[Ravage]

Ok, before i stopped riding last fall i started to get really loud screeches when i applied the rear brakes. Given we only had a few more rides left before the snow i kept riding it and did not check the pad or anything, the disk was thin and had weird ware markes on it. Ok so no biggie im replacing them anyways. Fast forward to this week, i get my new pads and disk, WOW!!! what a difference between the pads. There was NO, NONE, NOTHING left to the actual pads, only METAL! So i install them they wont even fit with the piston where it was. I push it in far enough to install the pads and the wheel with the shiney new disk. Sweet they fit but there is a wobble to it and slightly drags in one spot. NO big deal i thought, then i see that brake fluid had dripped out of the master Cly. Only a little, then i pumped the pedal and the wheel will not even turn now without pushing fairly hard, and when the pedal is applied there is no breaking power hardly at all. The pads have squeezed tight against the disk. So thats where i am and have no clue what to do next. Change the fluid, and make sure the wheel is centered in the axel blocks?

So how do you install pads properly?
What would you do?

Im young and learning, the hard way.

-Aaron

[124]

Sounds like the caliper piston is froze. You'll probably need new piston seals and maybe a new piston. If you can compress the piston enough to get the wheel off, try spraying some penetrating oil around the piston seal. It could be that the seal has gone bad due to it being fully extended for so long. Dirt/crap got in there and froze the thing up.

A new piston(#13) is $22 and the seals(#2) are $9.
See below:

[Ravage]

Thanks 124, im gunna look into that tomarow and see whats up. What should i use to try and free it up? WD40 good enough?

[Smash]

Have you tried taking the cap off the master cylinder or bleeding the brakes at all? Sounds like you've frozen it up. Remember if you added fluid as the pads wore out when you push the cylinder back in the fluid had no where to go other than back in the master cylinder or on the other side of the piston. Always pull the master cylinder cap when pushing the piston back in the caliper.

[124]

Have you tried taking the cap off the master cylinder or bleeding the brakes at all? Sounds like you've frozen it up. Remember if you added fluid as the pads wore out when you push the cylinder back in the fluid had no where to go other than back in the master cylinder or on the other side of the piston. Always pull the master cylinder cap when pushing the piston back in the caliper.

I forgot to add that, thanks Smash. Always remove the resevoir cap when compressing the piston (on cars, bikes, anything). It could be an airlock somewhere. Check that before ordering any new parts. Take the cap off and try bleeding the system. This should remove any air.

[Tattooart]

Have you tried taking the cap off the master cylinder or bleeding the brakes at all? Sounds like you've frozen it up. Remember if you added fluid as the pads wore out when you push the cylinder back in the fluid had no where to go other than back in the master cylinder or on the other side of the piston. Always pull the master cylinder cap when pushing the piston back in the caliper.

That's kind of what I was thinking is his problem.

[wakebuddy]

If pulling the cap doesn't work, the other thing I would try would be to release the pressure by loosening the bleed fitting on the caliper (#11?). I had a master cylinder that had the return hole plugged and was having problems with the brakes releasing. I replaced on the pistons, seals, and cleaned everything real good, new fluid, bled a couple bottles of fluid through it and it still would not work. I finally got something small enough to push through the tiny pin hole that lets the fluid return to the master cylinder and that took care of it. But it was quite frustrating.