problem with fitting rear brake pads

[blairbiker]

i fitted new front pads for the first time today after looking at instructions from the haynes manual it was pretty straight forward,then i came to fitting the rear pads thats when the problem started,
in the manual it says to remove the pad pin which i did, then it says push calliper against disc (i coudn't understand how you can do that without first removing the calliper bolts but i tried anyway) so the pistons get pushed right in,i tried that but it woudn't budge.
i removed the pads , so i thought just get a long bit of wood and force the pistons back but when i did that instead of pushing the pistons back the whole calliper moved towards me leaving it hard against the disc i've tried pushing it back but it won't move.
i didn't want to use to much force in case i ended up breaking something.any suggestions would be great thanks

 

[Mellow]

Try looking at this article, it will at least give you an idea how everything is put together and might help.

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?101206-ST1300-Rear-Brake-Piston-Cleaning

 

[dduelin]

I use a piece of steel tubing about 36" long to pry the caliper against the disc so the pistons are pushed back into the caliper prior to fitting new ones. The pry point is against the aluminum passenger foot peg frame. I pad the foot peg frame with a piece of cloth and place a thin piece of wood against the caliper so nothing gets scratched or scuffed. In your case you will have to refit the outer pad so when you move the caliper over toward the wheel all three pistons are pushed in and there is sufficient room to insert new pads.

 

[Igofar]

No need to pry if you apply pressure at the two points of the sliding pins. The reason most people force or pry it is because they are pusing or forcing it at a crooked angle.
If you apply pressure directly where the two pins are located, you can simply push it over with hand pressure.
.02

But then again, a wise man once said...there is no mechanical feat so difficult that it cannot be solved with brutt strength and ignorance LOL.

 

[st1300r]

+1 you can just push the hole thing on the slid pins but it's a good idea to pull the caliper, scrub the pistons with brake fluid and then push them back in so you're not pushing dirt past the dust and hydraulic seals.

 

[Igofar]

+1 you can just push the hole thing on the slid pins but it's a good idea to pull the caliper, scrub the pistons with brake fluid and then push them back in so you're not pushing dirt past the dust and hydraulic seals.

 

[blairbiker]

great article, i will do that the next time i put a new tyre on.cheers

 

[blairbiker]

thanks for advice about applying pressure at the correct position..slid back as if by magic!!..simple when you know how

 

[Bigmak96]

The last few posts trouble me. The method of pushing on the caliper to push the pistons back will work,,,no doubt. But it does not stress the importance of getting the piston cleaned thoroughly first. I like to remove the wheel and pads, insert a block big enough to keep the pistons from pushing all the way out and pump the peddle or lever to make the pistons move out from where the were when the job started. That way you can do a much better job cleaning the pistons. Just pushing them back will, in time, cause trouble by making the fit of the return rings too tight for them to function. That is when you start getting your "dragging" brakes. YEMV BTDT

Please forgive me if this has been said already, if so, I missed it.