Hi,

I have a rear O/S caliper that has seized.

I've bought new pads and a caliper rewind tool to push the piston back in.

Handbrake off, and cap loosened on the fluid reservoir.

Having successfully pushed it in, I (perhaps stupidly) decided to 'work' the piston by giving the brakes a small squeeze.

I cant honestly see if the piston has come back out but it is now seized solid.......I have actually bent the bar on the rewind tool.

There still isnt enough room to get the pads in and I am stuck!!

Will it help if I open up the bleed nipple?

Any advice welcomed as this car is supposed to be on the ferry tomorrow at 0800hrs!

Even the garage couldn't move the seized piston on mine. Suggest that if you've bent the tool, the only way to go is to change the caliper- It'll probably be the most effective use of the time you have left, rather than struggle and then realise you need to do it before it's too late.

There may be other ways round it but I'm not experienced enough to know that I'm afraid!

It sounds like the handbrake internals of the caliper have been bent. By pressing on the brake pedal, you pushed the piston out too far. To get it to go back in, you needed to move the handbrake lever on the caliper. You will almost certainly have to replace the caliper.

Sorry mate, you've sh@gged it. Even if you could move the piston back you'd be wanting to reseal it. And yes, it was a silly thing to do. Sorry to be harsh, but...

Looks like the gods might be smiling down on Plymouth's duty idiot today.........I went back out just now to 'give it one more try' and the piston retracted.....and then went back a bit more. The tool had looked perfectly well seated but, after I slackened off the nut holding the 'bracket', it seemed to turn more freely. I've fitted the new pads but left the wheel off to check for any damage I've done to the seal but I'm hoping that I bent the bar because I was somehow working against the tool rather than with it.....if that makes sense.

Reference .......Posted Today, 11:38

It sounds like the handbrake internals of the caliper have been bent. By pressing on the brake pedal, you pushed the piston out too far. To get it to go back in, you needed to move the handbrake lever on the caliper. You will almost certainly have to replace the caliper.

.............just so that I f*^%@ up the other side, how do I move the handbrake lever on the caliper? I've read just about every thread on the forum but didnt spot this.

Reference: Sorry mate, you've sh@gged it. Even if you could move the piston back you'd be wanting to reseal it. And yes, it was a silly thing to do. Sorry to be harsh, but...

......if I have shagged the seal then can it be replaced or am I now in the market for a new caliper?

Thanks for the responses!!

The handbrake should be off when you wind the piston back in.

It's only if you push the piston too far out that you need to move the lever so that it re-engages with the piston.

Hope it's OK for you. Make sure the handbrake is working on that wheel.

Ok, think I've got that. The handbrake was off, but I'll check that its working once I've done the other side.......this should be fun, it was the caliper that was sticking more.

Thanks very much for the assist!

They certainly can be resealed easy enough. My worry now that you've got it back in, is that initially you may have overextended it (possibly doing seal damage) and that the reason you couldn't push the piston back in was maybe because it had shifted to a slight angle. Attempting to force it back in like this may have nicked the cylinder/piston.

No, I definately didnt over extend anything, the piston was a good 5 to 10mm out when I was trying to get it in.

Having just finished the other side in about half the time, I'm going to put this down as operator error. I have noticed that the plate that comes with the Laser tool (1314?) doesnt sit absolutely squarely into the shoulder of the caliper and sometimes a little finnigling seemed to make the difference between the piston turning or not.......as I suspected earlier, I think I was simply working against the tool rather than against the piston. Just took it for a spin and everything seems OK so fingers crossed :think:

I've also fitted some VW Sharran hand brake return springs to the calipers.....hopefully the combination of a freed up caliper, new Pagid pads and these springs will also put a stop to the bloody mooing noise when I reverse QED.

Thanks again to all that replied! If anyone in Plymouth needs to borrow the rewind tool with a extra pair of hands then let me know!

You won't make that mistake twice then! I'm normally guilty of poking things to see how they work too (this doesn't work with women).

You don't normally need to detach the hand brake cables, just make sure it's off when you do the other side. On the plus side, if you have damaged the calliper, they are mega simple to change.

