanical worm gear, so it can't engage the pad. It needs to spin. That's how the p-brake works.

yup.

AA wrote:

The spiral piston turns every time you engage the p-brake, which is a mechanical worm gear, so it can't engage the pad. It needs to spin. That's how the p-brake works.

I fully understand how it works, just trying to find out what Robo's thought process was in his earlier post. Didnt want to mislead any noobs reading this thread.

hey do you guys who bought the specific tool from sears (not the cube thing) have a part number?

tool = cube thing

yeah, figured that out quick haha, thankfully my brother had one at his shop

Hey Guys, I've looked here and online and can't find anything that shows you how to remove the integrated parking brake cable from the caliper when its time to replace them. Does anyone have any pics or can someone describe in detail how to separate the e-brake from the rear calipers?

No one has replaced the rear calipers on their Riv?

BMD wrote:

No one has replaced the rear calipers on their Riv?

I've had them off this and other Buicks several times. It's a PITA to get the parking brake cable disconnected, but there is no magic to it. A good set of needle nose vice grips will help. You need to compress the spring and pull the cable out. The cable brackets unbolt and you also will want to unbolt the cable guide on the control arm. 13 and 14mm sockets to get everything off (I think)

Thanks Derek, I'll take a look at them. I plan to do 'em before the fall. If I need some help at that time, hopefully you'll be around to offer some direction.  

BMD wrote:

Thanks Derek, I'll take a look at them. I plan to do 'em before the fall. If I need some help at that time, hopefully you'll be around to offer some direction.  

I can tell you that they aren't easy. But they aren't THAT hard either. I may or may not be able to admit that I fought with one for over an hour putting them back together one day. Usually it's a 5 minute job. Good luck.

deekster_caddy wrote:

BMD wrote:

Thanks Derek, I'll take a look at them. I plan to do 'em before the fall. If I need some help at that time, hopefully you'll be around to offer some direction.  

I can tell you that they aren't easy. But they aren't THAT hard either. I may or may not be able to admit that I fought with one for over an hour putting them back together one day. Usually it's a 5 minute job. Good luck.

Yep... if you remember to release the parking brake and if the adjuster's not wound too tight then you can get the cable back on with vise grips and a smile. If not, it will take a while.

Albertj

Did my rear pads & rotors yesterday. Even though rusty, my original rear calipers are still working at 282855 miles. It's a pretty easy job that doesn't need to happen that often, but I did run into one snag. Here are a few tips:



The way it's supposed to work, turning the piston clockwise compresses it into the caliper, providing space for fresh pads & rotor. For a long time this worked pretty well. I would even use a small air ratchet to speed things up. But a few years ago I noticed using the air ratchet didn't compress the piston, but using a manual, hand ratchet worked - very confusing, WTF??!

So Yesterday I was having trouble with the hand ratchet, too. Turning it, the piston wouldn't move into the caliper. I tried a little clamping pressure while turning the ratchet, and presto, it went right in. It seems the air ratchet didn't require a lot of pressing force, so that would explain it. If you're ever turning without results, try using a quick-grip style clamp over the ratchet head.



At least once per year I like to lube the rear trailing arms with grease. Mine are rusty, and the grease boots are a little cracked, but keeping them lubed up has extended their life. Still very tight when I give them a good tug.

What kind of grease do you use, AA?