Avid Juicy 7 Pad Replacement

Bmjboy

If someone could help, might stop me from going mad!

First time Ive needed to change the pads on both my front and rear Avid Juicy 7 brakes.

Ive purchased some superstar regular pads.

Back set went in OK, but only when I used the original spring which came out with the old pads.

Front set of pads will not go in right at all - tried both springs (old and new) and for some reason they are not parting as they should and staying together, so I cannot get the wheel/rotor back in fro obvious reasons.

Pistons are pushed all the way back as per the instructons.

Could it be possible that the Superstar pads maybe "slightly" bigger than spec and not moving as freely in the caliper?

Im going mad as its supposed to be a quick and simple job, but sitting here scratching my head!

Any help welcome!

impished

Have you tried cleaning ALL mud / sheeps-$hit from inside the caliper?
Check there are no 'bobbles' of paint/laquer on the edges of the pads too.
IIRC, my Superstar pads were a bit of a bugger with my 5's :evil: But after a fair bit of pushing & pulling I managed to get them to work.

Otherwise give Superstar a ring. Supposed to be pretty helpful chaps

P-Jay

They're a right old pain in the harris to change.

Belive it or not, Superstar ones tend to go in easier than Avid ones!

To state the obvious they only go in one way so the pad with the bent "arm" coming of it is the inside one. Not sure if the SS one have the bent arm but the pads only go in one way.

If you turn the pad adjuster all the way in, the pistons will go in a little further.

Get the two pads (not forgetting the spring) all sandwiched up, the right way around and such. Feed them in, it's hard to line them up by sight, but make sure they're going inon the right angle, you'll usually get them in half way when the nipples on the pistons hit the pads. At that point stick your thumb on top and give them a good push. They should go in with a nice click. If not try to squeeze the pistons in a little more.

They're tight as hell.

pittpony

They can be tighter than a gnats chuff - i had real trouble with a few sets. Others seem to fit in no problem.

The best thing i found was resetting the calipers with the old pads and a screwdriver - i was suprised how much force i needed to use but please be careful as i don't want you to break your brakes (no pun intended) on my advice. I thought i'd reset the calipers and it turned out there was a fair way for them still to go. Otherwise i'm afraid its a case or sticking at it. It took me an hour to change a set once :oops:

If you really can't fit them after that then Superstar might send you some replacements. They are exceptionally helpful chaps.

Bmjboy

Im trying to eliminate things as I go ie, spring, caliper, piston, ME!, pads etc...

Perhaps Ive pushed the pistons too far out? (possible?)

The problem is the pads are staying together and not parting. Im not finding them tight to put in.

I will carry on and see how I get on. As most superstar customers do, I purchased 4 pairs of pads, so might try another pair incase these pads are indeed a little out on spec.

To confirm, the superstar ones do have a bent arm pad, and its definitly going on the inside.

I thought this was meant to be easy!!! :oops:

Will let you know how I get on.

Thanks for the responses so far, looks like im not alone!

Blacksmith04

Bmjboy, I had the same problem last week with the superstar pads for Juicy 7s. Altough they went in ok, both pads were coming back toward each other instead of being pushed apart with the spring. The answer was just filling the sides of the pads which sorted my problem. Hppe this helps,
Michael

sniper68

I've had both 5s and now 7s,Avids claim of "the only pads that don't require tools"is,shall we say,not entirely true.I always remove the caliper(especially on the front)makes it much easier to get the pads (don't forget to reallign the caliper).The holes in the back of the pads have to line up with the pistons,when they do you'll hear a load click and the pads will part.
There is a knack to it.I can do it on the trail in about 5 mins now(loads of practice)only pads i've had trouble with are Fibrax :x CRC now point out that these pads are tight in Avids.

Bmjboy

Thanks everyone, I can now fit pads OK - I didnt realise you needed THAT much force to make them click in! I did file down the sides of the superstar pads and this helped. Hardly an easy trail-side job imho.

I now have a new problem in the respect that I have a stuck/sticky piston - followed the Avid guide on how to free it up, but no joy. Going to have to drop it into LBS now for a rebuild no doubt. :roll:

stumpyjon

Bmjboy wrote:

Thanks everyone, I can now fit pads OK - I didnt realise you needed THAT much force to make them click in! :

I'd agree with that, for the only system that 'doesn't need tools' they're not easy to change. Try pushing the pistons back trail side without a big screwdriver, or removing the retaining clip on the back in the cold without a small screwdriver. Lastime I tried to change pads trail side I ended up with the caliper cable tied to my saddle until I got home and could sort it properly.

mcbazza

Only time I've ever had problem is when I use cheap/generic replacement pads. If I use genuine Avid ones, they go in faultlessly with a reliable 'click'.

Biggest tool I've ever used has been my little plastic tyre lever. I never remove the clip from the calliper. But, that spring can be a sod.