I suppose you'll soon find out if a seal's leaking......

Oh b*ll*cks.......just jacked the car up to make sure the hand brake is working on both sides. It is, however the caliper that was sticking.....is still bloody sticking !!!

Is there a way to lubricate it, free it up, I'll even try enchanting the sodding thing if I can my copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Calipers".........or is this me on ebay searching for a new caliper?

More to the point (and I think I know the answer to this) how much damage will be done if Mrs C plus offspring drive around Brittany in it for the next five days?

......meanwhile, a little later......OK, assuming that mine is stuffed, I've found a new caliper on ebay for £70.99 which seems like a good deal, Mrs C has resigned herself to driving my truck (a '71 Range Rover in a permanent state of rebuild) instead of relaxing in the comfort of the vRS, and I'll start searching threads on how to replace calipers.

Edited 8 August, 201213 yr by intheshed

My guess is the handbrake mechanism on the caliper is broken (internal spring). If this is the case you will need a new caliper. When you release the handbrake in the car, the lever on the caliper should be almost sitting on the stop.

When you pull the handbrake in the car, does it move quite a bit before you feel any tension?

When I first applied the handbarke (after replacing pads etc) it pretty much pointed to the roof however, after a quick blat up and down the road and a few 'hard stops' on the brakes, it settled back to three or four notches.

Having read some tales of woe regarding rebuilding these calipers, I've gone ahead and gone for the 70 quid ebay brand new in the box option.

Question...Can I clamp the rubber hose to stop all the brake fluid falling out when I disconnect the old caliper? Or am I looking at a complete drain down/refill? I've just unsuccessfully tried ebay for a Haynes manual....must try Amazon.

I had seized piston calliper and almost bent rewind tool to try to get piston back in. I ended up deciding to get mole grips and wind piston all the way out . Did this with calliper removed as could not get leverage on car. Nightmare as once you disturb hard line pipes and bolt with washers it will leak. So 2 rear hard lines and a calliper seal kit (due to leaking through piston when rebuilt) and new pads was back on road. £16 for a seal kit, £32 for both pipes. And a lot of swearing all working as it should. Point to oneself don't let pads get so worn next time so piston winds back in:)

Chances are when you disturb brake lines replacing calliper you may need new ones:(

i had something rest on brake pedal whilst changing as it stops it leaking, but you will get warnings about inverted seals from other members so best just have some fluid ready. If your fast you wont lose much

Never had any trouble clamping my lines and removing calipers. (In fact, I had to anyway. I have a compulsion to clean and thoroughly service everything I ever remove/fettle! Which is why I'm so bl00dy slow!)

Brake pipe clamps are pretty cheap. These are the sort of things you need. http://www.burtonpow...feed?WbRf=GBase

There are other variations on that theme, but most other types are crap.

Oh yeah, and when disconnecting brake lines, I cannot recommend proper fitting flare nut spanners highly enough. In fact, I'd rather leave the job well alone without them.

I bent my wind back tool while doing our lass's TT rear calipers (same as the VRS) it did move eventually but it was stiff. They do get a little stiff from time to time but I wouldn't worry about it really. I never had a problem with the TT

Not sure what others have done, but when I changed a rear calliper it was incredibly simple and did not require clamping of any hoses or replacing any hoses.

Keep the reservoir cap on, don't touch the brake pedal. Take the tension off the banjo bolt by breaking it free, then pinch it back up just enough so it doesn't weep (this makes it easier to undo the bolt later when the calliper is detached). Once you've removed the calliper from the carrier and detached the hand brake cable, just tuck it to one side. Clean up everything ready for the new calliper to slot straight in. Make sure the calliper is fully primed with fluid and fit it up with pads and new guide pin bolts. Get a few rags to protect the calliper and pads etc from any spilt fluid. Remove the plug from the top of the new calliper, then undo the banjo bolt and banjo from the old calliper and simply transfer across. You won't lose more than a few tiny drips, as the system is not under pressure and you have surface tension on your side. Just don't go shaking the hose about too much. You'll have time to give the banjo and washer a quick wipe before fitting. Tighten up the banjo bolt and you're sealed. No need to replace any hoses or clamp anything. Clean up any drips, then hook up the handbrake cable. Now just use an Eezibleed kit or the like to get the small amount of air out of that calliper. Done.

