Thanks for your help guys. Sheer anger and brute force got it done in the end.

One question, after following the instructions step by step in the haynes manual, only at the end does it give you a warning about dirty fluid being pushed back into the ABS system. It then tells you that you need to bleed the pistons as you turn. Quite why it tells you afterwards I don't know.

Have I ballsed it up now? It brakes fine, with no pulling or am I in for a disaster failure?

Cheers,
Jon

Screwing in the pistons will push brake fluid from the pistons into the brake lines. If the old fluid was OK before then it will still be OK now. The brake fluid at the brake ends is more likely to be in poor condition that the fluid up in the reservoir. You will have pushed anything in the fluid nearer the master cylinders and ABS unit. Still, if the fluid was OK then it will still be OK.

If you are paranoid then bleed and refill the brakes. A word of warning though. ABS units are very hard to refill. Don't let air into them at all. Either, take it to a proper garage where they have an evac and fill machine, or bleed the brakes till the reservoir is low then top it up and bleed a bit more, never letting the reservoir empty.

just substitute the word dirty for old it will be fine

The fluid was changed when the front brakes were done 6 months ago, so I reckon it should be ok?

Why is nothing easy?

If this is on a Vauxhall, then it is not unknown for pushing pistons back into calipers WITHOUT opening the bleed nipple, to result in master cylinder seal reversal and hence no brake pedal when when everything is put back together. The cure for this syndrome is normally a new master cylinder.

Edit bit. ---- please read and don't ignore.
This is a serious problem and is well know in the motor trade. Haynes state that the bleed nipple should be open to prevent dirty fluid contamination. They can't really put into print that Vauxhall has/have a design flaw so the bleed nipple should be opened. No they cover their backsides by warning about fluid contamination so that if some one does get master cylinder failure due to not opening the bleed nipple then their backsides are covered from both sides, they have not maligned the rich and powerful GM group BUT they did warn mr general motorist to OPEN the bleed nipple.

When you put your pads back in, pump the brake pedal slowly and carefully. IF you do not have a solid pedal within (about) 10 pumps then you in all likely hood have damaged your master cylinder.




[Edited on 30/8/08 by jollygreengiant]

simple test you can do, jump in the car, try not to use your brakes, find yourself a nice country lane, get up to 60 heading towards that rather tight hairpin then see if they work

if they don't try the emergency procedure of finding a large field, what ever you do - avoid the critical stop procedure of finding a large tree

quote:

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Originally posted by jollygreengiant
If this is on a Vauxhall, then it is not unknown for pushing pistons back into calipers WITHOUT opening the bleed nipple, to result in master cylinder seal reversal and hence no brake pedal when when everything is put back together.

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The brakes work ok, am I in the clear?

Cheers,
Jon