pulling the pistions from the brake calipers

[Anonymous]

:x can any one tell me how to pull out the front brake pistions they
are about 19yrs old and i am pulling my hair out.i got one to come up but it will not come out and the other one will not come up at all please help

[Anonymous]

pistons

Heres what to do. Provided the pistons are not seized in the calipers. Romove the caliper, remove the brake pads. Pump the brake lever until one piston comes out. Clean it, clean the body of the caliper where it sits, polish it up. Replace the newly cleaned piston and push it right home. Then, refill your brake system (you've probably spilled fluid everywhere at this point), clamp the newly cleaned piston shut with a G-clamp, then pump the lever again. This time, only the other piston can move and, provided it isn't welded in, it will eventually pop out. So the trick is, one piston at a time with the others clamped shut.

I hope this helps. good luck.

[Anonymous]

Compressed air works to unstick pistons. Before you try this, make sure your area is free of bystanders and you can contain flying pistons. I've set the assembly into a large bucket before and that worked well to contain flying parts. If you can rig a tire pump, thats better, because you can slowly increase the air pressure better than using a air compressor or "canned" air.

[Don Lobacz]

Compressed air works well 95% of the time, but you don't need flying/chipped pistons and brake fluid (which by the way destroys paint). Just put a shop towel or two in front of the piston(s) and wrap the whole caliper as well in towels. To get 2 pistons out at once usually only involves getting them to both come out together. I use varied size pieces of wood in front of the pistons that stops one while the other catches up. Pull that piece and put in a smaller slat, etc., until they are both almost completely out. Then you can blow one out and pull the other out by hand. If air won't do it, then substitute hydraulic power like Mr Madhatter suggested (or get them almost all the way out with hydraulic pressure and then switch to air: less messy).