Hey guys (and gals) I've downloaded the 2002 shop manual and it shows that only one 'pad pin' has to be removed on each caliper to change the pad in question. It sounds too good to be true. There's gotta be a bunch of 'gotchas' that I'm gonna bump into. :ohmy:
Is it really that easy to just push the caliper sideways to compress the piston? It seems to me when I did replacement on car pads (many years ago) compressing the piston involved a clamp because the force required was quite high.
Do I have to remove the resevoir cover to allow the fluid to move when compressing the piston? If so, wouldn't this contaminate the fluid due to exposure to air?
If I have to use some sort of tool to compress the piston, won't I have to remove the caliper (leaving the hoses in place)?
If the caliper is off, is there a special method to replace?
It's really that easy! Removing the reservoir cover is not necessary. I have a wide bladed screwdriver that I use to pry against the old pads to push the pistons back in. It's best to use some brake cleaner and clean the buildup off of the pistons before you do it though. I find it easier to do it with the calipers off. Replacement is straight forward as is stated in the manual. :fing02:
It is that easy. Some tips though. Set a rag under the brake fluid reservoir. You know and I know you won't spill, but why take the chance? Turn the handle bars so that the reservoir is basically level, open it and remove a small amount of brake fluid to make room, in case you actually do push enough fluid back up into the reservoir. (I use a small syringe, but an eyedropper will do, or you can put a finger over a straw and draw some fluid out. BTW, this is where you "won't" spill any. :biggrin: ).
Put the top back on the reservoir and straighten up the forks. Remove the caliper pin as noted. Be prepared to catch the inner brake pad as you remove the pin. Sometimes they drop out, sometimes they don't. Note the position of the pad. It's really hard to F'up the replacement pad for this part, but it's also easier to pay attention and just have the new pad matched up.
Be sure the retaining spring clip at the bottom of the caliper stays in place (it should). With the old pads out, replace the outter pad and be sure it seats correctly at the top. Insert the pin part way to hold the new pad in place. Push on the caliper to give yourself some room to insert the inner pad. This one usually takes a little manipulation and coercion, to slide it up and in, and this is where pushing on the caliper can push fluid back up. At this point you should be able to work the pin back in and secure the inner pad in place. If you have to force it, the pad is not seated correctly. You may have to screw in the pin, but again, not with overwhelming force.
Repeat for the other side (which will now go twice as fast because you know what to expect).
Repeat the opening of the reservoir procedure described above and check the fluid level. Chances are it didn't change. If the fluid is clear (expect a little yellowing) then go ahead and top it off with what you took out, or pour in a little new fluid. Which by the way - must pass through air to get to the reservoir, so contamination doesn't apply here.
The brakes are now going to feel grabby with a slightly longer reach to the brake handle then to what you've become accustomed with the old pads. Break in the new pads with several controlled start/stops and maybe even a little pressure on the brake as you motor down the road. Once the new pads are fully seated, you'll be wondering why you waited so long to replace them.
Good luck. Be sure to tighten those pins and cover bolts.
I remove the resivor cap, or else you need alot of added presure, also drain much of your resiovor before compressing the pistons. as you compress the pistons it will back flush, drain that and you can add fresh fluid.
Yes only one pin to remove the pads, once you have the caliper off. loosen that pin before removing the caliper, just makes it easier.
[image: View Post]DDO-VFR, on 17 October 2010 - 11:18 AM, said:
Hey guys (and gals) I've downloaded the 2002 shop manual and it shows that only one 'pad pin' has to be removed on each caliper to change the pad in question. It sounds too good to be true. There's gotta be a bunch of 'gotchas' that I'm gonna bump into. :ohmy:
Is it really that easy to just push the caliper sideways to compress the piston? It seems to me when I did replacement on car pads (many years ago) compressing the piston involved a clamp because the force required was quite high.
Do I have to remove the resevoir cover to allow the fluid to move when compressing the piston? If so, wouldn't this contaminate the fluid due to exposure to air?
If I have to use some sort of tool to compress the piston, won't I have to remove the caliper (leaving the hoses in place)?
If the caliper is off, is there a special method to replace?
