Rear brakes - surely I'm missing something

[ColoRig]

I have searched all over for this so, please, don't rip on me too bad for being a dumbass.

That outa the way, here we go.

In doing my rear brakes, rotor and pads, I totally got stumped because the pads seem too thick. The caliper piston was totally compressed and not the issue at all. It's the stationary side, the outside, that seemed way too thick. About an 8th of an inch.
No mater what I tried it wouldn't fit over the rotor. I walked to the parts store to compare pad sizes and the ones they had were even thicker. I even bought another rotor in case the one I had was out of spec for some reason. That rotor was the same thickness as the one I had. So, I scuffed the hell outa the pad on the driveway until it finally fit. (Driveway smelled like a truck runaway lane...)

Any idea what I'm missing, outside of common sense?

And, is anyone else distracted by the girl on the right in the umm red?

ColoRig

 

[ZebRuaj]

Are your two slide pins (where the caliper mounts to the bracket) frozen? That may stop you from fitting and moving the caliper over the thickness of the new pads.

 

[ColoRig]

Are your two slide pins (where the caliper mounts to the bracket) frozen? That may stop you from fitting and moving the caliper over the thickness of the new pads.

Thanks for replying, there is no where else for the pad to go, it is up against the stagnant part of the caliper. The pad is against the stagnant part on one side and the piston is all the way in on the other side. Soo wish I had taken pictures...

 

[gm350reratliff]

Do you have OEM or aftermarket calipers? I haven't had this problem on my 4th gen and I've tried a couple different pads through the years.

 

[m85476585]

Thanks for replying, there is no where else for the pad to go, it is up against the stagnant part of the caliper. The pad is against the stagnant part on one side and the piston is all the way in on the other side. Soo wish I had taken pictures...

I think the whole rear caliper slides an a greased slide pin under a rubber boot. Try pushing/pulling on it.

 

[nevada]

I have searched all over for this so, please, don't rip on me too bad for being a dumbass.

That outa the way, here we go.

In doing my rear brakes, rotor and pads, I totally got stumped because the pads seem too thick. The caliper piston was totally compressed and not the issue at all. It's the stationary side, the outside, that seemed way too thick. About an 8th of an inch.
No mater what I tried it wouldn't fit over the rotor. I walked to the parts store to compare pad sizes and the ones they had were even thicker. I even bought another rotor in case the one I had was out of spec for some reason. That rotor was the same thickness as the one I had. So, I scuffed the hell outa the pad on the driveway until it finally fit. (Driveway smelled like a truck runaway lane...)

Any idea what I'm missing, outside of common sense?

And, is anyone else distracted by the girl on the right in the umm red?

ColoRig

either you had the wrong parts, or the piston wasn't all the way back in.
either way, you ruined those pads by doing that.


I would remove them, and replace with proper stuff ASAP.

 

[TechWrench]

The problem is with the slider pins in the rubber boots. They are rusted and won't slide in the boots to allow for proper adjustment, or the boots are torn. In either case, get a new set of pins and rubber boots to fix the problem.

 

[catrains]

I have had problems with the backing plate of the pads on many vehicles. the steel is not properly cut and they bind.

on the caliper pins remove the pins and clean out the bore. then use a silicone grease made for the pins. do not use any petroleum grease .

pads should fit into the caliper with no tools required .

I have had to file the backing plate because of metal burrs interfering with installing.

being this old could also be rusted rotor edges file the rotor edge rust off.

 

[TechWrench]

I have had problems with the backing plate of the pads on many vehicles. the steel is not properly cut and they bind.

on the caliper pins remove the pins and clean out the bore. then use a silicone grease made for the pins. do not use any petroleum grease .

pads should fit into the caliper with no tools required .

I have had to file the backing plate because of metal burrs interfering with installing.

being this old could also be rusted rotor edges file the rotor edge rust off.

More often than not, it's not the pad backing plate that is the problem, but the stainless clips in the calipers that fit in the notches that the ends of the pads are supposed to slide in. Over time, rust will build up in the notch, under these clips, which causes them to rise in the notch. This causes the pad backing plate to hang up or not fit at all. Remove these clips, and clean the built up rust scale from the bottom of each notch, coat with never-seize, and reinstall the clips (if they are still intact, if not replace them). The new pads should now fit as they are supposed to. I have had this problem on several different vehicles, and the solution is always the same.

 

[ColoRig]

Thanks for your replies All. I will look into it again on Friday. But, at least for now, no pulsating and squealing. This forum rocks!!