replaced rear pads, but....

[97vulcan]

Ok, so I replaced the rear pads on my contour, but let me say, it seems almost like a 2 person job! I was having trouble lining up the bottom of the caliper on the rod with the cotter pin. The caliper has the little metal piece that connects it to the rod. This was proving very difficult to line up, as the caliper didn't want to go on straight. All in all I got everything back together, but on the driver side rear, I had to leave the metal clip that attaches to the rod off, because I could not get the caliper centered and the bolt back on with it installed. Question I have is, will this give me problems down the road? And BTW....It took a 50 Torx to remove the caliper from the bracket. Any tips, or suggestions will be appreciated.

-Adam

 

[LauraSVT]

Ok, so I replaced the rear pads on my contour, but let me say, it seems almost like a 2 person job! I was having trouble lining up the bottom of the caliper on the rod with the cotter pin. The caliper has the little metal piece that connects it to the rod. This was proving very difficult to line up, as the caliper didn't want to go on straight. All in all I got everything back together, but on the driver side rear, I had to leave the metal clip that attaches to the rod off, because I could not get the caliper centered and the bolt back on with it installed. Question I have is, will this give me problems down the road? And BTW....It took a 50 Torx to remove the caliper from the bracket. Any tips, or suggestions will be appreciated.

-Adam

Adam --

The rear caliper has something of a clamshell setup. Were you struggling with lining up the Torx caliper bolt while also trying to get the cotter pin to seat evenly? I gave it a little persuasion with a rubber mallet, and it fell into place. With the pads tentatively seated, you can position the caliper bracket into place and drive it home via the Torx bolt. If the cotter pin is not seated, I don't forsee a big problem, as the pads can't go anywhere if the bolt is in place. That said, wiggle room could create a squeak due to vibration.

 

[97vulcan]

LauraSVT, I was struggling with lining up the bolt, and trying to get the rod with the cotter pin to line up with the bottom on the caliper. It seemed like the caliper wanted to turn sideways for whatever reason. I had the piston compressed as far as it would go, but it took alot of readjusting the caliper for it to finally go in. Like I said, I did eventually get the passenger rear to slide into place with the metal tab installed on the cotter pin and caliper, but could not install it the same way on the drivers rear. It didn't want to seat properly, so I left out the little metal piece. If there will be no problems, then I will just leave it.

Thanks,
Adam

 

[LauraSVT]

LauraSVT, I was struggling with lining up the bolt, and trying to get the rod with the cotter pin to line up with the bottom on the caliper. It seemed like the caliper wanted to turn sideways for whatever reason. I had the piston compressed as far as it would go, but it took alot of readjusting the caliper for it to finally go in. Like I said, I did eventually get the passenger rear to slide into place with the metal tab installed on the cotter pin and caliper, but could not install it the same way on the drivers rear. It didn't want to seat properly, so I left out the little metal piece. If there will be no problems, then I will just leave it.

Thanks,
Adam

The pin isn't load bearing. It's just a locator. I think you'll be ok. If you notice any malfeasance coming from that brake, address it, but otherwise, enjoy in good health.

 

[97vulcan]

Very cool! I'll just drive it and see. Thanks for the quick reply! In that case, I now have another problem that I need to address. If you look in the picture I took with my cell phone, can you tell me what this part is? I noticed that it has been leaking brake fluid, but must not be leaking too bad, because I never see any drops, and my brake reservoir has not decreased. Can I purchase this part? BTW, I cleaned it with brake fluid cleaner before taking the picture.

Thanks,
Adam

 

[LauraSVT]

Very cool! I'll just drive it and see. Thanks for the quick reply! In that case, I now have another problem that I need to address. If you look in the picture I took with my cell phone, can you tell me what this part is? I noticed that it has been leaking brake fluid, but must not be leaking too bad, because I never see any drops, and my brake reservoir has not decreased. Can I purchase this part? BTW, I cleaned it with brake fluid cleaner before taking the picture.

Thanks,
Adam

Is it, however, leaking where the flex hose collar meets the hard line bracket? If that's the case, you may just be able to replace the flex hose.

 

[97vulcan]

I don't know where exactly its leaking from, except I do know its around this fitting. Near the top where the rubber hose meets the metal bracket thing. I think its leaking from the tubular metal thing bolted to the car. Is this a common issue? What would cause a leak right here?

Thanks,
Adam

 

[LauraSVT]

I don't know where exactly its leaking from, except I do know its around this fitting. Near the top where the rubber hose meets the metal bracket thing. I think its leaking from the tubular metal thing bolted to the car. Is this a common issue? What would cause a leak right here?

Thanks,
Adam

Leaking brake fluid is not necessarily complicated, but its not common. One thing that puzzles me is that the hard line running underneath the car is not wet. If you had a sizable leak above it, where the hard line meets the flex hose, it would run down and be visible there.

Also of note is your observation that you're not losing fluid. If the reservoir isn't dropping, you're right. You may have something else on there that's left a discoloration or stain. It may very well not be worth worrying about if your pedal feel is good and consistent, and you're noticing no issues with the brake system.