Butchered my brakes

gotwood25
gotwood25 Posts: 314
edited February 2014 in Workshop
Today I found that my rear brake caliper wasn't springing back as it normally does meaning I was getting some pad rub on the way to work. Checked the cable which seemed fine, detached it from the caliper and sure enough there wasn't that spring there.

Reading around similar topics I read that it could be down to the pivot bolt being seized, thinking this was the recessed bolt on the front of the caliper I found this to be crazy tight. I slackened this off and now the spring won't return at all.

Guessing two things, 1) that wasn't the pivot bolt 2) this should be in the amateur thread :D

What have I done and how do I put it right?

Cheers in advance.

Comments

  • kiwimatt
    kiwimatt Posts: 208
    This might help - good clean and readjust
    http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-hel ... ke-service
    But it is not the easiest job in the world...definitely a knack to it. The spring inside the caliper I think gets weaker over time as well as crudded up - might need a bit of a bend so it provides more resistance as well
  • craker
    craker Posts: 1,739
    I've found brake calipers are just something you have to replace after five years or so, they're exposed to the worst crud the road can throw at you and I haven't come up with a maintenance regime which keeps them going, this includes winter commuting for me though.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,719
    I would do the complete strip and clean, I've always found that works ok but as has been said it's not as easy as you'd think, so long as you are methodical though should be ok.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • I would do the complete strip and clean, I've always found that works ok but as has been said it's not as easy as you'd think, so long as you are methodical though should be ok.

    Yep, that has done it. I assumed that loosening that original bolt had frigged the spring, seemed that a liberal dousing in WD40 was all that was required. Boy am I relieved!

    And thanks to all who posted suggestions, I feel like I have learnt something today. Pay a proper man to do stuff and stop tinkering! :D
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    If you've freed it up using WD40 you should follow that up with a drop of oil on the pivots. The WD40 will disappear quite quickly.
  • keef66 wrote:
    If you've freed it up using WD40 you should follow that up with a drop of oil on the pivots. The WD40 will disappear quite quickly.

    Cheers will do, although that will have to wait till I get home as my boss is starting to get annoyed with the bike in the office along with the smell of WD40 in the air.
  • I take it you were careful not to get any WD40 on the brake pads ... could make braking interesting if you did ;-)

    * not that i've ever done this :oops:
  • I take it you were careful not to get any WD40 on the brake pads ... could make braking interesting if you did ;-)

    * not that i've ever done this :oops:

    Haha yeah I removed them before I started, just remembered to do it though.