i was planning on changing my rear brake pads next weekend. i have a couple of questions:
1---do i have to remove the caliper to push the piston back into its bore?
2--- My haynes repair book says that the rear rotor can simply removed after the caliper has been removed? is this true? no grease caps and lock nuts like the front??
thanks in advance..

If you loosen the bleeder valve on the caliper, you can push the pistons far enough to get the new pads in. Get a small hose to insert into the bleeder valve and drain the excess into a receptacle of some sort, or you will have to clean up all of the spilled brake fluid all over the garage floor.

Don't forget to top off the reservoir afterwards.

Removing the rear calipers is pretty easy (done that accidentally not knowing how to change the pads), but can't say what is necessary to remove the rotors...

__________________
2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

thanks G-benz i will try opening the bleed screw to push the calipers back. However i do not run the risk of getting air into my system by opening the bleed screw do i? because i have not tried bleeding my brakes yet.
rock on

It should be possible to push the piston back into the caliper without loosening the bleed screw. Just loosen the cap on the reservoir and watch that it doesn't overflow.

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Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record

Ali's approach is the superior one...I've done the bleeder valve method for years without a problem, but lately, it's been deemed an inappropriate method by others more seasoned with brake repairs (potential for allowing air into the system), so I will forgo that method in the future.

The reservoir cap only has a pinhole to allow for air to escape, so requires a lot of force to push the caliper pistons with the cap on (trying to push all of that hydraulic pressure through that little hole). Removing the cap should ease the process quite a bit.

As Ali said, be careful with overflow...if your reervoir is already full, you can move enough fluid through the brake lines when pushing the pistons to overflow the reservoir.

__________________
2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

Some cars have a screw holding the rotor to the hub. If your book says your car doesn't have a screw then it must not have a screw. Try some penetrant where the hub comes through the rotor. If the hub hasn't been off in a while, it may be stubborn.

Sixto
91 300SE
81 300SD ... buy me

I will probably employ the technique of opening the reservoir cap first. by the way for those of you who do open the bleed screw, i read that if you attach a piece of rubber tubing to the bleed nipple and submerge it in a jar full of brake fluid, then slowly depress the break pedal and then tighten the bleeder screw before you release the break pedal, you should not get air in the system(haynes, 300D 79-84, "bleeding the break system").
By the way sixto my haynes guide does not mention any nut or screw holding the rear rotor on it says "simply withdraw the rotor after removing the caliper" any i will find out when i get in there.
thanks guys
Karl

I haven't had any luck in the past using that trick where you put a tube from the bleed screw into a jar of brake fluid. When I tried it, the air just got sucked into the caliper through the threads of the bleed screw when it was opened.

I use the method of prying the pads back and letting the fluid level rise in the master cylinder reservoir.

I'm looking forward to hearing what you find regarding removal of the rear calipers.

__________________
D.H.

04 ML500
02 E430

Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.