It's also worth replacing the guide pin boots, and replacing the grease for the guide pins. I've also changed all the stainless pad retainers, as old ones get really grotty and don't help!

The best thing about sorting a sticking calliper is how much your fuel economy improves afterwards!

Enjoy!

Not sure what others have done, but when I changed a rear calliper it was incredibly simple and did not require clamping of any hoses or replacing any hoses.

Keep the reservoir cap on, don't touch the brake pedal. Take the tension off the banjo bolt by breaking it free, then pinch it back up just enough so it doesn't weep (this makes it easier to undo the bolt later when the calliper is detached). Once you've removed the calliper from the carrier and detached the hand brake cable, just tuck it to one side. Clean up everything ready for the new calliper to slot straight in. Make sure the calliper is fully primed with fluid and fit it up with pads and new guide pin bolts. Get a few rags to protect the calliper and pads etc from any spilt fluid. Remove the plug from the top of the new calliper, then undo the banjo bolt and banjo from the old calliper and simply transfer across. You won't lose more than a few tiny drips, as the system is not under pressure and you have surface tension on your side. Just don't go shaking the hose about too much. You'll have time to give the banjo and washer a quick wipe before fitting. Tighten up the banjo bolt and you're sealed. No need to replace any hoses or clamp anything. Clean up any drips, then hook up the handbrake cable. Now just use an Eezibleed kit or the like to get the small amount of air out of that calliper. Done.

It's also worth replacing the guide pin boots, and replacing the grease for the guide pins. I've also changed all the stainless pad retainers, as old ones get really grotty and don't help!

The best thing about sorting a sticking calliper is how much your fuel economy improves afterwards!

Enjoy!

Good explanation there, glad you had no issues and to be honest it is a easy job when it goes well. My experience was not so easy and as others mentioned and I am mechi savey.

Previous pad replacements have gone extremley easy but as i left my pads to get very worn and piston was almost fully extened it was my fault the extra hassle happened.

And a lesson learned, replace pads earlier for trouble free winding back. Ezibleed is a great kit and so much better to use.

Not sure what others have done, but when I changed a rear calliper it was incredibly simple and did not require clamping of any hoses or replacing any hoses.

Keep the reservoir cap on, don't touch the brake pedal. Take the tension off the banjo bolt by breaking it free, then pinch it back up just enough so it doesn't weep (this makes it easier to undo the bolt later when the calliper is detached). Once you've removed the calliper from the carrier and detached the hand brake cable, just tuck it to one side. Clean up everything ready for the new calliper to slot straight in. Make sure the calliper is fully primed with fluid and fit it up with pads and new guide pin bolts. Get a few rags to protect the calliper and pads etc from any spilt fluid. Remove the plug from the top of the new calliper, then undo the banjo bolt and banjo from the old calliper and simply transfer across. You won't lose more than a few tiny drips, as the system is not under pressure and you have surface tension on your side. Just don't go shaking the hose about too much. You'll have time to give the banjo and washer a quick wipe before fitting. Tighten up the banjo bolt and you're sealed. No need to replace any hoses or clamp anything. Clean up any drips, then hook up the handbrake cable. Now just use an Eezibleed kit or the like to get the small amount of air out of that calliper. Done.

It's also worth replacing the guide pin boots, and replacing the grease for the guide pins. I've also changed all the stainless pad retainers, as old ones get really grotty and don't help!

The best thing about sorting a sticking calliper is how much your fuel economy improves afterwards!

Enjoy!

My favourite sort of advice.....virtually idiot proof.....thanks mate!

The haynes manual says " remove the caliper mounting blots ( which I assume is also the guide pins )

and discard" to remove the caliper,to get to the pads (?)

Does this have to be the case ? I'm having trouble finding them so I'm wondering if the can be reused .

Thanks for the advice in advance.In the middle of doing a rear disc and pad replacement.

yes you can re use them.