patra_is_here Posted May 19, 2013 Report Share Posted May 19, 2013 those clips are weird! were the spaced directly across from each other? I feel like i've seen those before but can't remember 100% almost looks like cable retainers but I don't think that's what they are. I believe the rear piston has to be aligned in a certain position to allow it to press in. page 5-29 http://www.starquestgarage.com/manuals/service/conquest/1986/86_conquest_service_manual_-_group_05_-_brakes_service-parking.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conquestador89 Posted May 19, 2013 Report Share Posted May 19, 2013 (edited) theres a slot on the piston i think...it needs to line up with brake pad...open brake reservoir...release hand brake...compress brake piston with c clamp or brake piston compression tool Edited May 19, 2013 by conquestador89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conquestador89 Posted May 19, 2013 Report Share Posted May 19, 2013 (edited) double post Edited May 19, 2013 by conquestador89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Convette Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 im pretty sure the piston needs to turn as it goes in, a regular clamp wont do it. I had to make a tool last time I did mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attack vector Posted May 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 (edited) Convette, thanks for the info. I posted in Kev's thread about rebuilding the rear brake caliper because he specifically adresses the parking mechanism. I guess I'm still kind of lost though. Is the parking assembly a ratcheting lever mechanism? I kind of looks like it. I've disconnected the cable and pulled back the dust cover so I can inspect the apparatus and I think I understand how it works. After examining it, I'm starting to get the impression that the only way I can push the piston back is to break down and remove that roller bearing / lever assembly so that the piston can retract. But I'm having trouble visualizing the entire thing. I'm utterly frustrated. I hammered on it for a few hours today and I'm just about ready to drain the fluid, disconnect the caliper completely and just strip it down so I understand how it functions explicitly. This seems overkill for a simple pad and rotor job... but I get the feeling I'm painted in to a corner and the only way out is to rebuild the caliper so I can reset the position of the piston and the parking lever mechanism? Edited May 20, 2013 by attack vector Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dred_85.5_TSI Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Here you go for rear brake caliper rebuild http://www.starquestclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=137131 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZacMan Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Nah man, no need to dissassemble anything. you need one of these:http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/9094092_lg.jpgshould be cheap as from your local auto parts store. They look weird, because they're made to be universal and fit heaps of different models, but one of the faces of the cube will have a set of protrusions that will fit into the starion rear caliper pistons. You then put a 3/8" drive extension into the opposite face, pop on a ratchet and turn the piston clockwise while applying pressure, piston should wind back in fairly easily if the caliper isnt too rusty. Best to pop a bit of tube and drain bottle onto the bleed nipple and crack it open while you're doing this, then top up your fluid afterwards. You can also do it with a pair of right angle needlenose pliers, but its a pain in the tail when the tool to do it is so cheap. I was literally doing this myself lastnight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZacMan Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Oh, and it's clockwise to wind the piston back in. Once the callipers are back on, a few pulls of the handbrake will ratchet the pistons back out again. You have to make sure when you wind them back in that you line up the indents on the pistons with the protrusion on the back of the pads. You can't wind the pistons too much, so just wind them clockwise till they're in the right place and all the way back in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Technology Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 With fresh pads, they have to go back in so they are at least flush with the housing. Use that cube tool pictured above and a 3/8 ratchet or drill. Righty tighty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attack vector Posted May 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Thanks guys for all the help! I will pick up the cube tool during lunch today. There's a parts store right up the street from my work. I'm a bit slow at this stuff sometimes (too much time sitting behind a computer screen and not enough time turning a wrench, lol) So it took me an embarresingly long time to fully comprehend the functioning of the apparatus, but I get it now. I hope I didn't mangle the piston. I beat on it kinda hard yesterday trying to compress it. (< noobfail) I'll post an update during the week when I get to crack at it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZacMan Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Rear calipers are cheap even if you did f*** it. Good learning experience, I've had my fair share! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Technology Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Updates? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOHO Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Nice Jack.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attack vector Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Boho: Thanks man. It's actually the only jack I could find that will fit under the car. It's way too low to fit anything else under the car. IIRC it was a Harbor Freight special. Technology: No updates yet. Haven't had a chance to mess with it since getting the piston compression tool. But I did take this picture when I test fit the new rotors and stuff is cleaning up real nice. Just need some time to get it all together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patra_is_here Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 HEY can you check the front top area of the control arm to see if it's hitting the unibody!!?