i'm switching out my front brake pads....

...i removed the two nuts holding the caliper (?) to the rotor. but i'm trying to take the worn out brake pads out. i see a bar that slides across to hold the two pads in place and it looks like i would use an allen wrench. but its in there pretty tight and it started to strip a little while trying to loosen it. so i want to double check if in fact that is what i'm supposed to do. don't wanna break anything.

can anybody wanna point me or give me some detailed instructions on how to replace the pads?

 

Didn't I send you a copy of the manual already?

On your bike, yes, the pads are retained by a bolt with an allen head.

"Started to strip a little" do you mean the allen itself?

Are you using a METRIC allen bit on a ratchet, or are you trying to use one of those little "L" shaped keys? Give it a shot of Kroil first.

The book has you leave the caliper attached to the fork leg, and drop the wheel; unscrew the pad retaining bolt and change out the pads.

You can do it the way you started though, too.

The BLUE bolt is the one you're removing, it goes through the hole in the top of the pads #5.

 

awesome! thanks fitz!

 

And that bolt is in there VERY tight. Can't remember the size of the allen key, but it's pretty big, and normally you have to put a "cheater bar" over the end of it (handle extension) to get enough torque to break it loose.

 

Use some Rubbing Compound and some short length of clean, cotton line ... wrap it around the Rod ... and, "Shoe Shine" a Brilliant Finish on the two "Rods' the Caliper travels on.

Clean-out the Bores the two travelers extend into.
Twist a tightly rolled-up portion of 800 and apply a new finish on the Bores.

Clean any O-rings and channels.
Assemble after smearing, ...
Synthetic >> Waterproof >> Grease
On the Rods and Bores.
Press them together very >> s l o w l y to allow air to escape.

You'll have Brakes that will APPLY when grab a handful in need.
And, release ... and not Bind and Overheat.

 

Tagged for when i do my brakes this spring. Thanx Rick!

 

okay...i got the bolt out (ended up mounting the thing back up to get more leverage) and tood the old worn pads off. one was completely down to the metal and then some by the way. but now the new pads are too thick to put in. the width of both new pads is greater than the space that's there. on the diagram, it's that cylinder part. i think it's the piston that presses the pads together. could be wrong though. do i have the right pads? or is there a way to get that cylinder part to move back to give me more clearance? i tried squeezing the front brake lever but theres not much resistance and the cylinder doesnt move. help!!

 

-Position the handlebars so the brake reservoir is REASONABLY level. Wrap a rag around the reservoir to protect the rest of the bike against any spills that might occur.

-Take the lid/cap off the brake reservoir.

-reinstall one of the old pads on the piston side of the caliper, so that it's against the piston (#8)

-using a small c-clamp, slowly/gently compress the piston back into the caliper by clamping against the old pad and the caliper body. When you do this, the fluid level in the reservoir should rise, which is why we have the cap off.

-if the piston doesn't move easily (although slowly, you're pushing fluid "back up" the braking system) back into the caliper, it may be time for a caliper rebuild as well.

 

i was afraid you were gonna give me a new project i gotta do, fitz. lol. i noticed on the edge where the piston slides into the caliper, there's some rubber coming out. i'm gonna go buy a c-clamp right now. if i don't rebuild the caliper just yet and replace the pads for now, is it still safe to ride? i havn't ridden in forever and don't know if i have the time and money to rebuild the caliper this month. but of course i'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

Normally, I would say you're probably OK; however the "on the edge where the piston slides into the caliper, there's some rubber coming out" concerns me.

The rubber you are referring to is the "dust" seal, the outermost of the two rubber rings in the diagram as part of #8. It should not be escaping. The two rubber seals fit into grooves in the caliper body, if the dust seal is trying to follow the piston out, then you have a problem.

You can go ahead and mash the piston back in, button everything up, and see how the caliper does at "clamping" and then "releasing" the brake pads. I would be very concerned that the displaced dust seal could prevent the caliper from releasing properly. You could go ahead and pop the piston all the way out to reseat the dust seal, but the chances are it won't "reseat" well, and the main seal may then leak.

I would rebuild it.

A caliper rebuild kit is not very expensive; the actual rebuild consists of simply cleaning everything within an inch of its life, and installing the two NEW "rubber rings" (one is the main seal and one is the dust seal) into their now religiously clean grooves in the caliper body and then pushing the piston back in.

The hardest part is getting the seal grooves completely clean.

I would go with safe over sorry.

 

Remove the Caliper Pistion Seals from the locating channels.
Make Tools to allow you to scrape the Caliper Seal locating channel completely free of debris.
Moisture, brake fluid and brake dust collect in the channel and cause the Seal to pinch and the Caliper Piston to bind.

