Help with brake pad Change!! Calipers won't compress!

I'm changing the pads on my 03 elantra GT and I can't the caliper to
compress. any suggestions or help? thanks!

 

"...caliper to compress." ? Do you mean you're trying to get
the pads apart? Buy the tool. My local Advance Auto has a pad
spreader for US$6.88 - cheap enough. Plus whatever tax the local
thieves have added.

S25

 

Parts stores sell a little clamp thingy that works great. I was helping my
neighbor do a front brake job on his son's car and he'd bought one. It sure
beats compressing them with a screwdriver or pry bar.

 

What methods have you tried to compress them? A 6inch "C" clamp works
great for this. Place one of the old pads into the caliper on the
piston side and then attach the C clamp and tighten down, the old brake
pad will prevent the clamp from damaging the piston surface and allow
more even pressure across the piston to prevent it from twisting and
getting stuck.. Also, ** remove the master cylinder cap ** before doing
any of this as you may be building up pressure in the fluid resevoir.
If you've already attempted this method and failed, you may have a
damaged caliper.

 

This topic came up on another forum. If your car has ABS/TC, the pistons
are screwed back into the caliper, not simply compressed. There should
be two recesses on the piston to accept a peg spanner, which you can get
at an auto parts store.

 

Hey, don't tell us how your trying to do it or anything.

 

I usually use a large pair of Channelock pliers.

Oh, and if you're doing the rear, the piston screws back into the caliper.
You WILL need the special tool for that.

 

The rear pistons did have to screw back in. I guess I was just used to my
other cars, and had never seen this before. Being it was 10 oclock at
night I couldn't run out to the store to buy the tool, and I really needed
my car back on the road, I used channel locks on the little inserts where
the "special tool" dug into.

Also wanted to note that the passenger side is reverse threaded. Thanks
for the replys!

 

Do you need this peg spanner tool for the front discs with ABS or is it for
the rears? Can you compress the pistons with the channel locks or is this
tool absolutley necessary?

 

I've heard that you need it for ABS front brakes, but I can't say for
certain if that's true. If the pistons have holes for a peg spanner,
then it's a good bet that you need one. Take a look and see.