Not enough space between brake pads

[Pete7874]

I am installing new pads. After I place both of them inside the caliper, they are pretty much touching each other and there is absolutely no space to squeeze the disc in-between them. I am guessing the caliper cylinder has contracted. How do I make space for the disc?

The manual says not to touch the brake lever while the pads are out, and I followed that. Do I need to release some brake fluid through the air bleeder valve the make the caliper expand?

Thanks.

[BillInGA]

The brake caliper piston adjusts to accommodate the decreasing width of the brake pads. I have used a c-clamp to compress the cylinder to make room for the new (and thicker) brake pads. I also put a rag between the clamp and the calipers.

Bill

[ncff07]

I've used a c-clamp on vehicles but not bikes but its the same principle and works good. Tighten it a little then give it a minutes for the pressure to back off then turn a little more till you get the space you need. I always leave the old pad on the caliper doing that too so it wont go back in at an angle.

[Pete7874]

Got it done. Had to release brake fluid from the system to be able to squeeze the piston back in. I did complete brake bleed afterwards. However, many times when I come to a stop now, I hear a strange rumbling sound coming from the front brakes. It's not squeak. It's more like a vibration. It even continues after I release the brake lever. Any idea what it could be?

[Water Warrior 2]

I've used a c-clamp on vehicles but not bikes but its the same principle and works good. Tighten it a little then give it a minutes for the pressure to back off then turn a little more till you get the space you need. I always leave the old pad on the caliper doing that too so it wont go back in at an angle.
Excellent hint for the inexperienced(that's me)DIY mechanic. Might actually be doing that next week myself too. I will have the wheels off for new tires and that is a very good time to do an inspection of pads and assorted parts. Thank you so much. :2tup:

[alantf]

now, I hear a strange rumbling sound coming from the front brakes. It's not squeak. It's more like a vibration. It even continues after I release the brake lever. Any idea what it could be?

Did you lubricate the "pins" that the pads slide in & out on? This MAY be your problem (not lubricating them, that is) :)

[bonehead]

Just make sure one of the pads did not get installed backwards.

[Sarris]

Re: Front brake pad troubles...
Open the bleeder, push the pistons back by hand (some brake fluid will come out of the bleeder) and close the bleeder. Insert the pads and top off the reservoir.

My previous post from a previous discussion..........

:)

[Pete7874]

Did you lubricate the "pins" that the pads slide in & out on? This MAY be your problem (not lubricating them, that is) :)
I did not. The service manual didn't mention anything about that. That is probably my problem. Can I spray some WD40 in there or do I need to take the whole thing apart again?

[blaine]

Did you lubricate the "pins" that the pads slide in & out on? This MAY be your problem (not lubricating them, that is) :)
I did not. The service manual didn't mention anything about that. That is probably my problem. Can I spray some WD40 in there or do I need to take the whole thing apart again?

NO! You need to put some Hi-heat grease on the pins and slides.Also make sure every thing is clean & rust free when it is apart. :2tup: :)

[Easy Rider]

Got it done. Had to release brake fluid from the system to be able to squeeze the piston back in.

Any idea what it could be?

That's better than forcing the pistons back......as that can damage the master cylinder sometimes.

You need to get the front wheel off the ground and spin it to see what is going on.
Did you put a dab of grease on the guide pins ??
Could just be the new pads need wearing in a bit but I wouldn't ignore it completely.
They might be dragging and that would be bad.

Can I spray some WD40 in there or do I need to take the whole thing apart again?

Yikes !! :skull:
NO, don't go spraying any kind of lube anywhere near the brake assembly.

On most, you can get to the guide pins without taking anything apart; don't remember about the GZ for sure. Then you only need an amount of hi-temp grease about equivalent to two or three DROPS of oil.

Be very careful not to get the grease on anything else by accident.

And just to re-inforce........you need to inspect things FIRST. When troubleshooting, one should not take wild guesses as to what the problem is ......nor should you take a shotgun approach to applying a fix. If at all possible, you need to pinpoint the problem first before you "fix" anything.

[Pete7874]

Thanks guys. I'm still a noob at all these things. I'm really glad this forum exists.

[Pete7874]

Also, would white lithium grease work on these pins, assuming that's what the problem is? Or is that not "hi-temp"?

[Easy Rider]

Also, would white lithium grease work on these pins, assuming that's what the problem is? Or is that not "hi-temp"?

I don't know but tend to think NOT.
Just a touch, like from a Q-tip that has been wiped off, should be OK just to verify and pin-point the problem though.

[Pete7874]

The only thing I was able to find at the local AceHardware was SuperLube synthetic multi-purpose grease. Says it's good up to 450F. Maybe I'll keep looking...

[Easy Rider]

Says it's good up to 450F. Maybe I'll keep looking...

Visit AutoZone and tell then what you need it for.
The stuff you mentioned wouldn't be good for a race bike on the track......but it should be OK for you and me.

[Pete7874]

Got it greased up, but it's still making the noise. Maybe it just needs some time for the pads to break in. When I lift the front wheel, it spins fine.

[blaine]

Got it greased up, but it's still making the noise. Maybe it just needs some time for the pads to break in. When I lift the front wheel, it spins fine.

Just a thought,If you put on semi-metallic pads they tend to be noisier than standard pads. :rawk:

[Pete7874]

They are OEM pads I got from cheapcycleparts.com. It doesn't sound like they are slightly rubbing against rotors (that's a separate sound). It sounds like they're vibrating in the calipers or something... hard to describe.

[blaine]

They are OEM pads I got from cheapcycleparts.com. It doesn't sound like they are slightly rubbing against rotors (that's a separate sound). It sounds like they're vibrating in the calipers or something... hard to describe.

Did you transfer backing plates from old pads on to the new pads? :??:

[Pete7874]

No. Was I supposed to?

[alantf]

Did you transfer backing plates from old pads on to the new pads? :??:

What do you mean by "backing plates"? The only things that should be transferred are anti squeal shims (if fitted) & I don't believe that they're fitted to the gz. (I'm not sure if they're fitted because labour is so cheap over here that I let the bike shop swap mine) :)

[blaine]

Did you transfer backing plates from old pads on to the new pads? :??:

What do you mean by "backing plates"? The only things that should be transferred are anti squeal shims (if fitted) & I don't believe that they're fitted to the gz. (I'm not sure if they're fitted because labour is so cheap over here that I let the bike shop swap mine) :)


That's what I meant ''Anti squeal shims'' and yes the G.Z. has them.

[blaine]

No. Was I supposed to?

If you look closely at your old pads there should be a small shim on the back side of the pad that gets transferred on to new pads to keep them from squealing.Somebody may have discarded them on a previous pad change. :rawk: :)

[Pete7874]

Yeah, now that you mentioned it, it does seem kind of obvious. They were sitting on the old pads, but not on the new pads that I bought. Thankfully I still have the old pads (although they were already sitting in the trash bin).

Since the service manual didn't mention anything about these shims, I didn't think much of it.

[blaine]

Yeah, now that you mentioned it, it does seem kind of obvious. They were sitting on the old pads, but not on the new pads that I bought. Thankfully I still have the old pads (although they were already sitting in the trash bin).

Since the service manual didn't mention anything about these shims, I didn't think much of it.

As stated they are there to prevent brakes from squealing.Don't know if this will help with your problem or not. :smallrawk: :cool:

[Pete7874]

Looks like installing these shims has made the noises go away.

Thanks everyone for educating the poor noob.

[blaine]

Looks like installing these shims has made the noises go away.

Thanks everyone for educating the poor noob.

No problem,glad we could help.:yes: :2tup: