Brake spreader tool?

[Krokodil]

What do you guys use for brake spreaders? Most of the time a G clamp will probably do the job. I've been looking at getting something a bit better than that, but the Hazet speciality tools are a bit pricey.

So I was thinking if making my own. Long bolt through a nut welded to a backing plate and a swivel nut at the end. Anybody else made something like this?

Btw, how many pistons wind back vs. just push back in?

 

[d.mcfarland]

I got the Lisle one at Sears for like 8 bucks. Never had a problem.

 

[jjjrmx5]

Fronts usually just push back but you often do need special plates for 4 pot , and 6 pot fronts.

For rears, many use the screw-in from the piston face due to the fact that the hand brake is also used in conjunction with the rears.

Some makers have rear pistons you need to retract with a hex bit socket on the rear of the caliper and currently some makers require using the ODB2 port and retract the pistons via the mfgr software or Modis or eq. from the ECU.

If just doing old skool press in's , I suggest teh Blue Point tool BTCP500.

Every mfgr does things in their own way so yes, you really need ALL the brake tools if you work on multiple brands.

Might want to tell us what you plan to specifically want to work on as that will save us time and you $$$.

 

[E.Marquez]

What car you talking about? Some caliper pistons simple push in... some like ford mustang ones have to be turned and pushed in. others have a device on the back side of the caliper....

 

[devoncoolman]

Lisle make pistol grip piston retracotors quick and reliable. Rears that have integrated ebrake usually twist in. Some of the fords are cw on one side and ccw on the other.

 

[scarney1988]

For single/same side piston calipers (nonscrew-in) I use one of the following:
1)Large channel lock pliers (brake pad to protect piston)
2)A >= 3 foot pry bar between the knuckle and caliper

For quad piston I remove the sliding hardware and use two small prybars (using the brake pads to protect the piston surface) to seat the pistons.

Normally, I'll resurface the rotors so any minor abrasions from this process are removed.

For screw in calipers... I just borrow the tool. I dont come across them often enough to worry about it.

Save you money better tools unless your service bay is covered in gravy .

 

[619DioFan]

I have the set from harbor freight. has all the adaptors to cover most anything. been using it for about 4 years with no probs. think it was about 30.00 bucks using the coupon.

 

[jjjrmx5]

For single/same side piston calipers (nonscrew-in) I use one of the following:
1)Large channel lock pliers (brake pad to protect piston)
2)A >= 3 foot pry bar between the knuckle and caliper

... unless your service bay is covered in gravy .

I'd LOVE to know how long you have been wrenching on vehicles, or for that matter, anything.

Use that home made shiz on your own cars.

You get near any of my car's with a channel lock on the caliper piston and it will NOT be pretty. (God forbid you do that on a customer's car if you work in a shop.)

Wrong tool for the job.
Period.
Unless you are brakeless in a ditch nearly drowning and for some reason need to do a brake job it's just not the correct tool.

Back in 1978, maybe.

Today?
No way.

 

[DirtRoad]

Gotta admit I've never seen a screw in piston and I've done a **** ton of brake jobs.

 

[skulldrinker]

I have Lisle brand 2 of them one is single piston and the other is dual piston.



(i think I got the links crossed)

 

[jayoldschool]

C clamp for calipers that press in, cube tool on a cordless impact for pistons that need to spin in. Works like a charm. Once I discovered the power, I can do a caliper in about 30 seconds. You just hold the caliper in one hand, press hard on the impact and pull the trigger. So much easier than fighting with a ratchet.

 

[Mazdaratti3]

I have the Kastar branded one but the BluePoint is the same think just different name and about $23 more. Best one I have ever used.

http://www.tooltopia.com/kastar-hand-tools-279.aspx

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...roup_ID=675710&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

 

[Krokodil]

The car I want to do is a 06 Toyota Fortuner so I think it will be pretty simple push back system. Will probably do it over the weekend and let you know.

 

[oldtools]

http://www.harborfreight.com/18-piece-disc-brake-pad-and-caliper-service-tool-kit-69053.html

 

[Olafur]

The car I want to do is a 06 Toyota Fortuner so I think it will be pretty simple push back system. Will probably do it over the weekend and let you know.

Seems to have "drum style" parking brake inside the rear discs, so ..no "screwing" with the caliper pistons.

 

[Krokodil]

Yes, drums at the rear and disks at the front. I'm going to replace the disks and pads on the front only this time round.

 

[fourtythree]

I have the set from harbor freight. has all the adaptors to cover most anything. been using it for about 4 years with no probs. think it was about 30.00 bucks using the coupon.

This. Say what you will about hf, but this is a good kit.

 

[Drew_flux]

4" mini prybar. pushes 2 and 4 piston calipers back when your in a rush.

