Rebuilt Disk Brake Calipers - Slightly Engaged

[krukster86]

So recently I have had a problem with squeaky disk brakes. I had extremely old pads and was not too sure about the condition of the adhesive on them. I picked up a squeeze bottle of Disk Brake Quiet, and brand new brake pads. I applied disk brake quiet to the pads, re-used the nylon ring, and mounted the caliper to the bike. I bled the brakes for nearly an hour to be sure that there were no bubbles or residue in the hose. All was well and good until I went to wheel the bike around the driveway to test out the brakes. It seems like the brakes are about 20% engaged, just enough to make pushing it from a dead stop an effort. What the hell did I do wrong? This did not happen the last time I rebuilt the calipers.

 

[dcwp]

Were there shims in the old brakes that you put back in? If a PO had worn them too thin, he or she might have shimmed the thin pads to reduce travel. You might also try just wheeling the bike around some more and squeezing-releasing the brake, they should set themselves to the right clearance if 1) your rotor is true and 2) there aren't any shims or anything so the caliper can open far enough.

 

[krukster86]

I am going to try two things tonight/this weekend:
1. Check to see if the second hole in the master cylinder is clogged (the return line of brake fluid to the master)
2. Reinstall the caliper with the piston.

My reasoning for #2 is based on what a buddy told me. He asked if I pushed the piston back in all the way. I only pushed it back in like 80%, and he said that was the problem. Is this true?

 

[krukster86]

UPDATE!

I popped out the piston and tried again with a C-clamp to push it ALL the way into the caliper. SHABLAM, back in business...now I just have to set the timing and I should be good to go for what is left of the summer