Just fitted Juicy 7's to my SX Trail, after running 5's on the Rockhopper and 7's on the Stumpy. Was so impressed by their simplicity, ease of use, and stopping ability, it was the only brake I considered.

dodd4721

Had numerous costly problems with my Avid Juicy Five rear calliper and replaced seals and laterly, pistons in an attempt to stop pistons sticking/seizing, have taken it to my LBS on 3 occasions with the same problem reoccuring.
Got Bike back from LBS a couple of weeks ago and so far so good however, I've got to replace the front pads and I'm dreading it as its an 'Open' system [although I 'm crucially aware NOT to touch the levers while there's no rotor in place!]
Should I push the pistons apart with a flat blade screwdriver with the old pads in place to make sure they are fully retracted before I fit the new pads? also, does anyone know the best thing to lubricate the pistons with? [if at all]
I have been told differing advice i.e, use GT85/don't use GT85 as it damages the seals, use Gun Oil? Don't know what to use? :?
Spent a fortune trying to sort problem out and I'm considering buying something else, possibly new XT's but if anyone can recomend a hassle free alternative I'd be glad to hear.

johnsav

get the old pads out, use the end of a tyre lever to wiggle the pistons back a bit. slide the new pads in and hey presto. Dont be afraid!

dont worry with lubricating anything mate.. give them time to bed in .

Bmjboy

dodd4721 wrote:

Had numerous costly problems with my Avid Juicy Five rear calliper and replaced seals and laterly, pistons in an attempt to stop pistons sticking/seizing, have taken it to my LBS on 3 occasions with the same problem reoccuring.
Got Bike back from LBS a couple of weeks ago and so far so good however, I've got to replace the front pads and I'm dreading it as its an 'Open' system [although I 'm crucially aware NOT to touch the levers while there's no rotor in place!]
Should I push the pistons apart with a flat blade screwdriver with the old pads in place to make sure they are fully retracted before I fit the new pads? also, does anyone know the best thing to lubricate the pistons with? [if at all]
I have been told differing advice i.e, use GT85/don't use GT85 as it damages the seals, use Gun Oil? Don't know what to use? :?
Spent a fortune trying to sort problem out and I'm considering buying something else, possibly new XT's but if anyone can recomend a hassle free alternative I'd be glad to hear.

The Avid service manual advises on Brake Fluid to lube the pistons.

Im assuming this is your first pad change? - mine was this week, and its not as easy as it looks. You need some real force to CLICK the pads back in when replacing.

Theres not much to break or go wrong when changing pads, so as JohnSav says, dont be afraid.

My bike's off to LBS this week as my piston is stuck as Im no way gonna attempt a rebuild.

dodd4721

Fitted new brake pads today, all the advice on pushing the pistons back into the bores is spot on; the new pads simply won't 'click' into place unless they are fully retracted.
Also fitted new front and rear pads to my friend's bike with Avid Juicy 5's approx 6 months old. On the rear caliper the right hand piston had stuck slightly, we sprayed a little GT85 around the pistons and waited a few minutes, we then pressed the pistons back with the old pads in place [without spring] we took the old pads out, put the new pads together with spring and hey presto, it went in straight away.
If anyone can advise on whether GT85 is okay I'd be grateful.

ronniemtbiker

I have 2008 Avid Juicy 7s and I needed to install new pads. I found this page through a search via Google, and all the tips were just right.

That satisfying click, was a triumphant moment, after spending almost an hour trying to ensure I didn't damage anything, and re-installed everything correctly.

zenit_b

ronniemtbiker wrote:

I have 2008 Avid Juicy 7s and I needed to install new pads. I found this page through a search via Google, and all the tips were just right.

That satisfying click, was a triumphant moment, after spending almost an hour trying to ensure I didn't damage anything, and re-installed everything correctly.

well I also found this page through google - and the info in it is spot on. the bit about easing the pads over the pin in the middle of the piston was problem number one. problem number two though is that my aftermarket clarkes pads just dont "click" into place at the end. the original avids do though. I read above you need to put a huge amount of force in ... hmm... I think I am going to take the pads and bike back to the LBS where I bought the pads and see what they think. It may be a bad pair of pads.

In the meantime here is the pukka avid manual
http://www.sram.com/_media/techdocs/06J ... Manual.pdf

I note in the avid manual it says "You should hear a click when the pads
are properly secured." If only !!!! The pads on my Deore discs on my other bike are much easier to change - despite the split pin - and they were cheap. If this carries on being a problem I am tempted to ditch the avids... will update when resolved.

diy

The pin ramp on the SS sometimes need a little sanding to get the pin home, they are slightly steeper than the avids.

Sometimes the springs can be tight, scrape some of the pad away with a screw driver until they loosen.

The best tip I learned on here is loosen the blead screw if they wont go in.

I try to only do one side at a time also, so that I am putting a new pad in with an older pad. They seem to last longer this way as they don't bind when you first ride.