What am I (or the manual) missing? :blush:
Brian
Yes, it is that easy. Remove the pin and the old pads drop right out. The new pads will not fit until you push the pistons back into the caliper. I clean the pistons with break cleaner before forceing them back into the caliper. I have not had good luck with the "push the caliper" method. I use a screwdriver between the piston and old pad to push the piston back in. Once in, the new pads slip right in, push the pads against the spring and reinstall the pin. I have not had to remove to brake fluid res cap.
I still like to use a clamp so that I'm pressing more evenly than I would be by shoving a screwdriver in there, but a screwdriver really does work just fine.
I replaced mine a couple of weeks ago. I did not remove the reservoir cover, just the single pin on each caliper. It was pretty easy. If I can do it, surely anybody can.
[image: View Post]Knife, on 18 October 2010 - 12:45 PM, said:
I replaced mine a couple of weeks ago. I did not remove the reservoir cover, just the single pin on each caliper. It was pretty easy. If I can do it, surely anybody can.
The fluid level will stay between the marks if fluid is not added. There is no reason to top off the resevoir but people do. I know in florida with autos, that it is illegal to add brake fluid without checking for leaks.
I see hondas everyday where people add brake fluid. I go to press the pistons back in and it comes out the master cylinder, it drives me crazy, because I have to clean up an unneccesary mess.
I loosen the pin and take the 2 caliper bolts off. That way I can clean the pistons and compress them much easier. You will also want to put a little lube on the slides, which you cant do unless you remove the caliper, just 2, 12mm bolts.
[image: View Post]soichiro, on 18 October 2010 - 01:01 PM, said:
[image: View Post]Knife, on 18 October 2010 - 12:45 PM, said:
I replaced mine a couple of weeks ago. I did not remove the reservoir cover, just the single pin on each caliper. It was pretty easy. If I can do it, surely anybody can.
The fluid level will stay between the marks if fluid is not added. There is no reason to top off the resevoir but people do. I know in florida with autos, that it is illegal to add brake fluid without checking for leaks.
I see hondas everyday where people add brake fluid. I go to press the pistons back in and it comes out the master cylinder, it drives me crazy, because I have to clean up an unneccesary mess.
I loosen the pin and take the 2 caliper bolts off. That way I can clean the pistons and compress them much easier. You will also want to put a little lube on the slides, which you cant do unless you remove the caliper, just 2, 12mm bolts.
If you replaced the brake fluid between sets of pads, and topped off the reservoirs, then you'd need to remove the reservoir caps to push the pistons back in, right?
OK, so I just finished changing the pads and it went quite well! I should mention, that I removed the caliper for each, so that I could clean out the piston area with the brake cleaner. I figured that while I was getting dirty...why not. When I got to the rear, there was a minor 'gotcha' in that there is one of the bolts holding the caliper (between the caliper and chain sprocket) that is a little tricky getting out. The ratchet head hit the plumbing directly below it and the extensions that I had were long enough that the head interfered with the sprocket. As luck would have it, my handy-dandy Craftsman set has a long 12mm socket for both the 1/4" and 3/8" drives. The 1/4" long socket and ratchet JUST FIT. It was so close that I could only screw the bolt out 1/4" before the ratchet head hits the sprocket. I toyed with the thought of not removing it to clean, but I soon discovered that I couldn't slide out the inner pad as it was hitting a part of the SSA assembly.
It turns out I had around 20% left on the pads, and they were all worn to the same degree. I thought I had gone down to the metal on the brake lever side of the front, because it was making awful noise as I pushed the bike around, and there is some minor scoring on the inner side of the rotor.
It finished well though. I didn't open either brake fluid resevoir. I pushed the pistons in using a screwdriver as mentioned. The only one that was really hard was the center one on the clutch side of the front and the center one of the rear caliper was a bit hard. I think that the center ones are driven by the linked brake setup.
So I'm about to go for a bit of a ride to seat the pads. It's only 6C temps, so it won't be a very long one, but it has been a week that my baby sat (I thought that I was down to the metal so I didn't chance it)
Thanks to all for the reassuring comments. That was my first self-maintenance effort (other than cleaning and lubing chain) and it went well! :cheerleader: :cheerleader:
Yep. All clean before they go in. Block the pistons with something non abrasive to stop them from popping out, as shown;
http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/uploads/1254719648/gallery_18314_4930_79064.jpg
End of thread · 14 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 24 Oct 2010