ok so my stang is currently in the garage jacked up...im changing all rotors and pads i did the first front passenger side no problem then moved to rear...thats when the problem was encountered. i cant compress the piston to put in the new pads its like locked in place. to do the front ones all i used was a C clamp but this back one is just stiff and its not the parking break. what do i do?? plzzz and thanks

 

you need a tool from Napa for like old for lincon towncars and old fords. The rear calipers dont press in like the fronts, they have to "screw" in with the above mentioned piece.

The piece fits on the end of the socket wrench. It looks like a big doughnut (where the socket sits in the middle) with 2 prongs on the outside. Those 2 prongs are placed in the ring of the piston (you will see them) and then you screw the piston in with the tool.


When I went to the store they had two kinds, one that was a "universal" tool, (it was what looked like a cube), that is NOT it. It is the one that seems like it was made for cars in the 70's and 80's. Ill try to get a pic up soon if I can find it.

 

Because of the parking brake, you need (ideally) the special tool kit that rotates the piston while compressing.

I've heard you can get away with using pliers or vice grips to rotate the piston while compressing it with a clamp but that is going to take more time.

 

 

sorry 0949er I think we posted around the same time you covered it first though

 

i have heard about using pliers also, but when i was changing my rear brakes pliers would not budge the pistons. my pistons were seized though...

 

its all good vanquish

take it from me, I tried everything in the book before I had to drive around town for an entire day to find the right part. I mean its HARD to get downward force on those pistons AND turn the thing at the same time.Do yourself a favor and get the part. If I remember correctly it wasn't more then like $10.

 

I wish I had found the round one 0949er put up the pic of. The "cube" one is a p.o.s. and I had to grind the little nubs (which really sucks when you don't own a grinder) on the side that almost worked to get it to fit right. And as he also mentioned, putting downward force while turning it is no fun either as the tool has a tendency to slip out. Although somebody else told me that it should be easy as butter to do, so maybe I'm due to rebuild/replace my calipers next time.

 

harbor freight sells a whole kit to this. it comes with the tool and multiple adapters for different types of brake calipers. it only costs about 10~20 bucks