PeterD

On Wed, 8 Nov 2006 09:54:05 -0500, "Pete" <escape2music@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>
>"Richard" wrote
>> What is the best technique for retracting the pistons on the rear
>> calipers on my A4 I do not have the specialist tool, I believe you have
>> to rotate them as well as forcr them back, which direction is the
>> rotation looking at the piston face.
>
>If you have AutoZone near you, they will rent you this tool.
>
>Pete
>

I'm going to do a bunch of guessing here, I've not done this on an
Audi, but do have experience with other vehicles with similar brakes.

1. Tool: either rent as Pete suggests, or sometimes you can buy one at
a good price. If you buy the parts from Autozone they may lend you the
tool (you'll have to put up a deposit, which you will get back when
you return the tool ontime).

2. The vehicles I have done all rotate clockwise, facing the piston.
Just like a bolt--they screw in. I've found it easy to rotate a bit,
press a bit, let off the pressure a bit, and start that cycle again.
If is usually much more difficult to rotate the piston if there is
(too much) pressure on it.

BTW, IMHO, this is a PITA job! Requires three hands...

PeterD

On Wed, 8 Nov 2006 09:54:05 -0500, "Pete" <escape2music@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>
>"Richard" wrote
>> What is the best technique for retracting the pistons on the rear
>> calipers on my A4 I do not have the specialist tool, I believe you have
>> to rotate them as well as forcr them back, which direction is the
>> rotation looking at the piston face.
>
>If you have AutoZone near you, they will rent you this tool.
>
>Pete
>

I'm going to do a bunch of guessing here, I've not done this on an
Audi, but do have experience with other vehicles with similar brakes.

1. Tool: either rent as Pete suggests, or sometimes you can buy one at
a good price. If you buy the parts from Autozone they may lend you the
tool (you'll have to put up a deposit, which you will get back when
you return the tool ontime).

2. The vehicles I have done all rotate clockwise, facing the piston.
Just like a bolt--they screw in. I've found it easy to rotate a bit,
press a bit, let off the pressure a bit, and start that cycle again.
If is usually much more difficult to rotate the piston if there is
(too much) pressure on it.

BTW, IMHO, this is a PITA job! Requires three hands...

PeterD

On Wed, 8 Nov 2006 09:54:05 -0500, "Pete" <escape2music@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>
>"Richard" wrote
>> What is the best technique for retracting the pistons on the rear
>> calipers on my A4 I do not have the specialist tool, I believe you have
>> to rotate them as well as forcr them back, which direction is the
>> rotation looking at the piston face.
>
>If you have AutoZone near you, they will rent you this tool.
>
>Pete
>

I'm going to do a bunch of guessing here, I've not done this on an
Audi, but do have experience with other vehicles with similar brakes.

1. Tool: either rent as Pete suggests, or sometimes you can buy one at
a good price. If you buy the parts from Autozone they may lend you the
tool (you'll have to put up a deposit, which you will get back when
you return the tool ontime).

2. The vehicles I have done all rotate clockwise, facing the piston.
Just like a bolt--they screw in. I've found it easy to rotate a bit,
press a bit, let off the pressure a bit, and start that cycle again.
If is usually much more difficult to rotate the piston if there is
(too much) pressure on it.

BTW, IMHO, this is a PITA job! Requires three hands...

Ferde

"PeterD" <peter2@hipson.net> wrote in message
news:1l74l2ddh2aefo1o7gq310hp39mlu75jvu@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 8 Nov 2006 09:54:05 -0500, "Pete" <escape2music@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Richard" wrote
>>> What is the best technique for retracting the pistons on the rear
>>> calipers on my A4 I do not have the specialist tool, I believe you have
>>> to rotate them as well as forcr them back, which direction is the
>>> rotation looking at the piston face.
>>
>>If you have AutoZone near you, they will rent you this tool.
>>
>>Pete
>>
>
> I'm going to do a bunch of guessing here, I've not done this on an
> Audi, but do have experience with other vehicles with similar brakes.
>
> 1. Tool: either rent as Pete suggests, or sometimes you can buy one at
> a good price. If you buy the parts from Autozone they may lend you the
> tool (you'll have to put up a deposit, which you will get back when
> you return the tool ontime).
>
> 2. The vehicles I have done all rotate clockwise, facing the piston.
> Just like a bolt--they screw in. I've found it easy to rotate a bit,
> press a bit, let off the pressure a bit, and start that cycle again.
> If is usually much more difficult to rotate the piston if there is
> (too much) pressure on it.
>
> BTW, IMHO, this is a PITA job! Requires three hands...