Heat and bend-over the end of a skinny metal rod.
Scrape the crud off but don't scratch the aluminum.
Clean and reassemble.
Once cleaned it might be easier to reassemble.

 

Hmmm should do my pads too.......
Tagging this one also

 

was unscrewing the resevoir and being careful not to strip the screws as has happened with other projects on this bike. and sure enough, one of them stripped. what's with the weak metal of the screws these bikes use. or is it the fact they are so old and now a little brittle? or is it the years have created a rust/melding reaction from the screw to the grooves. or all of the above? anyways what i'm trying to say is "AAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!!!

 

What did you strip? Just the head (the "phillips" part?)

If so, you can use a Craftsman mini screw extractor kit in a cordless drill with good results; at least that's how I got mine out.

Or, you can drill into the screw with ever-larger bits until the head comes off/out, leaving a "stub" that you can get out with pliers once the cover is off.

 

on my way to sears to get the extractor. i figure with my luck with screws, it will be something i'll use often enough to make it worth the money

 

Use some Kroil on the "stud" threads and you'll probably be able to unscrew it with your fingers.

 

Common.
Don't Panic.
There's plenty of Stock.

If that winds-up being a situation where you have to drill it out.
Take it of the Bike.
Use a Drill Press if you can get access to one.

The NEXT oversize IS NOT Metric.
The next oversize for Drilling-out the fragment and Tapping the Hole is STANDARD.
Have the Master Cylinder Drilled and Tapped
Drill the Cover Holes. Don't forget!

Use a "Paperboy-type" One-hole scissors punch to enlarge the Hole in the Rubber Gasket.

Buy Stainless Cap Screws
Use Antiseize compound.

 

he really like this kroil stuff. I have to try it. Darn poopy brakes. I have a feeling I am going to be having the same problems soon. Doing a brake system overhaul friday.... hopefully I finish friday too.

 

I use Kroil all the time at work on corroded brass equipment. It works great. Just let it sit for a while. It will work.

 

Keep in mind how galvanic corrosion works. Start with a cheap steel fastener, thread it into an aluminum body and let moisture do the rest (rain water is great for this experiment). The dis-similar metals touch each other and the water literally completes a circuit. Take a look at this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion. Very informative.
How to stop it? A daub of anti-seize on the threads will help tremendously (keeps water from getting into the voids between the threads.
Uzi, be sure to pick up some fresh hardware (stainless is preferable) and some anti-seize.
Best of luck.

 

per the bolded section of your instructions, should i worry about putting more fluidanywhere since some spilled from the resevoir as expected? or is it okay to just cap the resevoir back off?


Also, I just capped off the resevoir without filling anything. i started the bike up, but the fron brakes aren't responding to the brake lever. the piston isnt pushing the pad against the rotor. is this because of the dust seal problem or not filling the resevoir back up....or am i forgetting to do something altogether?



ps: i got the extractor kit for the stripped screw, but i ended up just taking drill bits, a hammer, and a pick and going to town on that dang screw. minor collateral damage to the cover, but nothing to worry about.

 

Use a Syringe and suck-up alll the old Brake Fluid out of the Reservoir.

Open or Remove the Caliper Bleed Screw.
Slide a Metal Drywall Paste Spreading Knike between the Brake Rotor and the Brake Pad.
Use the Drywall Tool only to prevent the Rotor from being scratched.

With the Bleeder Open ...
Use a Large Screwdriver to Pry the Brake Pad against the Caliper Piston ... pushing the Caliper Piston all the way back into the Caliper.
Replace the Bleeder so you don't lose it.

Undo the Brake Pad Retainer(s)
Mind the Anti-rattle Spring if equipped.
The Pads should practically fall out.

Clean the Sliding Surfaces the Pad Plate sits upon.
Install New Pads

Use Kleenex to Clean and Dry the Master Cylinder.
Spray Brake Kleen and Q-Tip the Sight Glass and Plate
Wipe clean with Tissue.
Blow out.
Fill with Fluid from an UnOpened Can and Bleed Brakes.

 

Ummm... did you BLEED the brakes yet? You need to ensure the reservoir is full and then you need to bleed the brakes.

The brakes have nothing to do with whether or not the bike is running, by the way.

 

hmmmm.....bleeding the brakes, ay? lol...if there was any doubt i am the newbiest 3rd gearer on here, that doubt can now probably be put to rest. i'm gonna do a search to see if i can find the instructions on how to bleed the brakes in the forums and i'll post a link for anybody following this thread. if anybody has tricks or tips, please share.

oh and fitz, yea i figured the brakes and the bike running have nothing to do with each other. but i can completely understand you needing to confirm it. lmao!

