?Q? rebuilding z32 caliper? piston removal

[CoasTek240]

how do you remove the 4 pistons from a z32 caliper?

iu have read this tutorial (http://www.zilvia.net/f/showpost.php?p=424772&postcount=2 ) but it says to use an air compressor, and to blow it into the brake fluid intake channel. and they should pop out.

i dont have access to an air compressor, and if i do, def not for that use.
theres got to be another way.
the reason im trying to do this is to rebuild the seals around all the pistons. and make sure theyre even moving. i got my calipers off a parts car sitting in someones backyard. also should i paint my calipers b4 or after i rebuild? i'm thinking b4, and i could always touch up if i mess anything up while rebuilding.

[mrmephistopheles]

flathead screwdrivers, don't score the sides of the pistons.
paint after you rebuild. wouldn't want to get brake fluid all over your new paint, would you?

[willfong]

Guys,

I just took apart one of my Z32 calipers intending to sent them to get powder coated and then rebuld them with a seal kit I ordered from courtesyparts.com I followed this write up (which was excellent)...
http://www.importfanatix.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=584&page=2
I attached my air source to the port where the brake line went and popped out my caliper's pistons, but only 1 piston came out fully and all the other 3 remained basically seated. So with 1 piston out the air had an way to escape and I could no longer use air to pop the remaining 3 pistons out.
Thus the only way I thought to remove the 3 remaining pistons out were remove the dust covers off each, then put a cloth over the exposed top of the piston and use a vise grip to wiggle the piston out. Twisting back and forth for almost 5 mins each the teeth of the vise grips gouged the outter edge of the pistons (where the dust cover went over). On two of the pistons I made some gouges on the piston's outside smooth surface just below where the dust cover covers. I believe these gouges are above the sealing piston o-rings so I believe the gouges wont affect performance or reliability. But I would like your opinions and recommendions as to the condition of the 2 gouged pistons and if they are still usable.
Also if I am removing them correcly with vise grips since I have another caliper left in the same state with 1 piston popped out and the remaing 3 still seated in the caliper.

http://auctions.williamfong.com/mediac/400_0/media/DSCN6094.JPG
http://auctions.williamfong.com/mediac/400_0/media/DSCN6095.JPG
http://auctions.williamfong.com/mediac/400_0/media/DSCN6096.JPG

Your help is appreciated!

Will

[seekanddestroy]

...
Get new ones. Learn a lesson.

[Jung918]

I would get new pistons. They are around $30 for each one.
What I did to take the piston out is just use air. One would pop out so I wound put it back in slightly and use the air again untill another one poped out. Kept doing that untill all of them came out. Took a while but atleast they came out without and gouges.

[seekanddestroy]

I would get new pistons. They are around $30 for each one.

Then get rebuilds from kragen/autozone/other company, they are around $120 each + 60 core, turn your old destroyed ones in for the core.

[mrmephistopheles]

I take it you weren't using a block of wood between the pistons? That should've stopped them from coming out all the way.
That gouging PROBABLY won't affect the piston's function, but I wouldn't buy those calipers if you tried to sell them to me.

[slownslurious]

damn you guys suck at brakes...

fuck's sake rebuilt ones are like $45 each at autozone and they will accept your stock ones (or ANY stock ones, even honda ones) as the cores.

Thats where I got mine after my junkyard ones were seized. By the time you pay junkyard prices for them and pay for rebuild kits you are over $90...

oh, and you can decide whether you want aluminum or iron, you aren't just limited to what you can find.

its awesome. highly recommended.

[projectRDM]

Most of the time. I've known three people who went that route and bought several sets before finally getting a matched pair. In some cases you'll get an NA and TT, aluminum and iron, gray and silver, two lefts, two rights, etc. They don't seem to be very well up on their inventory, rebuilders like A1 Cardone just throw it in a box and pray it's right and ship them to any number of auto parts stores who don't know the difference.

[slownslurious]

well I told em what I wanted and thats what I got.


its funny you say NA and TT like there is a difference though.

shows what you know

[willfong]

I take it you weren't using a block of wood between the pistons? That should've stopped them from coming out all the way.
That gouging PROBABLY won't affect the piston's function, but I wouldn't buy those calipers if you tried to sell them to me.