 

[mrborohachi]

I have the Kastar branded one but the BluePoint is the same think just different name and about $23 more. Best one I have ever used.

http://www.tooltopia.com/kastar-hand-tools-279.aspx

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...roup_ID=675710&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

^This is the tool i'm getting when my friend pays me for the front/rear brake job i did on his '10 Accord. The rear pistons were screw in, I was pretty shocked to see that they were that style. I know late '80's toyotas were that way.

 

[littlekillertoad]

I've got an older version of that HF set and it's been working just fine for me.
I bought it to do the rears on a VW Jetta and it's come in handy a number of times.
It's a little cumbersome on the fronts, but it gets the job done.
If you decide to make your own, I'd love to see some pics.

 

[jjjrmx5]

^This is the tool i'm getting when my friend pays me for the front/rear brake job i did on his '10 Accord. The rear pistons were screw in, I was pretty shocked to see that they were that style. I know late '80's toyotas were that way.

What kind of rear piston calipers were you expecting?

Screw in rear's have been around for decades as have the hex bolt retractor rears.

As more cars go to electronic parking brake systems using a spreader is gonna be long gone.
Gonna have to break out the laptop, Solus or some other big $$$$ electronic device to retract those caliper pistons.

That's been going on for years and where the mfgrs seem to want to go. (No more shadetree brake jobs without a computer.)

If mechanical, ya gotta get those rear calipers and parking brake handle to work together somehow.

 

[firebox40dash5]

What kind of rear piston calipers were you expecting?

Screw in rear's have been around for decades as have the hex bolt retractor rears.

As more cars go to electronic parking brake systems using a spreader is gonna be long gone.
Gonna have to break out the laptop, Solus or some other big $$$$ electronic device to retract those caliper pistons.

That's been going on for years and where the mfgrs seem to want to go. (No more shadetree brake jobs without a computer.)

If mechanical, ya gotta get those rear calipers and parking brake handle to work together somehow.

Most cars have been going to drum-in-rotor parking brakes for years, there's not nearly as many screw-ins as there used to be. I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to use the screw-in tool in the last ~18 months. I think 90% have been Eurojunk.

The VW electronic parking brake is a PITA, and for some reason they put notches in the pistons like you're supposed to screw them in, even though you're supposed to push them in normally once the calipers are ready. The multiple warnings of "...and if you don't do this (computer step) just right, irreparable harm may happen to the EPB system" are not reassuring either.

 

[jjjrmx5]

Most cars have been going to drum-in-rotor parking brakes for years, there's not nearly as many screw-ins as there used to be. I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to use the screw-in tool in the last ~18 months. I think 90% have been Eurojunk.

The VW electronic parking brake is a PITA, and for some reason they put notches in the pistons like you're supposed to screw them in, even though you're supposed to push them in normally once the calipers are ready. The multiple warnings of "...and if you don't do this (computer step) just right, irreparable harm may happen to the EPB system" are not reassuring either.

LOLZ.

I knew I was leaving a rear system out.

I've wrenched on enough 80's and 90's Porsches to know they use the drum shoes within a rear disc "hat" sytem for the parking brake.
Derp on my end.
Dammit.

As for EPB's, you can thank the dweebs and nerds at Audi in Ingolstadt for that. All that shiz gets passed downstream via the VAG to VW and then you gotta deal with it for the lowere end marques.

Cute, until you really gotta find a problem.

Electronics, ECU's and cars. Never really a happy relationship. Especially these days.

 

[ATC]

You get near any of my car's with a channel lock on the caliper piston and it will NOT be pretty. (God forbid you do that on a customer's car if you work in a shop.)

Wrong tool for the job.
Period.
Unless you are brakeless in a ditch nearly drowning and for some reason need to do a brake job it's just not the correct tool.

Back in 1978, maybe.

Today?
No way.

Tell me...what has changed between 1978 and today in regards to brake calipers? Not much at all huh? So why should I go out and blow my money on a special tool to push the pistons back in. I have been using C-clamps and channellock's for 10 years with amazing results. So please tell me why I cannot use these "wrong tools" to push a piston back into place.

Now, If you calipers are painted...then I can understand. But to come out and threaten someone who uses something other than the "special tool" is assinine

 

[ChevyEFI]

single piston iron stuff, crack the bleeder, add a hose and pry things back before you pull the caliper.

anything else, I've always used regular tip c-clamp vice grips

 

[jjjrmx5]

Tell me...what has changed between 1978 and today in regards to brake calipers? Not much at all huh? So why should I go out and blow my money on a special tool to push the pistons back in. I have been using C-clamps and channellock's for 10 years with amazing results. So please tell me why I cannot use these "wrong tools" to push a piston back into place.

