What's the best way to remove the caliper pistons

headcoats · Post by **headcoats** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 8:50 am

I want to get the pistons out of the caliper bodies ,is compressed air the only way to do it,or is there another way

col · Post by **col** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 11:52 am

in the past i've used air but they can come out a bit sharpish so mind your fingers.
i've also used a grease gun filled with oil, attatched to the caliper and just pumped um out.
how stuck are they?
you can just clamp one (or two if its a 1s) piston and pump the lever, this will get em all out.
you'll prolly have ane or two pistons that are free-er than the other(s) clamp these and it'll force the sticky pistons out. you can then just pull em out.

KwakOn · Post by **KwakOn** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 12:56 pm

I was forced to use vice grips on a set (1S) that had been sat for years

, they wouldnt pump out with anything. put cloth round the piston and worked very carefully, did score them a bit at edge but still useable with a bit of smoothing. hopefuly you wont have to go that far, (I split the calipers of course to get at the pistons).

mr_bungholeo · Post by **mr_bungholeo** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 6:21 pm

if they r still on the bike use the lever pressure to push them out...put a spanner in the gap where the disc goes n pump them out to the spanner...then take out the spanner,split the caliper, n they should wiggle out with a soft pair of grips...if you only have normal grips put a bit of cloth round the piston first.....n only grab it at the top of the piston cos if you mark it it wont go down as far as the seals when you put it back in.....

h n rub down any high spots with a bit of emery paper..

n if all else fails fill them 2/3 up with water n put a hot air gun on em and the steam will force anything out...but as posted earlier with air or water they come out quick wrap a cloth round the caliper with air...boiling is a last resort but it does work...

headcoats · Post by **headcoats** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 9:23 am

Thanks for all the advice but me being me i did it a different way
At my woodwork class today i turned down a 2 inch by 2 inch piece of hardwood so the one end was the inside diameter of the caliper piston.

Then tap it in with a wooden mallet ,give them a good twist and they start coming out
As the wood wears a little just wedge some thin card down the sides before you tap the wood in
Jobs a good 'en