How do I reset the caliper piston (2003)?

[op157]

Just looking around online, everything I've seen says to use a clamp to push it back in. But my buddy told me that that is wrong and I probably need to use a special tool to twist it back in, and that forcing it back with a clamp would break the caliper. I looked around online for that, and it seems like he could be right - other cars require a special tool. Does anyone know definitively if I should use a clamp or get a special tool on the caliper pistons? Is it the same for the front & the back?

 

[mikec6201]

I used to have a pair of vise grips with some metal strips welded to the jaws . The strips were just long enough to go from one side of the piston to the other with another 1/2" of length . Worked pretty good the couple times I used it .

 

[NFortin198]

On front calipers, you can just push them in by using a big C-clamp and one of the old pads. The only time a piston on a caliper needs to be twisted in, is when the parking brake is attached to the caliper and it uses the piston to apply the parking brake. However this does not apply on the Centuries of any year that may have rear disc brakes as they use what is called Drum in Hat rear rotors, which are disc brakes on the outside, and on the inside, is the drum and the parking brake uses shoes. The parking brake shoes should last the life of the vehicle as they do not wear like regular brakes do because they are only used to hold the vehicle stationary and are not applied while the vehicle is in motion.

 

[op157]

Thanks for the info!