ok so i was putting my rotor back on then when i grab the caliper, the pads are closer together and wont fit on the rotor, so i start my truck and then they go closer together!!!!! so now i dont know what to do from this point. I need advice from a brake guy

 

Start by turning the truck off! Oh, and I'm not a brake guy, but I have done the brakes on many-a-car.

Your caliper pinches together which results in the brake pads clamping down on the rotor. When you change the pads, the caliper has pinched down quite a bit. The new pads are thicker than the old ones, that's why the caliper won't go back on.

First and very important step... take the lid off the brake fluid resevoir. Put the old pad back on the caliper on the side with the piston. Use a "C" clamp as a press and slowly turn and press the piston back into caliper. Make sure you are centered as well as you can. Push the piston all the way back in. Be sure not to damage the rubber seal. Be advised, some fluid may push out the top of the resevoir when you do this.

When you have finished pushing the piston back, you should be able to put the new pads on. Be sure to carefully clean any corrosion off the guide pins. Lightly lube them with a quality high temp grease so that the caliper slides and returns properly.

 

ok, first, these are not new pads. i was working on my tie rods and i was putting my system back together.

 

You'll need to press it back in. Use a C clamp as a press. And jeez, lighten up a little. I'm just trying to help!

 

Everything saber posted is 100% correct, don't jump on his *** because you screwed up. One way our another you have to computes that caliper, and his way is the methods I've used for forever. It works.

I'd you are reusing the paday, find a board or some other flat object to use.

 

Put the pad surface against the piston with a piece of cardboard in between. Then the clamp will only be hitting the metal side.

 

Rather than saying "Hey, good idea. I hadn't thought about that. Thanks for the advice men! Sorry about jumping down your throat... I was just frustrated about my project." I couldn't help but notice you just edited your original snide response to me and made no further comment.

 

Remove the cover from the brake fluid reservoir before pushing the piston.

 

Read post #2,

 

Kicking a dead horse seems to be the norm these days, so I don't want to buck a trend.

For example, perform a search of the 2nd Gen forum titles for the word "dash" or "dashboard".