Protege 5 Rear Brake Help

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protege_03

Member
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2003 Protege 5
Hi guys, I am in the process of changing out old pads and rotors on the back of a 2003 Protege 5 and I am stumped.

I can't seem to get the front pad (pad the hits the front of the rotor) past the rotor. It is not even close. The pad that touches the caliper piston is no trouble, it is just the front.
I have tried the new pads with the old rotors and they don't fit either. I have tried 4 different brands of brake pads too with the same fate.

Am I missing something? Is there an adjustment to move the guide plate further away from the rotor?

HELP.........
 
Did you retract the piston by removing the cover screw on the back of the caliper & turning the inner screw?? If you didn't , the piston will not go back far enough. Use "search" and you should find a pic.
 
Caliper has been move back

The caliper piston has been moved back as far as it will go using the allan key. It is not the pad that touches the caliper piston that is the problem, it is the pad that sits in the guide plate that faces the front of the rotor.
 
Pictures Pending

I will post a picture as soon as I can...... Have to jack her back up and take it apart for the 4th time.

There is lots of pad clearance on the back pad that faces the piston. It may sound crazy, but the front pad just won't clear the rotor. Plus I don't see how the caliper piston has any effect on the front pad; it doesn't interact with it at all.
 
Yes you're forgetting to backout the bolt that prevents the piston from opening any further. There is a bolt you have to remove (directly behind where the piston is). Remove that, then take an allen wrench (not sure of the size) and put it in the hole to back out the bolt that is on the inside of that opening. Its a weird setup if you ask me.

BUT.. keep this in mind, when you put everything back together afterwards, keep that first bolt you took off (to gain access to the allen wrench bolt)- OFF! With the new pads in, you'll need to manually adjust the pressure of the pistons on the rear rotors. Personally I drove my car around the block a few times to bed the pads right after installing them. While doing so I realized that there was way too much pressure on the rears brakes b/c my car would slow down immediately when coasting. So I jacked the car back up and had to manually adjust the pressure of the rear pistons with the allen wrench. FYI- you can adjust the pressure on the rear pistons with the wheels still on (just be careful if your rotors are flaming hot though).

If you do it the same way I did:
a) jack the rear of the car back up
b) loosen the inside bolt with the allen wrench enough that the wheel spins freely
c) check the pressure on the e-brake (to get the proper pressure on mine it was literally the matter fo a 1/4 turn with the allen wrench. It might make it easier to do this step with a second person to help)

Hope this helps. There's a DIY somewhere on here that walks you through it as well.


**edit, I started typing this after your first post. Doesn't look like this is the issue anymore**
 
The piston has been retracted

The piston has been retracted all the way. There is not a clearance issue with the pad that faces the piston. The clearance issue is with the pad that faces the front of the rotor.

I did follow the guide in the how to section.

Any other ideas?
 
Posted picture

Here is the pad installed which faces the front of the rotor. How do you get a rotor to fit in this small of a gap? I need to move it back, but I am unsure how to move this portion of the caliper back (it does not face the piston)

Do I have to separate the caliper from guide plate?
 

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Oh now I see! That top portion of the caliper needs to slide back over the bottom portion or you'll never fit a pad. Maybe it's seized up and it won't slide for you. Did you remove the bolt under the dust cap as well?
 
yeah like raserx said, you need to slide the caliper out to fit both in nicely, try to clean it all out first with brake cleaner.....

...if that doesn't work then you may have a ceased caliper?
 
So after some work, the caliper is now back on the disc. The only problem is brake drag on one side, it is hard to turn the tire. I drove around the block thinking the caliper would auto adjust..The rotor heats up and is so hot to steams when water is applied.

I checked and double checked all my work, but still this one tire drags.

I am pretty sure it isn't ceased, the caliper allan key moves freely on the back moving the caliper in and out.

Anyone every had brake drag like this??
 
i just had a very similar issue! about 2 weeks ago. i ended up just replacing the caliper... it was about $50 at advance auto parts for a re-manufactured oem replacement plus like a $30 core...everything works just fine now. only problem i have now is that my parking is about useless...
 
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Are you SURE you disconnected the parking brake? (i have forgotten be4 too... that is why i ask...)
 
a. Did you remember to back the allen bolt off 1/3 turn? If not, this is causing the brake drag because the brake is always on.
b. Did you remember to lubricate the slider pins with brake grease? If not, the caliper might be seized. Note that just because the piston moves in and out does NOT mean that the caliper is ok--the slider pins can seize.
 
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More Information

The top slider pin (under the dust cap) has been lubricated. I have no idea how to lubricate the second slider Pin, I cannot find a bolt. Any ideas how to lube the lower caliper pin?

Allan key is moved out.
Parking brake has been removed.
Re-surfaced the caliper mounting points.
Re-set the brake pads.

Still rotor gets so hot. I am almost thinking caliper is toast.
 
Still stuck......can't get it off. Cannot find a read caliper guide either to replace it the caliper/guide together as one unit. Tonight I am taking a torch to it, hoping to heat it up to expand the bolt hole. If that doesn't work, I am not too sure what else I can do.

Anyone else had success removing this slide pin?
 
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