About to lose my mind
About to lose my mind 98 Z 28. Bought new front brake pads for the car. Caliper will not fit when pads are in. Ive done this multiple times now. Ive already pushed the pistons in and such. I need like another 1/8th inch and there is no way to get it anywhere. The caliper will not physically fit when the pads are in. Need to be on the road in like 2 hours and this is stopping me.
Squeeze the piston further, ..., can't be any other issue, ...
Do you have any big 'c-clamp' or c-clamp type vise grips?
Big pair of c-clamp vise grips are what I use. The constant pressure of the vise-grip helps keep the piston moving even after the snap-over-center of the 'pliers'.
Also check your fluid level when pushing all that fluid back up thru the lines to the reservoir. You don't want to spill any over on the painted surface.
There shouldn't be any other reason, ..., that I would know of.
Got a small chunk of 2x4?
Put that in there & 'pry on the other side' to try to force the piston down further?
Mickey-Mouse way to do it, but it sounds like you may not have access to a lot of 'professional shop tools'?
The auto-parts stores have small screw/plate devices that you can buy off the shelf to help do this same thing.
Do you have any big 'c-clamp' or c-clamp type vise grips?
Big pair of c-clamp vise grips are what I use. The constant pressure of the vise-grip helps keep the piston moving even after the snap-over-center of the 'pliers'.
Also check your fluid level when pushing all that fluid back up thru the lines to the reservoir. You don't want to spill any over on the painted surface.
There shouldn't be any other reason, ..., that I would know of.
Got a small chunk of 2x4?
Put that in there & 'pry on the other side' to try to force the piston down further?
Mickey-Mouse way to do it, but it sounds like you may not have access to a lot of 'professional shop tools'?
The auto-parts stores have small screw/plate devices that you can buy off the shelf to help do this same thing.
If the pistons won't go in any further, then, one of the following is applicable.
You bought the wrong pads.
The pads are somehow defective being way too thick on the pad
You somehow have a different brake/caliper setup then came stock.
I'd favor one of the first 2 options. In any case, you're not going to be cramming that setup together with ANY of the 3 options. You need to figure out the problem and fix it. Go back to the store, ask for new pads again. Ask them to bring out one of EVERY pad they have listed for your application, not just the same ones you got(Make em bring out the cheap, expensive, middle of the road, ceramic, etc). Then compare them all to the one that doesn't fit.
If they are ALL the same exact size, you've likely got an issue with either the caliper, the rotor or both.
You bought the wrong pads.
The pads are somehow defective being way too thick on the pad
You somehow have a different brake/caliper setup then came stock.
I'd favor one of the first 2 options. In any case, you're not going to be cramming that setup together with ANY of the 3 options. You need to figure out the problem and fix it. Go back to the store, ask for new pads again. Ask them to bring out one of EVERY pad they have listed for your application, not just the same ones you got(Make em bring out the cheap, expensive, middle of the road, ceramic, etc). Then compare them all to the one that doesn't fit.
If they are ALL the same exact size, you've likely got an issue with either the caliper, the rotor or both.
