I can`t get my avid juicy pads in advice needed please

antfly

Hi,I am trying to replace my pads and have managed to get the old ones out but the new ones just won`t fit in at all.Am I missing a trick?They are nowhere near going in.

Mister Mental

you need to push the pistons back. its all in the instructions.

antfly

How do you push the pistons back?I have tried with a screwdriver but they aren`t moving.Do I need to let some fluid out?

Mister Mental

no, try reading the instructions, its all covered and pretty well explained, look on the sram website for manuals if you lost yours.

antfly

I never got any insructions and the website one is very basic,it just says use a screwdriver.I`m completely stuck.

nicklouse

have the brakes been bled with the old pads in?

and keep trying.

Mister Mental

yeah you use a screwdriver to push the pistons back in the caliper, its easiest with the old pads in as you dont want to snap of the pin in the middle of the piston that the pad clips onto.

antfly

nicklouse wrote:

have the brakes been bled with the old pads in?

and keep trying.

No,they have never been bled or replaced before.The screwdriver thing didn`t work at all.

Mister Mental

push harder. make sure the pistons are going in square

antfly

I couldn`t push any harder.I`ve tried sanding the new pads down but there won`t be anything left soon and they still won`t go in.

nicklouse

what are the pads?

antfly

Fibrax semi-metallic.

Mister Mental

its because the brakes are self adjusting to compensate for pad wear, you should just be able to push the pads back. try moving the lever forwar so it clicks as far out as it goes and then push the pads back

antfly

OK i`ll have another go.

antfly

Nope,I`ve given up.I`m damned if I can figure it out but they are nowhere near going in.I think some fluid needs to come out.

Mister Mental

if you let fluid out youll most likely need to bleed them as well and that will require you to push the pistons back into the capliper anyway, the only reason for them not to go back is that they are not in square, if this is the case then pull the lever a little bit so the piston moves slightly then try pushing it back again but making sure they are going in square

antfly

What do you mean by square?I assume you mean evenly on both sides.

stumpyjon

I do it with the old pads in and a large flat bladed screwdriver between with a large handle. Twist the screwdriver hard, and the pistons will go back in.

Also have you backed the bite point adjusters (the red dials) right off, if you don't you will end up with fluid coming out the bleed ports on the calipers (as I found out through personal experience :oops: ).

edit: this bit is only applicable to Juicy 7s.

It does take quite a bit of force, just make sure you protect the pistons as you can chip the pistons.

antfly

Too late I`m afraid.I took mental`s advice but what he didn`t tell me is that if you squeeze the lever without the pads in the liquid comes out.I was able to push the pistons in further so I obviously needed to lose a bit of fluid ,and I got the pads in easily, unfortunately the brake is now useless because too much fluid came out.If I had just known I could have let a tiny bit out and that would have saved an awful lot of time.
Now I just need to know how to get it back in!
This never happened with v-brakes.

-Liam-

Changed my pads recently and I HAD bled them with old pads in not to long ago. The new pads wouldn't fit over the disks so I just put a wedged the pads out by forcing a plain old table knife in between, leaving it for a little while then releasing the bleed nipple for a fraction of a second a few times until enough fluid had leaked out and it was only a tiny quantity. Worked perfectly.

zaris

Avid pads are a B**** to get in!

if you haven't already pushed to piston back and then tried, have a go at that!

If not try this, after you put the H clip back on top, turn the caliper upside down...make sure to bend the H clip at the begening so that it sort of clips just about in. The using the retention clip that holds the pads together get both pads on it and try clicking it in, Wiggle it around at first, then if that doesn't work simply get one pad in while making sure the other the other stays on the rention clip...use a screw driver to balance out the forces in keeping the rentention clip from jumping out on the other "non" clicked in pad, after that once one is in almost perfect position use the screw driver to push the pin a bit and force the other pad in.

This is a bit confusing but am gona see if i can get some pics by tonight to show you! Eversince i started buying aftermarket pads for all my avid brakes, i always used to have ridiculous problems trying to get the pads in.

hope this help...and if you ain't done by tonight ^^, i'll try and get some pics up for yah

zaris

Mister Mental

thats funny cause ive never had a problem getting pads in or out, pushing pistons back or bleeding them or fitting goodridges. at no point did i say fluid needed to come out.
make sure your familiar with the workshop manuals in future

antfly

No need to be patronising I did read the manual It didn`t say what to do if your pistons won`t go back.I know you didn`t say fluid needed to come out but you did say sqeeze the brake and when I did fluid came out,just too much. A few drops would have been perfect.

Liam and Zaris thanks but it`s an LBS job now.

Mister Mental

page 9 of setup manual:
Pad replacement:
1. push the pistons back in.
Asx the juicy calipers are self adjusting the pistons need to be pushed back into the body to their original position before the new pads can be installed. the safest eway to do to this is with the old pads still in the caliper to protect the pistons. place a flat blade screwdriver between the old pads, then carefully rock it back and forth pushing the pistons into their bores.

timberjack

Antfly, i have had 5's for 2 and a half years and have had the problem you have had on a couple of occasions, the first time it happened i ran fluid out of the bleed screw on the lever because i didn't have a clue what i was doing but it worked, what i do every now and again to keep the pistons free is take the pads out and squeeze the lever,pushing the pistons out then i clean them with brake cleaner, i always find 1 piston comes out easier than the other so once you've cleaned the easy one push it back in and hold it in with a tyre lever or screwdriver and squeeze the stickier piston out , clean it then push it back, i find this helps

Mister Mental

your best off using brake fluid rather than disc brake cleaner as its kinder to seals

-Liam-

Tbh, you are at a point where if you can't fix em, they will need to go to the lbs. Why not take advantage and strip em and see how everything works ? Thats what I did. Its all pretty basic stuff when you get over the confidence thing.

antfly

Yep,I`ve got a better understanding of it now and I should be able to change pads ok in future.The ones I took out were completely worn and hadn`t been replaced in 2 and a half years since I got the bike.Thanks for all advice.

natrix

I also find that it is a lot easier to undo the two allen bolts that hold the brakes to the mount. You can then get a better angle to insert the pads.

mikee1979

I had a right nightmare getting my pads in, I tired pushing the pistons back they still did'nt give me enough room. Took me hours in the end! It does help to unmount the brake unit and I had to let some fluid out, not ideal but my brakes still work fine and eventually they did go in. Manual makes it look easy but I had a very stressful time!

KERM1T

I have exactly the same problem, i've tried pushing the pistons in, but as one goes flush it forces the other one back out!

Very frustrating, any ideas?