A lot of car owners and drivers have been reaching out to me for tips on how to push back brake pistons without a tool. In this article, I will give you a guide on how to do this easily.
Brake pistons are usually found in brake calipers. They are a vital part of your vehicle’s brake system. The brake pistons installed in your vehicle help the brake pads make contact with the brake discs, slowing your car’s movement. These pistons can be made from either steel, rubber, or aluminum. Both fixed and floating brake calipers have pistons. Most new vehicles have about 6 pistons per caliper.
When you press the brake pedal in your vehicle, the master cylinder forces brake fluid through the brake pipes to the brake calipers. In the caliper, the brake piston pushes the whole caliper back, which causes the brake pads and the disc to make contact. Many modern cars use disc brakes, which are much better and more effective than drum brakes.
Each time the brake pads come into contact with the rotating disc, their effectiveness decreases, and they begin to wear. The brake piston will have to compensate for this by extending from the caliper. As a result, the brake pads will eventually need to be replaced. But at this point, replacing the brake pads might prove difficult because of the fully extended caliper piston. Therefore, the piston must be pushed back into the caliper.
Read Also: How to Bleed brakes Without a Bleeder Valve and Air out Without Bleeding
How to push back the brake piston without a tool?
Due to the brake piston’s design, the brake caliper tools are specialized tools used to push the brake piston, making it easier to replace the brake pads. But if you are stranded and do not have this tool in your truck to help you push back the brake piston on your vehicle. No worries! This is a thorough guide that will help you out on how to push back the brake piston without a tool:
- The brake piston is located in the brake system, which is an interior part of your vehicle. First, loosen the lug nuts on your vehicle, but not completely. Then safely raise your vehicle with a jack. Make sure the jack is resting on a balanced and solid surface. Remove the lug nuts and the wheel assembly completely when your vehicle is jacked up.
- Loosen the brake line and detach it from the brake caliper. Keep the sealing washers and banjo bolt aside. You can use a brake line hose plug to prevent fluid from escaping, or wrap the edge of the brake line with something. Please note that brake fluid is very corrosive; do not let it come into contact with your skin or the body of your car.
- Gently remove the mounting bolts from the caliper, then pull the caliper off the rotor (rotating disc). You can use a screwdriver to help you remove the caliper if necessary.
Now that you have been able to successfully detach your vehicle’s brake caliper from the disc, how do you push back the brake piston?
- You need to know that the rear caliper piston is quite different from the front caliper piston, and you will notice this in most modern vehicles. With the rear caliper pistons, you cannot compress them like the front caliper pistons. With the fronts, you can compress them with the C-clamp, and the piston will move in. No harm was done! However, if you try to do this for the rear caliper pistons in most vehicles, you will be in a whole lot of trouble.
- To successfully push back the rear caliper brake piston, you will need a simple tool such as a pair of pliers or a screwdriver. You need to twist the piston clockwise; clockwise will spin the piston inward into the caliper housing, and then you will be able to change your brake pads.
- Now, fix the plier to the piston by putting it in the grooves, kind of where the actual tool goes, and gently spin it clockwise. You will start to notice the piston going into the caliper. Continue spinning it clockwise until the piston is fully inserted. You can know if the piston is completely inside by looking at the seal. The seal will be flush and lower than the piston where it’s sitting in the housing.
- Now that you know the piston is fully retracted, you can remove and replace the brake pads in your vehicle’s brake system.
How to push back the brake piston with a tool?
Pushing back brake pistons without a tool can be challenging. The mechanic or DIYer may even injure themselves when pushing back the piston. But with the right tool, you reduce the risk of injury and make the work much faster and easier. Here are simplified steps to rewind brake pistons with a tool.
- Lift the vehicle and support it with jack stands.
- Remove the tires from the wheels you intend to work on
- Slack and remove the upper bolt holding the caliper to the caliper hanger. (You can also loosen the two bolts if you prefer it that way.
- Bar the upper side of the caliper out of the hanger until you have access to the piston.
- Open the brake reservoir cap and wrap a towel around it to prevent fluid from spilling onto the surrounding components.
Now that you have positioned the caliper piston to push it back, get your caliper pushback tool kit. The tool usually contains two pushback tools and other fitments. The reason for the two pushback tools is that not all brake caliper pistons rewind in the same direction. Some rewind clockwise, while others rewind anti-clockwise.
The caliper piston tool kit features both tools, so you can complete your work regardless of where your caliper piston rewinds to.
Prepare the rewinding tool
Open the caliper rewind kit and select the circular plate that best fits the piston you are working on. The circular plate has two notches or dots that fit into the hole on the caliper piston. These dots or notches rewind the piston as you turn the caliper rewind tool. Circular plates are best for back-caliper pistons that need rewinding.
Note: Rewinding caliper pistons is different from pushback pistons.
