wyche89

Alright, I got some brembo rotors and hawk brake pads so needless to say, i was excited.. i got out to put them on today.. at 11:00am i start on the right back wheel, but little did i know i would never get past that point... i remove the brake fluid cap.. and after much time fighting to get the rusted rotor off of the car, i take the old pads out.. go to push the piston back in the caliper with my c-clamp.. and bam...

Problem 1: the d*mn thing just doesnt budge a CENTIMETER.. so after literally hours of stuggling with this thing and breaking my c-clamp i am forced to give up.. is there some kind of special tool you need to push the piston back in the caliper? i've read how to change the brakes on this car many times and never seen such a thing mentioned...

Problem 2: as im going to put everything back together, i go to bolt the caliper (where the piston is inside) back onto the harness (where the brake pads sit) and the bolts just DO NOT line up... i already bolted the harness where the brake pads clamp in onto the car successfully (the 17 mm bolts), but when i go to bolt the caliper to the harness i cant get the two 14 mm bolts to line up.. i put the brake pads back exactly the way they were on there originally.. i even checked the other wheel to be sure, but when 1 bolt went in, the other was off about a half inch.. after more delightful hours of banging and hammering, and toying (as i was successful with in the past) one bolt was always off.. at 5:30pm i realize i am running out of daylight, and i am forced to leave the bottom one un-bolted, and i just tightened the top one really tight.. so one end is unsecure, which lives me a little insecure, as this car is my daily driver.. i have no idea what the problem is...

Problem 3: Now my brake light is on.. that light that comes on when you put on the emergency brake.. yeah... its on and it wont go off after putting the e-brake on and off several times... the car stops fine, but i'm still a little uneasy.. and very frustrated.. and baffled... HELP!!

wyche89

does anybody have anything that might work?

99BlackMaxMS

iTrader: (85)

Got me...ive heard that it is difficult to put the piston back in the caliper but who knows. If I come across anything ill let you know. Good luck.

maximaownsyou

the rear calipers are different than the front ones, you must push the piston in the caliper while turning in clockwise.. it kinda twists back like a medicine bottle. the front ones just push in nissan uses a special tool for this, you might be able to stick 2 screwdrivers in the holes and twist them around to push it in

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

I got a tool for the rear calipers for like $5 from Advance Auto...

Fits into the piston and rotates it right back no problem.

Lontar1

iTrader: (5)

You need this tool, goto Advance Auto parts and rent it for FREE... it will take 20 minutes to do the job.

Derrick2k2SE

iTrader: (3)

It should have a big + on the part that has to go back in. You can't push it. It's like a big philips head. You can us a a pair of needle nose pliars on it. Just open the pliars and put the tips into the groove on the +. Use those to turn it like a screw. Turn it clockwise like tightening a screw. You don't have to push any harder than it takes to keep the pliars in place. Just be careful not to tear the rubber boot around it and don't pinch your fingers when the pliars slip. The pliars will slip so really be careful.

Derrick2k2SE

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, that's probably a better idea than the pliars. I always forget about the way they work until I have the car apart already and have to improvise.

wyche89

holy crap.. you guys helped me so much.. thank you.. i will definitely go to auto zone or advance, rent the tool and try it... what do i do about the brake light.. will it go out once the job is done right?

Derrick2k2SE

iTrader: (3)

The brake light indicates either low brake fluid or a burned out bulb.

Lontar1

iTrader: (5)

once you put the brakes back together the light will go away.

wyche89

you're right.. the light did go away.. its funny how one bolt being out of place can set off a light.. even with that tool the pistons on the back wheels were still hard as a b*tch to turn, but after about 6 hours of turmoil with all 4 wheels i finally got the job done!! and the pads/rotors feel great.. i could feel the difference even when i stepped on the brake to take it out of park.. i did the bedding in process outlined on the hawk box, and they're ready to roll.. im gonna road test them further when i go out but i can already tell they're better than stock.. thanx alot to you guys for all your support

NisTech

i own that. It's made by OTC. You can also get the square and use a 3/8s ratchet with extension.

wyche89

yeah, the brakes definitely work nicely.. huge improvement over stock.. 2 issues though...

1. the pads seem to have made a black streak where they sit on the rotors.. is that normal?

2. when i bring the car to a complete stop... sometimes i can hear squeaking.. maybe about 20% of the time.. is there anything i can do to fix that?

Lefteezy

some people have reported squeaking with their hawk pads, others havent. you may just have gotten a set that squeaks. did you install the shims?

wyche89

you mean the metal retaining clips that came in the caliper? yeah, i left those in

Lefteezy

nono, shims that go on the back of the brake pad between the piston and pad. Hawks might not come with them though...

wyche89

yeah, they didn't come with any shims... shims help with squeaking?

Skoodaddy

iTrader: (1)

Dang, I love you guys, I was having the same problem, and was not expecting that difference at all, I assumed that it was going to be easy, since I had done it twice on my old 4th gen. I used the needle nose, and it worked just fine, just be patient.

Here is an extra tip for the next person who has this problem...when twisting the + with your pliers, the rubber may want to twist with it. It's ok to let it do that. Just go slowly, and continue turning past the point where you think you need it to go, stop, then turn it back counterclockwise a twist or two, and the rubber will reposition itself.

I love this place, you turned what could have been me taking the problem to a brake shop, and made it so I could fix it by myself, and I test drove it, it stops hella quicker.

wyche89

i second that.. thank you to everybody who helpd me out.. but i used that flimsy auto zone tool and it was still hard as all h*ll to turn.. i had to have somebody hold the caliper while i used both hands and turned with all my might.. needle nose plyers definitely wouldnt have been enough for me

Love_00_Max

I just open the bleed screw and the piston easily slides back in the caliper.

wyche89

oh... lol... alright... you know we actually tried that while using a c-clamp before we discovered that you needed a tool to turn it... of course it didnt work, but i didnt think of it when i was using the tool.. that would've helped alot.. but.. you live and you learn... and you post on maxima.org