Hi,

I've done many brake jobs on many cars/trucks, from Drum to Disc including emergency shoes but this C3 setup was difficult to say the least, and it should not have been. The RH caliper was weeping, glazed the pads which would grab when cold causing a pull to the right.
First Question, How do you get that nut loose for the brake line..... I soaked it for days with PB, it's not at all rusty, the wrench started to round it off so I switched to a new pair of vice grips and it's not moving, even with heat.. And I've done this before.... Any tricks I can try? (I left it on for now)
Second Question: How in the heck do you hold back both pistons enough to get the pads in, last I checked I did not have three hands..? They would creep back before I could get the pad in.... What am I missing, is there an easy way? ( I had the top off the master to allow fluid bleed back/no pressure..)
So, as I was struggling with the left side pads I sat back thinking there had to be an easier way, and it was right at my feet... I have a new blacktop driveway and have a few four inch square pieces of thin stainless laying around for when friends come over with their bikes, jiffy stands won't sink into black top on a hot day... I slid the plate in which allowed me to compress and hold both pistons with just enough room for the pad to slide in....Pic below, the old caliper is upside down so the fluid does not run out but you should get the idea..
Third Question: Pedal is firm, brakes work well but the pedal seems a little lower than before..? Could just be me being **** but is there any reason for this? I don't think its air since its really firm and I bled it really good, Master level never got low... Since the front and back are separate in the Master do I also have to bleed the rear-(I did a fluid change last year with no trouble)? ....Thoughts...

Thanks for the help, this turned into a multiple beer job...almost got into the brown liquid!!! lol
60

 

I had same issue with getting brake line off
i would use a nut grabbing vice grip to better turn and not crush.
i would order replace a new brake line.
manual says 2 crossed screwdrivers and push into bore. Many use a piece wood to fit in between and slide pads in while wood out. I use the metal caliper holders from the vendors.
assume you are rebuilding caliper due to leak as well.
also assume too late for flare wrench


when donedrip bleed all 4 again..

good luck!

 

Thanks Interpon,

I should have asked first or watched a video, and I totally forgot about the book. I slid the pads up once to get a look at them but never totally removed them and just figured it would be easy... Tool will be on the way....
The nut is OK(or as good as I found it, not the first one in on this), I know when to stop...lol..Guess I should finally get a set of flare/line wrenches, got by all these years and I have the other three to do. What size(s), are they metric(Some of this car is)? I don't remember what open end wrench I used but it was tight, had to kind of tap it on, the one on the hose was SAE.

I replaced the Caliper and will try rebuilding or at least take apart the core.... I remember rebuilding wheel cylinders in the distant past with less than stellar results....

Thanks again,
60

 

To just slide the pads in the caliper before installing it on the car should be easy, there should be enough room. I put both pads together and slide them between the pistons. The hard part is sliding the complete caliper over the rotor. I tried the caliper tool in the picture, I didn't have any luck with it. I use the block of wood, just a bit wider than the rotor. Slide the wood between the pads, start by sliding over the rotor as you remove the wood. Got some wood!
What year is your car and do you have power brakes?

 

Kodpkd,

I should have thought about putting the pads in first, thanks. I'll use the wood trick because I still have to change the rubber hoses and i want to grease the wheel bearings but was running out of time yesterday...guess it will be round two of the brake job.

Car is an 82 with power. Took it for a shakedown cruise today, brakes worked good, no pulling, peddle felt fine. It was 90 and the front wheels were 20 degrees hotter than the rear, I never noticed that before...Going to jack the wheels up and make sure they spin freely...

thanks,
60

 

I recently did my rear shoes and pads, also having problems getting the pads over the rotor.
Installed the pads in the caliper, and tried putting caliper over rotor. No luck.
Since I needed to bleed them anyway, I just opened both bleeder screws on the caliper, and the pads
slipped over the rotor easily. Messy, but I had a pan under the wheel to catch the fluid.
I ended up flushing the brake lines too.

 

I use a wide putty knife to insert the pads.
Place the back of the pad against the knife blade, insert the blade against the pistons and push them back until you have room to slide the pad & blade down into the opening.
With the right size blade the handle rests against the top of the pad making it easier to push the pad down,

 

If you just replaced front pads they drag for a bit until the rotor cuts off the excess here and there. That will make heat. Also, fronts do more than twice the stopping than the rears. So more heat again.

 

Also the rear calipers are hard to bleed because of the angle they are mounted. I guarantee they still have air in them.

 

Good stuff guys, thanks,

Love the putty knife thing, man after my own heart and thanks Derek makes perfect sense, I just get **** over some things...
I bought a set of craftsman line wrenches, hope they are not cheep chinese junk these days and since I still need to do the front bearings and hoses the calipers need to come off. I'll have to look into what grease to use on the bearings, I looked at the outer one and it was brownish and old..

Thanks again
60

 

C2/C3 calipers come from the infancy of brake caliper design and include integral springs that push out on the pistons (to help with pad knockback). That's the unusual bit you weren't expecting. Once you know about it, you're ready for it -- but definitely a trickier job than the run-of-the-mill single piston caliper or modern multi-piston caliper.