But to come out and threaten someone who uses something other than the "special tool" is assinine

1. I was not threatening anyone.

2. A LOT has changed in the last decade re: passenger car brakes.

Many use a EPB. Many use ECU's linked to calipers for stability control systems linking them back into the ODB/ECU system thus the need for the computer interface.

And as for c-clamps, I had a hack mechanic years ago use one, tear my front caliper piston boot to the point I was leaking brake fluid and also thusly blowing it onto the rotor itself at highway speeds.

Life threatening when you have little brakes due to the introduction of a lubricant and your brake fluid is slowly draining to boot. (pardon the pun.)

It's not like most vehicle owners check for the job to be doen correctly after a brake job but I have more stories than time that say otherwise.

Lest we go into why Jiffy Lube keeps cork gaskets in bulk for f*&^ed up oil drain pan bolts that the wrong tool and torque was used by a novice should say it all.

Brake job should = QUALIFIED technician.
Enough said.



< big hug>

 

[aka Larry]

And as for c-clamps, I had a hack mechanic years ago use one, tear my front caliper piston boot to the point I was leaking brake fluid and also thusly blowing it onto the rotor itself at highway speeds.

Your piston 'boot' holds the fluid in? On all my calipers the o-ring seal holds the fluid in and the 'boot' keeps the dust out.

 

[uncletater]

Your piston 'boot' holds the fluid in? On all my calipers the o-ring seal holds the fluid in and the 'boot' keeps the dust out.

I was thinking the same thing.

"Use that home made shiz on your own cars.

You get near any of my car's with a channel lock on the caliper piston and it will NOT be pretty. (God forbid you do that on a customer's car if you work in a shop.)"

I also thought this was a little harsh and frankly threatening


Too many tough guy keyboard jockeys on here.

 

[DirtRoad]

This thread has me asking questions.

What would you do with channel locks on a brake job?
What are you talking about with the whole computer interface thing?
Screw in caliper pistons?
What is wrong with a c-clamp? Ive got one that is dedicated to brake jobs, i would cry if i lost it, size and shape make it great for brake jobs.
There is fluid in the dust boot? Never seen that, i thought they just kept dust out, never damaged one to find out i guess lol

Ive done hundreds of brake jobs over the years, my own, family, freinds, coworkers...im amazed i havent seen this stuff.

 

[Eslader]

I have the set from harbor freight. has all the adaptors to cover most anything. been using it for about 4 years with no probs. think it was about 30.00 bucks using the coupon.

Another vote here for the HF one. Works fine, doesn't cost much.

In a pinch, you can use a thin adjustable wrench on the screw in kind. Adjust the jaws to almost the width of the piston, stick 'em in the slot, and turn it with a screwdriver inserted in the end of the wrench. I had to do this once on a friend's car out in the middle of nowhere. He had somehow managed to install the pads backwards without noticing, and only figured out that something was weird about 200 miles into a roadtrip when he finally wondered what that scraping noise was. (I was in another car, so I never heard anything). I only had my small toolkit with me, which doesn't include the brake kit, so I had to improvise.

 

[oldtools]

This thread has me asking questions.

What would you do with channel locks on a brake job?
What are you talking about with the whole computer interface thing?
Screw in caliper pistons?
What is wrong with a c-clamp? Ive got one that is dedicated to brake jobs, i would cry if i lost it, size and shape make it great for brake jobs.
There is fluid in the dust boot? Never seen that, i thought they just kept dust out, never damaged one to find out i guess lol

Ive done hundreds of brake jobs over the years, my own, family, freinds, coworkers...im amazed i havent seen this stuff.

Yes, there are screw in piston. Honda use it in their rear disk brake. You can not just push it in. You have to push and rotate it in. This is because the emergency brake is built into the rear disk brake as a single unit.

 

[jjjrmx5]

Your piston 'boot' holds the fluid in? On all my calipers the o-ring seal holds the fluid in and the 'boot' keeps the dust out.

Correct.

The o-ring keeps the pressure seal but the torn boot allowed a slightly failing o-ring (unbeknowst to me) to further cause additional issues. And ripping the boot up was the result of using the WRONG tool.

Again, even just tearing the dust boot allows moisture in (and ice to develop in the winter) and dirt into a very sensitive area of a pseudo "clean" system.

Brake work used to be so simple that is was a no-brainer.
Now with ABS cages on rotors, slots and dots ABS readers on hubs, electronic piston retractors via a ECU OBD hookup and traction control using the braking system and thus wired into the vehicle brain box, things may need to get re-adapted (just like TPMS) when working on the modern braking systems.

No keyboard jockey here. Sorry.

