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Spent the day outside replacing the rear brake shoes, disk and the pads. Shoes were a pain in the ass but I cannot get the new brake pads in. The one where the caliper presses in the pad has gone in fine, as I could push it in, but I can't do it on the other side of the disk as the space is only big enough for the old worn pad to go in. Do I need to file the braking material to get it in or is there some other trick? I need around an extra 5mm of spacing..

Have you pushed the pistons fully back in - they should wind up flush with the ends of the cylinders?

The bottom "pin" was fully seized. Had to take the calliper off completely and bash it with a hammer to push it back.

All in now.. but gotta bleed the brakes still. Anyone know what size spanner I need for the bleed screw? My smallest size - 8 - was too big and an adjustable spanner is very fiddly.

It's a long time since I bled my brakes (myself) but I seem to remember it was something tiny, it was either an 8 or a 6, so if your 8 doesn't fit that leaves the 6 I guess. If the pins are stiff you need to free them off, otherwise they'll keep giving you problems. Oh, and careful with those tiny rubber boots, I managed to make a hole in one just trying to pull it about with my fingers

How do I "free" them up? I had to bash the bottom one before anything happened. Still very stiff though. The top pin and the piston itself are fine though.

I know what you mean about the boots - thankfully mine has survived torture.

Push them out, give them a clean, grease them up, put them back. If only it were that easy...

Push them out? Uhh... how do I remove the rubber boot things and the "ring" around the top?

If your 8mm spanner doesn't fit the bleed screw it will be 7mm, believe it or not

Tiny tiny is all I remember Best to loosen them off with a socket first, then get your spanner (adjustable) on there to do the bleeding, then finish off by nipping them up with the socket again - don't overdo it of course!

I did start taking pictures for a How To but I got in such a greasy mess with the things I gave up, I have some pics somewhere but they're probably not much use without me remembering what was what... Looks like the boot goes in a slot around the end of the tube, you'll need to push it out of one end and down the tube the other, then it should just push out (we'll take the carefully as read )

Hmm, none of these pics show anything much of use to you, there's this one though, showing 1 boot removed which should give an idea of what you're fighting with:


Oh yes, July 2008, I remember, between the grease and sweat I was in a right old mess by the end of it.

Btw only art holds the boot into the caliper, it's probably best to leave it there if you can.

Captain Jack wrote:Push them out? Uhh... how do I remove the rubber boot things and the "ring" around the top?

are you talking about pushing the caliper piston out?
if so they twist out its best done with a pair of mole grips and a rag,

dust cover stays in place and seal is on the piston iirc,

best way ive found to get pistons to move back when replacing pads is :

remove cap from servo,
get a medicine syringe and remove some fluid,
if the brake pads have been run low that means the fluid as been topped up at some stage hence removing some brake fluid,

before removing both pads leave one old one in,
get a flat chizel and lever against the old pad they do go back withought removing bleed screw,

ive also got a windback tool ive never used it waste of £35