You need the tool to exert pressure on the piston and turn it at the same
time. The piston is rotated clockwise as it retracts but I'm not sure if
this is essential, the tool turns it this way because the forcing thread on
the tool turns the piston this way as it advances i.e. it's conventionally
threaded right-hand. My advice is not to try without the tool as it's easily
possible to damage the finish on the outside of the piston using improvised
means and this damage may well rip the piston seals. I did try for about 3/4
hour, without any success, with a homemade spanner prior to buying the
proper tool (it doesn't have to be by Audi, the one I bought was made by
Laser), which took about 5 minutes to do what I had previously struggled and
failed to accomplish.

Suitable tools in the UK cost £20 to buy from factors, so to my mind it
hardly seems worth hiring one. Hire will cost you a fair portion of the £20
in any case and the one i bought will fit a large variety of popularly
encountered vehicles.

Best of luck. Take care and you'll do it.

Usual disclaimer - if you have any doubts in your capability as a mechanic,
working on brakes is not the place to develop them!

Ferde

"PeterD" <peter2@hipson.net> wrote in message
news:1l74l2ddh2aefo1o7gq310hp39mlu75jvu@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 8 Nov 2006 09:54:05 -0500, "Pete" <escape2music@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Richard" wrote
>>> What is the best technique for retracting the pistons on the rear
>>> calipers on my A4 I do not have the specialist tool, I believe you have
>>> to rotate them as well as forcr them back, which direction is the
>>> rotation looking at the piston face.
>>
>>If you have AutoZone near you, they will rent you this tool.
>>
>>Pete
>>
>
> I'm going to do a bunch of guessing here, I've not done this on an
> Audi, but do have experience with other vehicles with similar brakes.
>
> 1. Tool: either rent as Pete suggests, or sometimes you can buy one at
> a good price. If you buy the parts from Autozone they may lend you the
> tool (you'll have to put up a deposit, which you will get back when
> you return the tool ontime).
>
> 2. The vehicles I have done all rotate clockwise, facing the piston.
> Just like a bolt--they screw in. I've found it easy to rotate a bit,
> press a bit, let off the pressure a bit, and start that cycle again.
> If is usually much more difficult to rotate the piston if there is
> (too much) pressure on it.
>
> BTW, IMHO, this is a PITA job! Requires three hands...

You need the tool to exert pressure on the piston and turn it at the same
time. The piston is rotated clockwise as it retracts but I'm not sure if
this is essential, the tool turns it this way because the forcing thread on
the tool turns the piston this way as it advances i.e. it's conventionally
threaded right-hand. My advice is not to try without the tool as it's easily
possible to damage the finish on the outside of the piston using improvised
means and this damage may well rip the piston seals. I did try for about 3/4
hour, without any success, with a homemade spanner prior to buying the
proper tool (it doesn't have to be by Audi, the one I bought was made by
Laser), which took about 5 minutes to do what I had previously struggled and
failed to accomplish.

Suitable tools in the UK cost £20 to buy from factors, so to my mind it
hardly seems worth hiring one. Hire will cost you a fair portion of the £20
in any case and the one i bought will fit a large variety of popularly
encountered vehicles.

Best of luck. Take care and you'll do it.

Usual disclaimer - if you have any doubts in your capability as a mechanic,
working on brakes is not the place to develop them!