 

Here's what to do.
Run doen to the Auto Parts Store and get one of these.
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/One-Man-B ... GoogleBase

Duct tape the bottom of a Glass Jar to a Board so the Jar won't tip over.
Replace the short hose on the One Man Bleeder with a nice long one that will allow the One Man Bleeder to be on the Bottom of the Jar while the other end is on your Brake Bleeder.

Wrap the One Man Bleeder with a couple of Large Hex Nuts to keep it On the Bottom of the Jar.

Fill the Jar with Brake Fluid a little bit so the One Man Bleeder is SUBMERGED IN BRAKE FLUID.

Pull a Brake Bleeder.
Wrap the Threads with Teflon Thread Wrap Tape.
Puncture the little place where the Brake Fluid exits.
Put the Brake Bleed Screw back into the Caliper.

Tighten the Bleeder finger tight.

Keep the Master Cylinder at least 1/2 Full and Level.
Use an assistant for this.
Now its a 2-Man Bleeder.

Have the assistant PUMP the Brake Lever.
Slow, deliberately, pulls on the Brake Lever.
You OPEN the Bleeder.
Leave it OPEN ...
Pump New Fluid down the Brake Line.
Watch for the coloor to change and the bubbles to stop.
IF the Fluid fails to get PUMPED-Out the OPEN Bleeder you have a Malfunctioning Master Cylinder.

But. IF the Fluid flows out the Bleeder.
Once you have NO Bubbles
Clean Fluid
CLOSE the Bleeder.

Work the Brake Lever.
Hydraulic Pressure should develop.
IF Hydraylic Pressure DOES NOT develop ...
The Master Cylinder is Bad.

 

Simplified bleeding procedure:

Hang an 8mm box end wrench on the bleeder screw and attach a piece of clear vinyl tubing about 12"-14" long.

Submerge the end of the tube in a glass mason jar about 1/4 full of brake fluid.

Pump the brake lever a few times.

Remove the reservoir cover, ensure the reservoir is full, and replace the cover but don't screw it down. Wrap a couple of shop towels around the master cylinder so if it pukes any fluid it won't get anywhere bad.

OPEN the bleed screw, and gently slowly depress the lever toward the bar.

When the lever gets near the end of its travel, close the bleed screw.

Release the lever. With the bleed screw still closed, pump the lever gently a few times. Then, open the bleeder and squeeze the lever again; close the bleeder at the end of the travel.

REPEAT. Check the reservoir frequently, if it runs dry and sucks wind you have to start over.

Repeat the process until no more bubbles emerge from the tube in the jar.

Once done, fill reservoir, install cap screws, remove bleed hose (I keep mine IN the jar.)

Ride bike. After a couple dozen "heat cycles" re-bleed.

 

I could have written a simplified procedure, ...
But, It would have taken much longer.

The Simplified Procedure doesn't anchor the Mason Jar to anything. Not good.
If the jar isn't anchored down, it spills. Suddenly, ... you need Kitty Litter.
Running around with Brake Fluid on the Soles of your shoes looking for Kitty Litter will cause a floor space or rug to be stained with Brake Fluid. Guaranteed.

Then, you really need cleaning products to clean the footprint of Brake Fluid from the carpet. Before the Old Lady gets home!!!

In your haste to find some Carpet Shampoo you'll invariably leave a door open.
Allowing that something not supposed to exit from that door to get set free.

You'll have to weigh whether you should deal with the stained rug or run after the at large cat or dog.

Many leave the beloved pet at large and deal with the carpet stain; unless its a Persian Cat. Then you need to go out and Hunt Cat; even if it is a Persian Rug.

"What smells so funny?" ... you'll be asked?
You do not want to go there.
And, ... "Honey, have you seen the Cat?" .... next.
That's when you wish you had one of those C-I-A Pills to swallow.

Simplify your life with a few strips of Tape!
Tape the Mason Jar to a piece of wood.
You won't make a mess or get into a situation that's going to cause somebody to pay to have you whacked!

 

Or, don't knock over the mason jar in the first place.

I actually use an old Vlasic pickle jar that is as wide as it is tall, harder to knock over. I've had the same jar for over 30 years...

 

You fellas crack me up!

 

In and amongst the wide variety of emission controls under the hoods of cars at a junkyard, you will find a little one-way check valve that can be used as a speed-bleeder. This part may be from the Carburetor Epoch.