Help! Rear brake caliper piston

[zot]

Hi,

I'm attempting to change the brake pads on the rear of my Focus. I've done this before many times on different vehicles, but never before on a Focus.

I checked out the process in the Haynes manual before I started, and have removed the old pads, but I'm stuck trying to retract the piston into the caliper. I can rotate the piston head and am trying to apply pressure as well but it seems it's just not doing anything. (I don't have the proper tool for this but I've never had any problems in this respect on previous vehicles. Is this a case where it'll be impossible without the correct tool? Haynes say simply turning with pliers should suffice)

Can anyone confirm the exact process for this (i.e. do I need to apply pressure as I turn, should I turn clockwise or anticlockwise, and as a general guide how many turns are likely to be necessary - a few, or lots?)

Please help if you can, as I'm stuck with a 3-wheeler until I can resoolve this problem!

:-(

Thanks,

Jason

[zot]

Sorted!

Having now fixed it, here are some handy hints if anyone else out there has the same problem in future:

I decided I probably just needed to get more pressure on the piston to help it move back, but I was stuck for a while about how to hold everything in place so I could get the force required.

I thought about bolting the caliper back in position to hold it while I worked on it, but the brake disc was in the way. So I removed the disc (marking which lug went through which hole so I could put it back where it came from), then bolted the caliper back in place. This left just enough room to get some thin-nosed pliers in to turn the piston head, and with a block of wood behind the caliper to stop it moving, I was able to screw the piston head while getting a lot more weight behind to push the piston back in as it turned. It then only took a few turns (clockwise) before the piston was fully retracted, and with each turn it was clear that the piston was moving. (Then remove the wood & unbolt the caliper to continue fitting as normal)

Of course, using the right tool for the job in the first place would have helped! :-)

Jason

[vinnyvangough]

Glad you managed to sort it and many thanks from the forum as a whole for posting the method and what was needed for doing the job