Ferde

"PeterD" <peter2@hipson.net> wrote in message
news:1l74l2ddh2aefo1o7gq310hp39mlu75jvu@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 8 Nov 2006 09:54:05 -0500, "Pete" <escape2music@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Richard" wrote
>>> What is the best technique for retracting the pistons on the rear
>>> calipers on my A4 I do not have the specialist tool, I believe you have
>>> to rotate them as well as forcr them back, which direction is the
>>> rotation looking at the piston face.
>>
>>If you have AutoZone near you, they will rent you this tool.
>>
>>Pete
>>
>
> I'm going to do a bunch of guessing here, I've not done this on an
> Audi, but do have experience with other vehicles with similar brakes.
>
> 1. Tool: either rent as Pete suggests, or sometimes you can buy one at
> a good price. If you buy the parts from Autozone they may lend you the
> tool (you'll have to put up a deposit, which you will get back when
> you return the tool ontime).
>
> 2. The vehicles I have done all rotate clockwise, facing the piston.
> Just like a bolt--they screw in. I've found it easy to rotate a bit,
> press a bit, let off the pressure a bit, and start that cycle again.
> If is usually much more difficult to rotate the piston if there is
> (too much) pressure on it.
>
> BTW, IMHO, this is a PITA job! Requires three hands...

You need the tool to exert pressure on the piston and turn it at the same
time. The piston is rotated clockwise as it retracts but I'm not sure if
this is essential, the tool turns it this way because the forcing thread on
the tool turns the piston this way as it advances i.e. it's conventionally
threaded right-hand. My advice is not to try without the tool as it's easily
possible to damage the finish on the outside of the piston using improvised
means and this damage may well rip the piston seals. I did try for about 3/4
hour, without any success, with a homemade spanner prior to buying the
proper tool (it doesn't have to be by Audi, the one I bought was made by
Laser), which took about 5 minutes to do what I had previously struggled and
failed to accomplish.

Suitable tools in the UK cost £20 to buy from factors, so to my mind it
hardly seems worth hiring one. Hire will cost you a fair portion of the £20
in any case and the one i bought will fit a large variety of popularly
encountered vehicles.

Best of luck. Take care and you'll do it.

Usual disclaimer - if you have any doubts in your capability as a mechanic,
working on brakes is not the place to develop them!

Ferde

"PeterD" <peter2@hipson.net> wrote in message
news:1l74l2ddh2aefo1o7gq310hp39mlu75jvu@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 8 Nov 2006 09:54:05 -0500, "Pete" <escape2music@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Richard" wrote
>>> What is the best technique for retracting the pistons on the rear
>>> calipers on my A4 I do not have the specialist tool, I believe you have
>>> to rotate them as well as forcr them back, which direction is the
>>> rotation looking at the piston face.
>>
>>If you have AutoZone near you, they will rent you this tool.
>>
>>Pete
>>
>
> I'm going to do a bunch of guessing here, I've not done this on an
> Audi, but do have experience with other vehicles with similar brakes.
>
> 1. Tool: either rent as Pete suggests, or sometimes you can buy one at
> a good price. If you buy the parts from Autozone they may lend you the
> tool (you'll have to put up a deposit, which you will get back when
> you return the tool ontime).
>
> 2. The vehicles I have done all rotate clockwise, facing the piston.
> Just like a bolt--they screw in. I've found it easy to rotate a bit,
> press a bit, let off the pressure a bit, and start that cycle again.
> If is usually much more difficult to rotate the piston if there is
> (too much) pressure on it.
>
> BTW, IMHO, this is a PITA job! Requires three hands...

You need the tool to exert pressure on the piston and turn it at the same
time. The piston is rotated clockwise as it retracts but I'm not sure if
this is essential, the tool turns it this way because the forcing thread on
the tool turns the piston this way as it advances i.e. it's conventionally
threaded right-hand. My advice is not to try without the tool as it's easily
possible to damage the finish on the outside of the piston using improvised
means and this damage may well rip the piston seals. I did try for about 3/4
hour, without any success, with a homemade spanner prior to buying the
proper tool (it doesn't have to be by Audi, the one I bought was made by
Laser), which took about 5 minutes to do what I had previously struggled and
failed to accomplish.

Suitable tools in the UK cost £20 to buy from factors, so to my mind it
hardly seems worth hiring one. Hire will cost you a fair portion of the £20
in any case and the one i bought will fit a large variety of popularly
encountered vehicles.

Best of luck. Take care and you'll do it.

Usual disclaimer - if you have any doubts in your capability as a mechanic,
working on brakes is not the place to develop them!