It's just the way cars are made these days and the systems mfgrs use.





Sorry to get off topic.

 

[skulldrinker]

--cut--
Brake work used to be so simple that is was a no-brainer.
Now with ABS cages on rotors, slots and dots ABS readers on hubs, electronic piston retractors via a ECU OBD hookup and traction control using the braking system and thus wired into the vehicle brain box, things may need to get re-adapted (just like TPMS) when working on the modern braking systems. --cut--

Let just face it DIY'ers are just going to have to include a $2,000 scanner in their tool box very soon.

 

[ATC]

1. I was not threatening anyone.

May I quote you? :

You get near any of my car's with a channel lock on the caliper piston and it will NOT be pretty

You might not have been talking personally to anyone on here...but that is pretty 'threatening' technically

2. A LOT has changed in the last decade re: passenger car brakes.

Many use a EPB. Many use ECU's linked to calipers for stability control systems linking them back into the ODB/ECU system thus the need for the computer interface.

EPB's are still very new, and not many models have them. Either way, for the work I do, I will never see one. Stability control, ABS, etc...has no bearing on how you compress the piston (I'm not talking about the rears that need to be spun in. Again, I have never ran into one yet. Everything I work on is drum-in-hat style).

And as for c-clamps, I had a hack mechanic years ago use one, tear my front caliper piston boot to the point I was leaking brake fluid and also thusly blowing it onto the rotor itself at highway speeds.

Life threatening when you have little brakes due to the introduction of a lubricant and your brake fluid is slowly draining to boot. (pardon the pun.)

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. However, your one bad experience shouldn't speak for the thousands and thousands of brake jobs done with c-clamps around the country every day. A hack mechanic is just that...a hack. It doesn't matter what tool they use, they will find a way to screw it up...

 

[MattPersman]

Reminds me of the van I got towed in 2 days ago with 4 wheel new brakes from another shop with really crappy brake pedal. Well it has the IPB rear brake calipers (Chrysler corp screw in rear) and they put 4 wheel brakes on it and then when it barely would stop told the customer whatever is wrong should be covered under warranty had them tow it to me and I knew what it was right away. The rear needed to be bled. Advisor called the customer, customer called the shop, shop called advisor said it was nothing they did, did not have the system open, blah blah. Well at least don't lie about it pull the rubber caps on the bleeder screws of course you can see fluid in there like they had been open and the shop was trying just couldn't get the job done. So customer approved the rear bleed procedure and a short time later it was ready to go.

You got shops out there with the attitude brakes are easy and its not there fault if they can't Correctly work on things. Jus stick there hands out for rotors, and pads all around. I would have turned the rotors I am sure they would have been ok thickness wise. So how much do you think they saved after buying rotors, and having to tow the vehicle and pay me to bleed it?

Anyways make sure you know what you are doing on the brake system you work on, sure your 84 Chevy has basic brakes use your c clamp or giant channel locks on your own stuff but all the systems and type of calipers are changing. If it needs a qualified trained technician to do it, pay up and keep your ride safe and family safe. It's worth the extra $ to make sure it's done right. Not all us dealer techs are hacks or shady like is portrayed around the Internet when people use the term stealership.

 

[BrianJ]

So, what is the tool of choice for multi piston calipers? With and without removing the caliper?

 

[theamcaddict]

Depending on the setup use a few different tools. The pliers get used very often on front calipers if they are not painted.

1.The big SK pliers
2.screwdriver/pry bar
3.pad spreader
4.Rear caliper wind back tools

 

[m33p0n3]

The aforementioned Lisle dual piston compressor is what most of the guys at my shop use. They make really quick work of anything except the screw ins (that most have the blue point or HF tool for) or fixed caliper 4/6 piston.

 

[oldtools]

Let just face it DIY'ers are just going to have to include a $2,000 scanner in their tool box very soon.

People with hybrid vehicle need to be extra careful when working on brake system. Since hybrid vehicle brake don't get use very often (due to regenerative braking), the car computer will cycle the brake system once a while to make sure the mechanical brake still function properly. You need an electrical tool (scanner?) to hook up the car computer to shut off the random brake cycling. If not and you accidentally put your hand next to the piston and the car happen to perform the brake test cycle, you know what is going to happen to your hand.

 

[cgv69]

People with hybrid vehicle need to be extra careful when working on brake system. Since hybrid vehicle brake don't get use very often (due to regenerative braking), the car computer will cycle the brake system once a while to make sure the mechanical brake still function properly. You need an electrical tool (scanner?) to hook up the car computer to shut off the random brake cycling. If not and you accidentally put your hand next to the piston and the car happen to perform the brake test cycle, you know what is going to happen to your hand.

Couldn't you just disconnect the battery before starting?