• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.

    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

TR2/3/3A The grease gun brake caliper piston removal trick.....

Often you can loosen the fitting on your grease gun to fit over the brake bleeder nipple. Be sure to loosen it a turn before trying to pressurize!
 
I went to Princess Auto and bought a new hose end: https://www.princessauto.com/en/9-in-grease-gun-hose-with-coupler/product/PA0008886285

then I took my tap and die set and essentially cut a new thread (the thread of the bleeder nipple) on top of the exisiting male end thread of the new hose. It was nasty and very McGyver but it worked, I got enough bite into the caliper to use the grease. If you are really stuck I can likely send you mine.
 
Thanks for the offer and the info. I'm going to do the brake calipers this winter. First I'll see how far I get by leaving the caliper still hooked up to the car's hydraulic system and pumping the brakes. I think I read where some have had success doing that. Did you try that first? Otherwise I'll pick up the hose at PA.
I see you have a Fiat Multipla. Just as a point of interest I had the opportunity to buy a Fiat Multipla here in Winnipeg Manitoba for $800 from a Triumph club member last year. Couldn't believe there was one here. The guy who had it bought it from a farmer who had it in his field. He never got around to restoring it and it was in pretty good shape. Kicking myself for not buying it as they are quite rare but I had my hands full working on an older BMW at the time. Apparently someone from Ontario bought it to restore.
 
You may find the hose end will thread in where the brake hose screws in to the caliper.
I think I screwed a grease fitting into the caliper. Found a fitting that matched the thread not sure if it was imperial or metric.

David
 
Thanks for the offer and the info. I'm going to do the brake calipers this winter. First I'll see how far I get by leaving the caliper still hooked up to the car's hydraulic system and pumping the brakes. I think I read where some have had success doing that. Did you try that first? Otherwise I'll pick up the hose at PA.
I see you have a Fiat Multipla. Just as a point of interest I had the opportunity to buy a Fiat Multipla here in Winnipeg Manitoba for $800 from a Triumph club member last year. Couldn't believe there was one here. The guy who had it bought it from a farmer who had it in his field. He never got around to restoring it and it was in pretty good shape. Kicking myself for not buying it as they are quite rare but I had my hands full working on an older BMW at the time. Apparently someone from Ontario bought it to restore.
Cool about the Multipla!

In terms of the brakes if you can move the pistons with the brake pedal you almost certainly don't need grease. Most of the time, air is just fine - just watch your fingers and put a paint stirrer inbetween. I had to use grease on my one Vauxhall caliper that literally nothing else would budge - it hadn't moved in decades. Every other caliper I have ever done (OK 3 others) have popped out with air no problem.
 
Karl,
I have only had to use air. I do not split the calipers. I leave them as they come off the car. I cut off an old brake hose leaving about 4" of hose. Then use a blow gun tip on a compressor. Blow air into the cut off hose. The trick is to use a 1" board between the discs and prevent the first disc to move from coming out of the caliper. Then use a "C" clamp to hold the disc that moved and use more air on the hose to get the second disc out.
Once a disc is out of the caliper you will no longer be able to get the second disc out. But once the first disc has moved you should be able to ease the first disc out of the caliper.
Charley
 
Back
Top