Rear caliper problems
 

Ok im a lucky first time owner of a 74 914 1.8L. I needed to changed my brake pads and ran into a problem. on both my rear calipers, the inside adjusting screw (not the cover) doesn't seem to turn back the piston. I have read haynes and the Pelican tec artical and i am doing it right. Is my pistion just frozen. Is there any tricks or is the caliper just done. Is rebuilding the calipers ok or do i need new ones. Thanks guys

eric

Sometimes the piston will not retract fully and the teeth on the adjuster will not mesh with the teeth on the worm screw that drives into the back of the piston.

If you provide a bit of pressure on the piston (a big a$$ screwdriver or even a pry bar would do) as you crank the adjuster screw CCW, you should be able to get the piston to retract.

Good luck!

$6.50 at your FLAPS will get you an inexpensive caliper spreader...

I know, I bought one last night...

James

Ok See i thought that was the problem but its not. I am putting plenty of pressure on the piston. i used C-clamps to apply stedy pressure wile i turned the screw. no good. still stuck

I rebuild my callipers a few month ago and they work well now. At the same time I'm still confused about the function of some of the internal parts. For some reason the adjusting screws have to be moved quiet a bit before you will notice any piston movement. Once the piston started to move they seem to be much more responsive to adjustments via adjusting screw. The adjusting screw for the inner piston uses a little gear in order to move the piston. I think this reverses the operation of the adjusting bolt. Counterclockwise moves the piston back in its bore. (I'm not positive here... check with your manual)
In case this is confusing send me an email and I will check on my calipers...


Patrick Koch

one of my screws works and one doesn't
 

I just bought a rebuilt caliper from my FLAPS. The price was incredible ($83 and no shipping. Of course they don't have a nice web site and bulletin board either. PP will get my 914-6 conversion business) but you get what you pay for. The outer adjusting screw doesn't work at all. I tried pushing and pulling and turning (and turning and turning) and it just isn't engaging the piston. I decided to ignore it, bled the brakes and they seem to function correctly. The gap is 2mm when your foot is off the pedal. Does anybody have an opinion on why it doesn't work or if it even really matters?

When I first bought my car it was "fine". I then started doing alot of the maintenence issues/fixes seen primarily on this list. When I adjusted the venting clearance to spec, I did notice a increased feel to the way the car stopped. I also noticed that my ebrake (that I thought had a broken cable) now workrd perfectly. I wouldn't gamble on anything related to brakes. I don't know if Pelican stocks them (you know you will get quality if they do). If not see if you can locate Steve Stromberg on this list. I replaced my rears through him. Other than the quality of the paint used on them, they are very high quality and function beatifully. He is also very knowledgable and helpful.
Scott S

Just call Steve directly, he is at extension 60