One of the rear pads was not sliding correctly due to corrosion so the pad has uneven wear and I need to replace the pads/rotors. I went at it today but I was unable to press the caliper piston it at all to make room for the new pads. I was able to get it back together with the old pads for now. Is there a trick to depressing the pistons? Do I need to remove the pressure somehow? I did disconnect the battery before starting. I've replaced brakes on a ton of other cars before and have never had this issue.
Welcome aboard Josh. I do believe replacing the brakes on the prius is a bit more involved and I think their computer program hooked up the ODBII port is necessary for a complete job. Other will know more.
Rear pistons typically need to be screwed in, either with a special tool or makeshiftly with pliers, due to it working as a parking brake. Still, as mentioned above, might be best left to the pros: as soon as you push in a piston you'll likely create a low pressure situation at next startup, which will trigger warnings from the computer, and maybe other issues.
Well it was operator error on my part, I wasn't turning the piston while pressing. I did that and got the new pads and rotor on with no issues. Hopefully I don't get any check engine lights or anything..... used to working on order cars..
Just screw the pistons in and it will be fine. Do make sure the slot is at a perfect 90 deg angle or else the pads will drag. I have had mine off a few times already. Honda has said that cleaning the caliper brackets and applying a layer of Dow-Corning Molykote M77 UNDER the pad retainers will prevent corrosion from building up in that area. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Please excuse my lack of knowledge. I've changed the brake pads on older cars where I basically only needed to use a C-claim to push in the piston and remove the brake calipers, etc. Can somebody explain this "screw the pistons in" thing? I have to admit that I haven't even looked at the rear brakes, and kinda feel intimidated by it all. But once you explain it, I think I'll get the drift. Thanks. Mike
Nowadays, most rear brake calipers need a tool to screw the piston back into the caliper to start over again with new pads. When you set the parking brake, the lever on the back of the caliper screws the piston out for contact. If you use a C-clamp, you could damage the piston. The tool screws the piston back into place. Here's an example of the tool.
Thanks a lot. Obviously, I have to do much more reading before even attempting this one. Maybe I'll just stick with the fronts. Thanks again. Mike