Attach the circular plate to the rewind tool and loosen or tighten a tad so it fits appropriately within the caliper. Gently turn the rear lever until it snugs the caliper. However, you don’t need circular plates on a pushback piston.
Rewind the piston
Now, tighten the rewind tool by turning the handle until the caliper piston compresses back into place. At first, the handle may be difficult to turn, but it’ll become easier after rewinding or pushing it back a few millimeters.
Install the pads
Once the piston is fully retracted, or at least enough to let the new brake pads fit, install the pads and other brake system components you removed earlier, following the reverse procedure.
Watch this video for a visual presentation on how to push back the brake piston with a tool.
Read Also: How to Bleed ABS Module Without a Scan Tool
However, you should know that using ordinary, simple tools like pliers or a screwdriver to push back the piston, if not done carefully, can damage your vehicle’s piston or caliper. You might even sustain injuries in the process. To save me from this, I quickly purchased the Lisle 25750 Dual Piston Brake Caliper Compressor on Amazon. This tool can compress dual brake pistons in your vehicle for easy replacement.
I have been using this compressor tool for a while now, and it has helped me perform this process with ease plus, it is very handy. It also saved me money by not buying the whole brake caliper tool for this purpose.
Easy way to push brake caliper piston back YouTube
FAQs
Q: How do you push a piston back without a clamp?
You can push back your vehicle’s brake piston with the aid of a screwdriver and an old brake pad. Carefully use the screwdriver to create a moderate gap between the brake piston and the brake pads. When the gap is large enough, use the screwdriver as a pry bar to slide the caliper back onto the pins, then push your vehicle’s brake piston all the way back in.
If the brake caliper is already detached from your vehicle, use a big pair of channel locks and your old brake pad to push the brake piston back into its housing. Please, you need to be very careful as using this tool can damage brake parts of your vehicle’s brake system if used recklessly.
Q: Why won’t my caliper piston go back?
There are some of the probable causes that can make the caliper piston in your vehicle unable to retract:
1. Worn-out caliper mounting bolts
The caliper bolts have slides that require lubrication. It also has rubber shielding boots that keep lubricant on the bolt surfaces for a long time. But sometimes, when brake pads are being replaced, the shielding boots wear off due to the repairer’s manhandling. Hence, it can prevent the caliper piston from compressing.
2. Faulty pistons
When applying pressure to the brake pedals, it causes a slight deformity in the brake piston. Also, when the motorist lifts off the pedal, the brakes uncoil and compress the pistons for a drag-free run. Assuming the piston fails to slide sufficiently on the seals, the seals prevent the brake piston from compressing.
3. Inactive vehicle
Not running your vehicle for a long period is considered one of the major causes of this problem. If your vehicle is inactive for a long period, it can cause the brake piston to rust. This results in built-up corrosion on the caliper, preventing your vehicle’s piston from retracting into its housing. This will also prevent your vehicle from running smoothly.
Q: How do you screw a caliper piston without a tool?
You need to have some simple tools if you are attempting a brake job. You will not be able to use your bare hands to screw the caliper piston because it is threaded like a screw, so it will be difficult to screw it back in with just your hands. However, you use a screwdriver, a plier, a C-clamp, or a caliper piston compressor to successfully push back your vehicle’s brake piston.
Q: What do you do if your brake caliper won’t compress?
If your vehicle’s rear brake caliper piston won’t compress, or if the entire vehicle’s caliper piston won’t compress, you need to address this issue right away. It can cause brake failure, which is very dangerous for the driver and their passengers. You can adopt the following methods to help you fix this issue:
Thoroughly clean the piston.
Completely remove debris and clean the piston surface of brake dust or corrosion. This simple method can resolve this issue and prevent you from spending money on repairs.
Regular Vehicle Maintenance
Always make sure you refill your brake fluid and replace your brake pads on time as due. Taking care of your vehicle’s brake system can, to a large extent, prevent caliper piston problems. Regular maintenance of your vehicle’s brake system also helps to increase its efficiency.
Use the brake caliper rewind tool or special vice tool.
After trying all possible methods, including using the c-clamp to compress your vehicle’s brake piston, the issue remains unresolved. You can try borrowing the brake caliper tool; it’s designed to easily compress the caliper piston. Ensure the tool you use is the perfect size for your brake parts, as they vary in size. Special vice tools can also help in this situation.
Q: Do I need to open the bleeder valve to compress the piston?
From an expert point of view, it is necessary to open the bleeder valve to compress the caliper piston. It is not advisable to compress your brake caliper without bleeding.
You should know that if you don’t open the bleeder valve, the brake fluid in the caliper is at very high risk of contamination. Assuming you compress the caliper piston without opening the bleeder valve, you also risk damaging the ABS sensor. I honestly do not think anyone should take this chance.
Final Words
The brake system is a very important part of your vehicle, so you need to run scheduled maintenance; this will reduce the risk of faults developing. If you are still not sure how to push back the brake piston without a tool, you can get back to us at any time and be sure to receive a response.
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