Protege rear disc brake replacement

[dougn]

DID I DAMAGE MY PISTONS? please read on.

I am such an idiot. I replaced the pads on my 2001 protege rear disc brake earlier today for the first time. I have done brake for other cars before.

First I could not push (using a big C-clamp) the caliper piston back to make room for the new pads. Then I firgured it out by turning the piston clock-wise by using a big channel plier. I did not make big marks (scars/scraches) on the piston itself but I remembered that I squeezed and turned the plier pretty hard. I got the job done but now I worry that I MIGHT HAVE DAMAGEDTHE PISTONS. HAVE I?
The brake seem to work fine for now. AND I saw the bolt where the adjusting allen wrench should be used to retrack and adjust the brear brake pads.

Please help.

 

[AlbNYPR5]

DID I DAMAGE MY PISTONS? please read on.

I am such an idiot. I replaced the pads on my 2001 protege rear disc brake earlier today for the first time. I have done brake for other cars before.

First I could not push (using a big C-clamp) the caliper piston back to make room for the new pads. Then I firgured it out by turning the piston clock-wise by using a big channel plier. I did not make big marks (scars/scraches) on the piston itself but I remembered that I squeezed and turned the plier pretty hard. I got the job done but now I worry that I MIGHT HAVE DAMAGEDTHE PISTONS. HAVE I?
The brake seem to work fine for now. AND I saw the bolt where the adjusting allen wrench should be used to retrack and adjust the brear brake pads.

Please help.

My brother and I did the same thing that you did when we replaced my rear pads and rotors. That was in May and everything is working fine still. Just go out and do some low speed stops just to make sure.

 

[traitorhound]

well the problem was that you are supposed to use the piston adjustment screw on the back of the caliper to move the piston back. . . .c clamps don't work on the rear disc's on this car. . just on the front

 

[quietflow]

You would have had to push really hard to break it. You should be fine!

 

[wipedawg]

yep there is a little allen wrench adjuster on the back that you have to adjust out to release the piston.. i dont know how on earth you could have compressed it without backing that adjuster out.

 

[therris]

e brake loose

Alright, I just replaced all my brake pads. got to the rear passenger and figured out the allen wrench screw bit, found this forum cause I figured I'd have to adjust the ebrake. Did what the thread said about putting the wheel on and adjusted the allen screw until I felt it was tight enough. Pulled the ebrake and it worked fine.

Got to the driver side, did all the same things, tightened the allen screw and it never engaged the piston. Tightened all the way. Pulled the ebrake and it flies all the way up with no resistance.

I'm not understanding these allen screws. The holes look to be threaded but the screws arent threaded. They're toothed for what I assume is the tightening gear within the caliper. Am I right? Is my caliper just shot? I don't feel like that would explain the ebrake being able to be pulled all the way up. Wouldn't the other brakes still offer some resistance?

 

[Magus]

From my understanding you are to back out the screw so you can put in the pads. Then you screw back in the screw to tighten the pads. If this does not tighten your e-brake there is another place you can tighten it right by the shifter. I will be doing my brakes hopefully by Wed, and will check it out.

Magus

 

[c0okiecrisps]

how do you tighten the e-brake?


my car is starting to roll when im just before full pull (if im on a hill)

i dont feel safe

 

[Magus]

I not entirely sure on the protege yet till I do it, but on my wife's 94 escort it was right near the e-brake lever. To get at it, you would need to remove the center console. There should be some type of nut I believe that you can use to tighten the e-brake. Make sure you screwed in the screw in the rear brakes before you resort to tightening the e-brake bolt. I hope that helps till I can get to my brakes.

Magus

 

[aMaff]

do you have any rear brake pad left? Sounds like they need adjusting. You can do it from 2 places (I'd go with the first, first ).
1) back of the rear caliper has a (I think) 14mm bolt. Take that out, reveals an allen key-screw. This controls retracting / advancing the piston. Tighten all the way (righty tighty!) until contact is made with the rotor (it won't move anymore, you'll know) and then back it off 1/4 to 1/3 turn.
2) if you think it's JUST the e-brake, and not a problem with the rear brakes themselves, I belive there is a tensioner underneath the handle inside the center console. I've only done this once like 2 years ago so forgive me if my recollection is fuzzy or just plain wrong, but I think you have to take off just the surround on the e-brake (long, skinny middle piece). It just pops out, and there's an adjustment bolt / nut / something down there.

 

[c0okiecrisps]

yeah

the pads look good, clips still far from the rotor, i just think its the tension


thank you!

 

[therris]

tighten ebrake

So after I thought that the ebrake was loose, after a day of driving the car it seems to be working alright.

I have a friend who has a jeep and said that when he would replace the rear pads that he would reverse and pump the brake and that would adjust the rear brake pad tightness, thus adjusting the brake piston in the rea and the ebrake. That may have been the case with mine. Whatever is was it worked.

I just know on the old drum brakes they had the star screw that adjusted the pads. I figured the piston screw did the same thing, but I couldn't get it to do that as I stated before. But alls well that ends well.

 

[Rimbo]

thanks for all the info

 

[sleepwalker]

Sort of resurrecting an old thread, but I have something to add here.

I'm not sure, as I haven't taken the rear calipers off my P5 yet, but I know on a lot of vehicles with rear discs, there are two types of parking brake (e-brake): the drum style and the caliper-hijacking style. The drum style uses a small set of drum brake shoes on the inside of the rear brake rotor. Usually these are the easiest rear discs to deal with.

The caliper-hijacking style (as I have termed it) uses the rear caliper - when you pull the lever, a screw-and-spring setup tightens the rear caliper just like the brake pedal does, except without the hydraulics. This generally makes a more efficient rear-wheel-holder-in-place, but also makes for more complicated rear brake jobs - the C-clamp is pushing hard against that screw-and-spring setup and could potentially break it. The piston has to be rotated as it is compressed.

The pistons on these types of rear calipers has a piston with two small holes. You can rent a "rear brake caliper tool" at any auto parts store, and it's basically a reverse c-clamp. Fits inside the caliper (after the pads are removed), and two tabs fit into the caliper piston. By turning the handle of the tool you rotate the caliper piston and push it back at the same time.

Then, when you replace the pads and reattach the caliper, pump the brake pedal a few times. The piston pushes forward to the proper at-rest, non-braking position, and your parking brake adjustment remains unchanged.

I'm not 100% certain that's the type of rear brakes the P5 has, but from the sound of it, that's what is needed.

 

[kmarkle]

My front brake pads wear funny. I was wondering if I need to make any adustments to the brakes or do I just put the pads in. I have found 1 allen wrench socket on the back of the front brakes. Do I use this to adust t he brakes or is this only for the back brakes? 2001 Mazda Protege.