changing brake pads

dave-w-

Im thinking of repalcing the front end pads and discs on a vauxhall combo 2002 and wondered wether I need a piston wind back tool?

cheers

laurence_p

no you dont need any special tool for the job.

Hammyman

Fronts no, rears yes. BTW buy a tub of coppaslip and coat the back of the new pads. Also coat the surface of the alloy on the back where it comes into contact with the hub so you can get the wheel off easier in future.

dave-w-

thanks - so what should I use to wind the piston back?

boyse7en

I use a large screwdriver held across the grooves in the piston. It's a bit slow but it works.

Also put a smear of coppaslip on the hub face and on the threads of any disc-retaining screws. Makes it easier to get the disc off in the future.

laurence_p

i use a big set of pipe grips that i just happen to have, also useful for removing oil filters.

laurence_p

do you not have drums on the back.

Ebe_Scrooge

A G-clamp is another method.

As a slight aside, I recently had to do front + back brakes on 2 cars. The wind-back tools are easily available online - I saw one that fitted the Vauxhall I needed for about a tenner, but I ended up getting a complete kit that will do pretty much any car for £35 off Ebay ( brand new ). My only regret is that I didn't buy this bit of kit years ago ! Having now changed one of the cars, I reckon it's going to have been a very worthwhile investment. It can also be used on cylinders that don't specifically need a wind-back tool, so it's pretty versatile. Worth considering if you're likely to be doing more than a couple of sets of pads over the next few years.

Hodge4ever

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

A G-clamp is another method.

Yep, always works for me + cheap as chips

marlot

I've used the big screwdriver in the past, but the G clamp is easier

mikey72

Don't push the fluid back into the resevoir. You can flip the seals in the abs (if you have one) The correct method is the crack the bleed nipple open. You may need a 7mm allen key as well.
It's not a standard size, but you can get one for calipers fron Halfords, and other motor factor.