Help. Rear brake pad installation question!

[Brian Denham]

Rendog, check out this link . Jay Herbert and I recently changed mine out and took these photos. He is in the process of adding the recipe to the illustrated upgrades section of the main page. I believe photo 16 is the start of the rear pad installation. Hope this helps!

 

[Silver98]

I just did mine. You do have to remove the disk. No problem, just slip it out. HOWEVER, make sure you mark one bolt and hole on the disk to replace it exactly at the same spot.

 

[BurnR8]

not to be a smart a$$ but if you can remove the disc with out removing the caliper....you should go on tour....I did mine, took the caliper off, the rotor is a walk in the park and you will figure it out pretty fast with the caliper off...I have been told that you need to "screw in" the piston in order to fit it back on as well....good luck....the fronts are really easy, the rears are a bit of a pain in the butt...

 

[kverges]

You absolutely DO NOT HAVE TO REMOVE THE ROTOR.

The caliper is a single-piston slider design, and you need only remove one of the fasteners and then rotate the caliper on the slider enough to remove & replace the pads.

Note also that the piston will probably have to be retracted and you do so by using either the special too or a pair of needle-nose pliers to rotate the piston (sort of like screwing it back into the bore). Also, just to be safe, bleed the brakes while you have everything apart; changing pads should not introduce air into the system, but it only takes a few minutes and that way you will be sure there is no air in the calipers.

I cannot recommend higly enough to get a factory service manual from Helm if you are going to work on your car.

 

[Kurt 97 GTS]

I agree with Keith 100%. Just did this about 4 months ago when Kingman Hitz ( www.greatbrakes.com ) and I installed my EBC's. We did NOT have to remove the rotor!! I know for a fact thhat Keith Verges has tons of experience in this area and is absolutely right in what he says. Hope this helps......Kurt

 

[Henry Cone]

Rendog, I find it much easier to remove the rotor - nothing really to it and it saves unbolting the caliper. My procedure is as follows:

1. Turn rotor so that a wheel stud is at the 12:00 position
2. Remove outer pad
3. Pull rotor away from the car at the 9:00PM position.
4. Wiggle rotor off of studs and out of caliper
5. Remove inner pad
6. Turn adjuster in (CW) with needle nose pliers

The new inner pad can then be installed and steps 4 though 2 done in reverse.

I also mark the rotor and stud so that I re-install the rotor in the same position. Call me anal but this way the rotor is back in its original position where I know that there were not any vibration, run-out, etc problems....

Once you have done this the whole process is easier to do than to write it down here...

 

[jcaspar1]

Don't remove the caliper, it was not necessary on my 97. I do remember sliding the rotor off which requires tilting it at just the right angle but this is not difficult. The Viper is the easiest car I have ever changed brakes on. No wheel bearing repacking, no drum brakes, no caliper removal, not even a single bolt to loosen. Just some clips and spinning the rear piston in with some stout needle nose pliers.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

How do you seat the piston without removing the rotor? I had to push like I was giving birth to get that piston back in place. 97 GTS.

 

[Wing King]

Let me try to simplify, and add a little something to this discussion. First, if the caliper piston is rotated back into, and fully seated in its bore, there is literally GOBS of room to slip your pads in. Even more than the fronts from my experience. Just PUSH in on the piston while turning.....with your needle nose pliers OR the handy-dandy little special tool.

As for the rotors, unless you have a tool with dial gauge to check your "runout", you should leave the rotor in the same position. Rotor position on the studs should be changed for really only ONE reason...... If you DO check the runout, and find it marginal or OVER specifications, OFTEN times that can be corrected or at least made BETTER by re-positioning the rotor on the hub. Feel free to e-mail or call me if anyone would like further or more detailed information.

King
GreatBrakes.com
(866)GR8-PADS (Toll Free)

 

[Rich Carlson]

Originally posted by Chuck 98 RT/10:
How do you seat the piston without removing the rotor? I had to push like I was giving birth to get that piston back in place. 97 GTS.

You have to remove the rotor to gain access to the piston. If you clock the hub so that a wheel studs are at the 12:00 and 6:00 postion, you can then pivot the rotor ( like opening a car door ) off the hub. With the inner rear pad removed, you will see two holes the piston. The holes are for a special tool or a needle nose pliers. You TURN the piston clockwise until it bottoms out. Then you can reassemble. BUT REMEMBER TO PUMP THE BRAKES BEFORE YOU MOVE THE VEHICLE.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Thanks Rich, that's the way I did it. I was just resonding to Keith's post. I had to put alot of muscle into reseating the piston and thought that it would be best to have the caliper securely fastened.

 

[GTS Dean]

The only comment I have on the subject is that while the rotor is off, grasp the caliper and slide it in and out a few times. The slider pins can get sticky and interfere with smooth operation.

 

[Vip-RT10]

You don't need to remove the disk at all....Just remove pin, spring, and remove the bottom bolt that holds the caliper inplace which is a hex bolt and the pad just drops out from the bottom. It is that easy....Good luck

 

[treynor]

For the front pads at least, those instructions were right on for my 2001 RT. I'm still waiting for the rear pads to show up, and if there's a different procedure with the new calipers, I'll post pictures to walk through it.