If you want to rotate your back brakes and don’t have a tool, you may be wondering how you can turn your brake caliper without a tool. This can seem complicated, but in just a few steps, you can turn back your brake caliper without a tool.
Once you learn how to turn a back brake, you can gain confidence in solving various problems with your car. Read on to learn how to turn the rear brake caliper without a tool.
Locate the Brake Piston
The first thing you need to find is the break piston. The brake piston is located in the internal break part of your car system. To reach the piston, you need to loosen the lug nuts on the car. Do not take them completely off the car because it can cause more internal issues.
After you loosen the lug nuts, raise your car using a jack. Again, make sure the vehicle is on an even level surface not to cause your vehicle to be jacked up wrong. Once the jack is under your car, you can take the lug nuts and wherel assembly off your vehicle.
After you complete that, you need to loosen the brake line from the caliper. Place the sealing washers and banjo belt aside. Be careful of the brake fluid because it can be corrosive and can cause some serious health concerns.
Finally, remove the bolts from the caliper, and you can then remove them from the rotating disc. You will locate the caliper (brake piston) from there and its location in the vehicle,
Push Back Piston
It is important to note that you cannot move the piston the same way you would move the front caliper. If you are to compress the rear break piston like the front one, you will cause more issues.
Now that your caliper is removed from your car you can push back the piston. You will need a pair of pliers to push and pinch the caliper. You will need to have the piston turned clockwise. Once the piston is pushed clockwise the caliper will be able to be pushed back.
If you spin the piston clockwise you can push it into the housing unit. The housing unit will be connected to the piston and once the piston is turned you can work on the brake pads on the car.
You will notice the piston going into the caliper and this will cause the caliper to go into the housing unit and be flush to the car. By using the pliers you get a connection to the piston and pushing it back into the caliper, you are able to move the caliper around.
Turn Brake Caliper
Finally, once the piston is back in the calliper, you can turn the brake caliper. The caliper will be able to be turned for you to take the pads and rotors apart and fix the problems you need with the brakes.
After you turn the brake caliper, you need to reattach the break line and the lug nuts. The caliper will be put back in flush with the car. Then the caliper can be manipulated back the other way. This will keep the brakes locked in place.
There are tools out there that are specifically built to turn the caliper, but using the pliers means you do not have that expense and you can move the caliper without a tool. The pliers just provide the grip you need to turn the caliper.
Why Won’t The Caliper Turn?
There are some reasons why a caliper might not turn and cause you some issues.
Worn Out Caliper Mounting Bolts
The bolts that keep the caliper mounted can sometimes not be lubricated enough to have the caliper move. A lot of the time when breaks are being fixed the caliper bolts might be handled too often which can cause them to lose there seal and not be lubricated enough.
Deformed Brake Piston
If you apply pressure to your breaks, it can cause the piston to sometimes become deformed. If the piston is used for drag running, the seal can be broken by the piston and not able to keep the caliper in the right position.
Car Not Driven Enough
If you let the car sit for long periods of time between uses, the caliper can become rusty and fall apart easily. The car needs to run to keep the parts of the car lubricated and used well. If the piston is not going back into its house, the rust can build upon it and cause your car to not run well.
Wrap-Up
The caliper can seem like a difficult thing to turn, but you can do it with very little tools and some of your strength. Now that you know how to turn your back caliper, you can do your maintenance on your breaks yourself and save some money!