Somewhat of mechanic newbie here. I have removed my calipers to do some caliper painting. Question is, when re-installing I am guessing I will have to force the caliper piston back a bit to get it back on (new pads too)....Do I need to do anything to the fluid system, like take the brake fluid cover off or anything to do that?...Thanks for any advise

 

Yes you need to push the Pistons back into the caliper.
I use a c clamp is what I use, you can buy a dedicated clamp at the out parts store
I also remove the master cylinder cover, make sure to put a towel underneith the mc to catch any spills before they get anywhere else

 

You will need to compress the pistons with new pads going on the car. I used a straw and removed some fluid to make sure it would not overflow. (I kept the reservoir cover on when compressing the pistons). Then, once you are done add fluid if needed. Take your time. It should not be a tough job. Check out some threads here in the forum. I'll bet you can even find pictures. Good luck.
(Good idea on the post above to put a towel/rag around the reservoir).

 

Replacing GS / Z06 Brake Padlets:


It is not necessary to remove the calipers when replacing brake pads, so in this procedure, we are [not] going to be removing the 2 large caliper mount bolts .

1. Locate the guide pins on the caliper. You will see 4 pins on each of the front calipers, and 3 pins on each rear caliper. That is just for the outside of the calipers, but there are the same amount of guide pins on the inside (backside) of the calipers too.

2. Use a Torx-45 bit attached to a 3/8” socket wrench to remove all these guide pins .. Be advised .. some people will tell you that you only need to remove the center guide pins, but after doing this job, I can tell you that you want to remove all of them. Actually, the guide pins were really very easy to remove.

Note: 2007 and earlier models may have Allen heads instead of Torx heads on these guide pins

3. The old padlets can now be grasped with a pair of pliers and removed.

4. Once the padlets are all removed, compress each piston using a small C-clamp. This will make it easier to install the new padlets. A small block of wood may be used on the outer side of the caliper to protect it if the C-clamp you are using don’t have plastic parts that contact the calipers.

Note: The reservoir on the brake master cylinder should be no more than 1/2 full prior to compessing the pistons in the calipers. Otherwise, fluid may flow out of the master cylinder when the caliper pistons are compressed.

5. Clean each guide pin you remove with brake cleaner, and apply a little High Temp Brake Parts Lubricant to each guide pin (this is usually included with the new padlets).

6. First, install the lower guide pin

7. Then insert the padlet, and then the next guide pin. There should be some movement of the pad when the pins are installed properly.

Note: You will see a little tab on each padlet. That tab points to the outside of the caliper.

8. Proceed by installing the padlets from the bottom to the top of the caliper.

9. When all the pads are pins are inserted, torque the guide pins to 30 ft-lbs.


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I place the old pad against the piston and compress with a C-clamp.

 

If you have already removed your calipers you will also have to bleed your brakes to get all of the air out of the system

 

Here is a great little 4" clamp that is available at Home Depot. Works perfectly for compressing the pistons in your brake calipers.

Cost is only $4.16

http://www.homedepot.com/p/BESSEY-LM...-004/205641044

 

I respectfully disagree.... you can compress the pistons without opening the bleeder....

use a C-clamp and the old pad.... compress .... no air introduced and no need to bleed the brakes .

 

I also disagree ...

And, as I stated in the how-to I posted above ... There really is no reason to remove the calipers when doing this job.

 

Does the "how to" you posted also apply to base (non-GS or Z06) cars that have one-piece pads? Mine has the Z-51 option and thus larger brakes.

 

Good question .... To be honest; I don't know.

What I wrote applies to the GS and Z06

 

op says he removed calipers for painting and if he took brake lines off for this he will need to bleed brakes

 

Read his post. He has already removed the calipers. Maybe he just unbolted them but since he admits to being new at working on cars, I thought I should mention bleeding in case he really removed the calipers completely. Of course you can compress the piston without bleeding.

 

OP as long as you have not opened any break lines you won't have to bleed but you will need to compress the Pistons as has been discussed. I use a c clamp and it works good go slow and you should not overflow the reservoir. I do not remove the reservoir cap but it can be done either way. If you do remove the cap and some of the fluid be sure you don't let the level get to low and introduce air into the system.

 

When you put the calipers back, be sure to have the bleeder at the top of the caliper. If the two sides get switched, the bleeders will be at the bottom and the air bubbles will never come out. It has happened here on the forum before, this is why I mention it.

 

I noticed when removing the bolts which bolt the caliper to the bracket which holds the brake pads in place (I did not remove this bracket), I had to put a wrench on that bracket bolt/ pin to keep it from spinning...this bolt/ pin seems to move freely...is this normal?

 

Yes that is normal.

 

Base and Z51 pads are the same size and same calipers. The bracket is different (taller) for the Z51 as is the rotor. The caliper must be removed to change the pads on base and Z51 models. Just 2 mounting bolts so it is quick and easy.

 

Same^^^