Hey guys, I feel dumb as for even having to ask this, but how do you do it?? I am replacing rotors and pads (stock calipers with the recall pistons). I have managed to retract the piston by a combination of clamping and pulling the handbrake. However, this also rotated the piston, now the little indentation on the piston does not line up with the pin on the pad.

I can get locking pliers on the piston but can't rotate it. Made up a little tool to engage the indentations in the piston, same thing.

Caliper is still on the car with handbrake cables attached - do I have to start dis-assembling further? Any other car I have worked on, you just push the pistons back with a c-clamp, this design appears diabolical!

 

If you can't do it with pliers, there's a tool you can buy, borrow or rent. But if it's that difficult, are you sure the caliper is good?

 

I finally managed to rotate it with great difficulty, with locking pliers on the piston. Trouble is - either I get the piston back far enough to fit the new pads but the location dowel hole wont line up with the pad, or I get the dowel hole in the right orientation but lose the clearance for the new pads.

If you can do this with the ends of pliers, I gather it should rotate pretty freely? I rebuilt these with the recall pistons about 10 yrs ago, but can't remember a thing about the adjuster mechanism now, or how freely it should work. Didn't encounter this pad/piston alignment problem then.

Then as I entered the several-th hour scratching my head, I noticed some wetness around the piston that wasn't there before - looks like I screwed the seal by forcing it round. Rebuild time again! Was last rebuilt only 2 yrs ago by my Dad's mechanic (another storey), but it is what it is I guess. Fun fun for just a pad change grrrrrr......