Front Brake Caliper HELP!

[skygawker]

I need new front brake pads on my Helix, and have viewed several YouTube tutorials, attempted to find the exact section in the PDF version of the shop manual, and ... I'M STILL CONFUSED.

The fasteners on the caliper don't look like any of the tutorials, and I haven't found a clear image (like you see in a Haynes manual, for example, where they show pics of the teardown). I can tell which is the retaining pin (only one on the Helix) but I can't for sure identify which two fasteners are holding the caliper to the front fork, or the caliper mount bracket.

Can someone here LABEL one of these images or offer advice? It seems easy, when I read verbal accounts ... but I'm not that swift and a really clear, labelled pic and some advice would help greatly. I am confident on putting them on etc, once I have the caliper off. I know you DON'T have to take off the front wheel to do it, although I have removed the wheel I don't really want to if I don't have to.

Here are the pics, the first is easy to see, the second is looking parallel to the rotor so you can "see" the fasteners on the rotor side, not the outer side.





Need to do this soon... you can see the pads are worn basically all the way down. THANKS!!

[birdmannn101]

Can someone here LABEL one of these images or offer advice?

The bottom screw in the first picture is actually a CAP instead of a screw. Be very carefully unscrewing the CAP (counterclockwise) and then you will find another screw in there holding the caliper to the wheel.

[skygawker]

thank you! I was afraid to pull out/damage that piece.
looking at the bikebandit.com exploded caliper diagram, it still appears at least one of the two fasteners holding the caliper will have to be taken off with the wheel off, despite what I've read elsewhere on the forum. I can do that, having taken it off for tire changes before. But don't want to if I don't have to. I know elsewhere on this forum, there is a discussion about doing that, but it seems to assume you can get at the caliper connectors from the "street" side and not the rotor side.
Any light that you can shed on that would be appreciated!

T Miller
'97 Helix
formerly '04 Helix

[birdmannn101]

The manual doesn't show the cap, it shows a later setup without the cap.

[skygawker]

Hmmmm....when I rotate that rubber cap, the whole thing rotates, it doesn't "unscrew". It's apparently one piece from the street side to the rotor side, and the rotor side has a large rubber lip which prevents it from being drawn through the hole to be removed. Maybe you can, but I'm afraid I'll tear it.
I think I'm just going to remove the front wheel, which I've done easily before to get a new tire. Then I can see the whole darn caliper, and probably get the darn pads changed. No shop can see me for at least three weeks, and it really needs done before that if I'm going to keep riding it.
Thanks for the help! It just doesn't seem that simple to me, but I probably overthink it like most things.

[zozman]

Hello Sky!

I did a complete Tech Tip on this process as I worked through my rebuild. I was so excited, I bought another caliper on eBay and rebuilt it also. Photobucket hijacked my images and held them for ransom depriving others of my work. I wasn't paying their price.

Once you see the exploded view of your brake caliper. It's a roadmap to completion.







zoz

[zozman]

Here is the materials sheet for the rebuild parts I used.






zoz

[zozman]

This is what they should look like finished.







zoz

[zozman]

More detailed photos.






zoz

[skygawker]

Thank you! Those are the best pix I've seen, by far. You are a saint. Still gonna take the wheel off, since that's easy, and then look at it with your pix. Did I say thank you? Thank you!

[skygawker]

EPILOGUE:
OK, the job is done! I couldn't figure how to get just the caliper off. Took off the front wheel. Couldn't compress the caliper pistons at all, even with a C-clamp and an old pad. Took off the caliper bracket (at this point, one bolt/nut) and then could get at the darn thing. Used a socket and careful hammer taps to depress the pistons so the new pads would go in. Got 'em in, got the caliper bracket with caliper mounted again, mounted the wheel (juuuuust enough clearance). After a YouTube video review, bled the brake line. The brakes are now great with new OEM pads.
Yep, it took me a total of about five hours over two days, but it got done. I know if I could figure out the "right" way, it would take me an hour, tops.

Skygawker
'97 Helix
formerly '04 Helix

[Phil]

curious if you cracked the bleeder screw as you tried to push the pistons back in to the caliper before you used the tapping method.

[Dan_Lockwood]

curious if you cracked the bleeder screw as you tried to push the pistons back in to the caliper before you used the tapping method.

Not that that's not a good idea to relieve some of the hydraulic pressure from the retracting piston, but you really want the extended piston to push the piston fluid back into the master cylinder.

I've never had any caliper that I've had to loosen the bleeder to push back in the piston. Maybe in this case the piston was out so far it was window locked and without tapping it a little it just stayed put in the extended position.

The bottom line is that the new pads are in and the brakes are working.

Hopefully next time the pads can be changed a lot quicker...

[Phil]

sdasnm