Yea I did use the pads in between the pistons as the instructions said...
"2) Take an inch-thick piece of wood and put it in between the pistons of the caliper, or if the brake pads are still in the calipers, leave them there so that when you blow compressed air into the hole, the pistons will not be pushed out all the way." But only one piston pushed fully out. Maybe I should have added a piece of wood between the pads to increase thickness so that it stopped the first piston from coming all the way out thus leaving a airtight seal and force the other 3 pistons out gradually? Is this the trick?

[mrmephistopheles]

its funny you say NA and TT like there is a difference though.

shows what you know

Dumbest statement of the year!
Oopsie! Your ignorance is showing!

Here, I'll be nice and 'learn' ya something.

1990-1993.5 Z32 NA = 26mm Aluminum (rotor channel is actually ~32mm, rotor is 26mm)

1990-1993.5 Z32 TT = 30mm Aluminum (36mm / 30mm)

1993.6+ Z32 NA/TT = 30mm Iron (36mm / 30mm)

I'm sure I'm probably a little off on the details, but I'm not afraid to admit that. nice work on showing your ignorance! :fawkd:

Yea I did use the pads in between the pistons as the instructions said...
"2) Take an inch-thick piece of wood and put it in between the pistons of the caliper, or if the brake pads are still in the calipers, leave them there so that when you blow compressed air into the hole, the pistons will not be pushed out all the way." But only one piston pushed fully out. Maybe I should have added a piece of wood between the pads to increase thickness so that it stopped the first piston from coming all the way out thus leaving a airtight seal and force the other 3 pistons out gradually? Is this the trick?

That'd probably work.
Otherwise, you could maybe try what Jung suggested.
For what it's worth, I've used flathead screwdrivers every time I've rebuilt Z calipers, with zero problems.

[willfong]

I would get new pistons. They are around $30 for each one.
What I did to take the piston out is just use air. One would pop out so I wound put it back in slightly and use the air again untill another one poped out. Kept doing that untill all of them came out. Took a while but atleast they came out without and gouges.

How far did your piston pop out? For me, when the first one popped out it was just about fully out where air was gushing out so thats when I thought the other 3 were probably lose enough for me to wiggle out (no true). I didnt think I could force the piston that was out back in again but on second thought maybe I could have forced it back in with C-clamps and then blocked it with a piece of wood and tried to force the other 3 out with air.

That'd probably work.
Otherwise, you could maybe try what Jung suggested.
For what it's worth, I've used flathead screwdrivers every time I've rebuilt Z calipers, with zero problems.

So for your technique just use flat head screwdrivers and pry out the piston using the channel near the top of the piston? I tried alil and it seemed very difficult to pry out and so thats why I resorted to the vise grip.

[projectRDM]

well I told em what I wanted and thats what I got.


its funny you say NA and TT like there is a difference though.

shows what you know

There is when you try to shove a TT rotor into the narrower early model NA caliper. 90 model NAs use the 26mm calipers. Though I didn't specify that, I figured anyone with a fucking clue would know better.
Sadly, you did not. Shows what you know. If you're going to ethug on the internet, at least back it up with something more than hopeful speculation and fairy dust. No one is impressed with a badass who's a fucking retard.

[mrmephistopheles]

So for your technique just use flat head screwdrivers and pry out the piston using the channel near the top of the piston? I tried alil and it seemed very difficult to pry out and so thats why I resorted to the vise grip.

Correct. It is difficult. You've got to have manly arms and great forearm and wrist strength to accomplish it. If you can't, then you are clearly a girly-man and need some serious pumping-up.

[willfong]

damn you guys suck at brakes...

fuck's sake rebuilt ones are like $45 each at autozone and they will accept your stock ones (or ANY stock ones, even honda ones) as the cores.

Thats where I got mine after my junkyard ones were seized. By the time you pay junkyard prices for them and pay for rebuild kits you are over $90...

oh, and you can decide whether you want aluminum or iron, you aren't just limited to what you can find.

its awesome. highly recommended.

Yea, I would have to say that I dont really trust the autozone and other parts stores for rebuilt items when it comes to specialty or performance vehicles...they tend to have the wrong part in their inventory. I can easily see getting a NA iron caliper instead of an TT aluminum caliper. To many of the rebuilders, a 300ZX is a 300ZX, they have no clue the TT has aluminum calipers for slightly thicker rotors. So rebuilt and boxed it gets sitting on the shelf at the autoparts store waiting for a customer like myself to pay and get screwed after taking it home.
I just called my local Autozone... its $160 each caliper with no core charge and would take 3 days to order. But when I ask him if his inventory says its aluminum he had no clue. Im kinda worried going this route from past experiences with other cars. A couple of weeks ago we tried ordering brake pads from a local autoparts store for a 02 Subaru Impreza WRX and they said there is no such car! LOL. Then how about a 03? Nope. How about a 04? Yea. After 3 sets of pads we finally got the right ones. I guess if I were ordering just something for a everyday Toyota Corrolla I would be more confident. I may just go the route of ordering new pistons from Courtesyparts.com I hope they are $30 each!
Now, I still have to figure out how to remove the other 3 pistons on my other caliper which is in the same state with only 1 piston fully popped out with air. LOL.

