Hi!

I have one problem which I came across when I was going to change the front brake pads on my '97 Honda Civic. Once I opened the caliper I immediately saw that my pads were totally wore down. This due to the brake pads not being able to retract properly. So basically, I was driving around with the car braking on its own. After removing the brake pads I added some brake grease inside the rubber cover of the piston to grease it up. However, when I press the brake pedal, the piston wont budge (or very little at least; barely noticeable) and I am not able to push it back in using a c-clam.I am not sure how to proceed from here, and I don't want to buy new calipers, since those are like 160$ each for after market ones, I don't want to know how much the OEM cost .

I'd be very glad for any suggestions on how to proceed!

Thanks!

 

Could be a bad caliper or brake line.

You need a buddy to help you with this test. Open the bleed bolt on the "bad caliper" and then have your buddy push down the brake pedal. Does fluid flow freely from the caliper? Do the same test on the "good caliper" on the other side for comparison. If flow on the bad side is poor, repeat the test after unscrewing the brake line from the bad caliper. If flow is similarly poor from the brake line, then the brake line is likely bad. If flow is fine, then the caliper is likely bad.

 

Got the new brake pads today, and my suspiicion was correct. The new pads won't fit with the piston being as far out as it is at the moment. I unscrewed the brake fluid hose and then tried to push the piston in, but no success. I am seriously considering buying new calipers. However, is it a good idea to buy used ones? And do calipers necessarily have to be changed in pairs? (because if so, I'll have to make sure both come from the same car, right?)

oh and I have the hugest blisters on my hands so I am pretty sure I gave the piston all I had, but it still wasn't enough.

 

It would be very difficult or impossible to compress the piston of a good caliper by hand. I always use a C-clamp to compress it, though I have never tried while the brake hose was disconnected from the caliper.