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attack vector Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 HEY can you check the front top area of the control arm to see if it's hitting the unibody!!?? I will double check but I'm almost positive that I do not have any control-arm contact. IIRC, the only time I ever had any suspension geometry collision issues was when I installed my rear ST swaybar. I was an idiot and accidentally installed it upside down and drove on it for a few days before I figured out that the klunking I kept hearing was the sway-bar intercepting the body. Put a small dent in the underside, but nothing major. Also the ride was exceptionally springy :-) LOL. After I figured out my 'DERP-A-DERP' moment and flipped the bar, everything has been cool back there. I have my D2's set to maximum hard. I'm technically not as low as one can go on the D2's, but I'm as low as I can go without grinding my exhaust down on the street. I also accidentally tore my FMIC off last summer on a dip in a curb. So... car may not look all that low... but it's low :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laodicea Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Yeah...I have looked at those wheels in the past looks great. I like the "D" shaped hole spokes a lil better. I have some wheels coming in next month when they arrive in the states 15x10 -44 rears Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patra_is_here Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 ahhhhhhh i didn't realize you had D2's!!! those have adjustable bodies so I guess if you had those threaded down they would allow enough travel (too much travel imho) to let the axle hit!!! god i feel stupid for not realized you had D2;s. i thought you were running SHPs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attack vector Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 ahhhhhhh i didn't realize you had D2's!!! those have adjustable bodies so I guess if you had those threaded down they would allow enough travel (too much travel imho) to let the axle hit!!! god i feel stupid for not realized you had D2;s. i thought you were running SHPs. No worries man! To be fair I haven't really posted any pics of my struts :-)But yeah, I feel like I'm at the threshold right now of how low I can go before I enter the serious brain-damage realm. Hypothetically could I go lower? Yeah. There's A LOT of thread left on that coil-over sleeve. But bump-steer, tracking, grinding on curbs, etc... I'm right there at that limit where if I go any lower RCA's would be mandatory, cut wheel-wells, having to relocate my exhaust out a hole in one of the rear fender arches, etc... like I said... brain-damage. And the car would just look weird... like a low-rider with airbags. Not the look I'm after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patra_is_here Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 I can't wait to see it when you're done. my SQ is low to the point where i think i need to go a 45 series tire on stock 16's cuz it rubs. and that's with out fender liners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Convette Posted May 22, 2013 Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 I'd love to go lower, but daily driving makes that really hard. All the time I'm like " sorry hun, cant stop a the store on the way home, cars too low and thier driveway sucks". lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jszucs Posted May 22, 2013 Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 I'd love to go lower, but daily driving makes that really hard. All the time I'm like " sorry hun, cant stop a the store on the way home, cars too low and thier driveway sucks". lol You know I did just see a truck this weekend that did something I really liked to combat this. He's got a static drop setup (very very very low) and he had what I thought was a bagged truck. But it's not. He does have a bag setup, but it's not his suspension, they were little small bags to allow him to just lift it when needed, then dump them out and ride the static drop suspension. This keeps him from having to ride super bouncy, very soft aired out bags, but has a 3" lift to clear speed bumps, drive ways ECT. Found it to be a very smart setup. Could be very easy to do the way the arms pass under the frame rails on our cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attack vector Posted May 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 (edited) You know I did just see a truck this weekend that did something I really liked to combat this. He's got a static drop setup (very very very low) and he had what I thought was a bagged truck. But it's not. He does have a bag setup, but it's not his suspension, they were little small bags to allow him to just lift it when needed, then dump them out and ride the static drop suspension. This keeps him from having to ride super bouncy, very soft aired out bags, but has a 3" lift to clear speed bumps, drive ways ECT. Found it to be a very smart setup. Could be very easy to do the way the arms pass under the frame rails on our cars. I'm pretty sure what you're describing is a "bag-over-coil" setup. A lot of guys have made these themselves by fabbing a small airbag in to the top of a threaded coilover. But I have also seen a few companies make these in the past. The best example I ever saw was for the NSX. A company made a small bag at the top of a high-performance coilover with 2 presets. Basically a drive mode and a "speedbump" mode. The cool thing about the setup was that the system had a lock on it so that when it was in either setting the system would mechanically lock, and become totally rigid and behave like a high-performance coil-over. For the life of me though... I can't remember what the company or product was called. Edited May 22, 2013 by attack vector Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patra_is_here Posted May 22, 2013 Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 (edited) nah go with "STATIC+" that bag over coil stuff is junk. http://www.stance-solutions.co.uk/1 http://www.stance-solutions.co.uk/_/rsrc/1327142679861/1/DSC05750.jpg?height=213&width=320 KW also makes a version of these i believe. Edited May 22, 2013 by patra_is_here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attack vector Posted May 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 nah go with "STATIC+" that bag over coil stuff is junk. http://www.stance-solutions.co.uk/1 http://www.stance-solutions.co.uk/_/rsrc/1327142679861/1/DSC05750.jpg?height=213&width=320 KW also makes a version of these i believe. Ah yeah this is actually much closer to what I remember seeing with that old NSX system. I assumed it was a small bag in the reservoir that sat atop the strut, but it looked more like that solid pneumatic piston enclosure. Cool system! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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