[willfong]

Correct. It is difficult. You've got to have manly arms and great forearm and wrist strength to accomplish it. If you can't, then you are clearly a girly-man and need some serious pumping-up.

I'll give it a try on the other caliper this afternoon with the flat head. If Im a girly-man then I'll try the gentle route with air power. First pushing in the only fully popped piston with C-clamps before I pressure the caliper again with a nice thick piece of wood thus not allowing any one piston to come out fully but hopefully all pistons to come out one at a time or eventually. I didnt know taking out brake caliper pistons were so difficult!

[mrmephistopheles]

Sounds good.
Go with the air route first, good luck with it.

[willfong]

Sounds good.
Go with the air route first, good luck with it.

What are you saying? Im a girly man? ;P

Seriously thou, thanks for the advice guys!

[slownslurious]

you can post those stats all you want but they are wrong.
people kept posting that shit up in houston 240sx trying to argue with me
sorry bud I made a living off selling Z parts out of houston junkyard's for a summer and I pulled at least a half dozen Z's calipers off.

[projectRDM]

you can post those stats all you want but they are wrong.
people kept posting that shit up in houston 240sx trying to argue with me
sorry bud I made a living off selling Z parts out of houston junkyard's for a summer and I pulled at least a half dozen Z's calipers off.

You're right. Nissan USA has no clue what they're talking about, neither does the slew of members here who've worked on 240s and swapped Z brakes longer than you've even been alive.
We should just listen to the MidWest retarded fuck who gets paid pulling parts for $4/hr.

[mrmephistopheles]

you can post those stats all you want but they are wrong.
people kept posting that shit up in houston 240sx trying to argue with me
sorry bud I made a living off selling Z parts out of houston junkyard's for a summer and I pulled at least a half dozen Z's calipers off.
Oh fuck.
My bad, man... :bowdown:

How could I have EVER thought that my 7 years as a 240 owner, 6 of which I've had Z brakes and sourced them, 5 of which I've done Z brake swaps for others, 3 of which I've lived in Japan buying Nissan parts and 1 of which I actually worked for Nissan could EVER match your 'summer' in Houston's junkyards.

:doh:

[tknbkthrsdy4anfg]

Oh fuck.
My bad, man... :bowdown:

How could I have EVER thought that my 7 years as a 240 owner, 6 of which I've had Z brakes and sourced them, 5 of which I've done Z brake swaps for others, 3 of which I've lived in Japan buying Nissan parts and 1 of which I actually worked for Nissan could EVER match your 'summer' in Houston's junkyards.

:doh:
Ouchtown population you bro, you just got owned.
BTW mrmephistopheles is god.
For what its worth, when I rebuilt mine I used C-clamps to hold the pistons in once they came unseated. however beware and use safety glasses, hi velocity brakefluid in the eye is no good. And before you put this pistons back in clean the crap out of the bores with brake fluid and compressed air if u have it, make sure there is no debris in the there, and lube the crap out of them when u put them back in, torn seals suck.

[fromxtor]

block of wood + screwdriver sized pry bar = :)

[S14Swap240sx]

when i did mine. one piston poped out just like yours when i put the air to it.. but after that i pushed in the piston enough to seal it self up held it in place with a smaller c-clamp and ended up doing that to each piston.. it gets a lil tight but i found it to be pretty easy and quick.. even tho the piece of wood would deff be faster.

just for a mental image in the end i had 3 c clamps holding in the pistons while i poped the last one out.. seems like a i got a bit caried away but like i said it was real easy and took a few minutes.

[Bigballin]

you can post those stats all you want but they are wrong.
people kept posting that shit up in houston 240sx trying to argue with me
sorry bud I made a living off selling Z parts out of houston junkyard's for a summer and I pulled at least a half dozen Z's calipers off.

this is the trash we have to deal with in houston

[Jung918]

this is the trash we have to deal with in houston

We have a lot more in socal.