Brake Caliper Rebuild: snap ring issues

[LRS95TSI]

i'm at wits end with these calipers!

i got the rubber boot off from the exterior, but when i got it out, the snap ring didn't come with it, and now it's stuck in there.

i can't fit a screwdriver or anything in there to get it to pop out. are there any tricks or tools?

PLEASE HELP, i need brakes!

 

[turbosax2]

Why can't you get a screwdriver in there? Pictures might help out here. I just got done doing this a few months ago and, sadly, it was really hard for me. I think I used a combination of my fingernails and a small screwdriver to get it out. Just MAKE SURE you do not scratch the cylinder wall with the screwdriver.

 

[LRS95TSI]

i dont have a camera otherwise i would take a picture, but once they go in they kind of expand in a "cavity" so to speak, so therotically, you would have to get them to close somewhat and then get something underneath of them to pull them out.

 

[turbosax2]

Put your fingernail or a small screwdriver right under the snap ring where the break in it is. Lift straight up on one side of the break and wrestle it out. Sorry, I know I'm not explaining this very well.....

 

[Locke]

If it is a conventional snap-ring, you could try snap-ring pliers.

 

[dnhieu]

i have always just got my air compressor out, grabed the air nozzle, unscrewed the bleeder valve (or just took off the brake line) and sprayed the air pressure in the brake caliper itself untill the piston/pistons flew out. becareful doing this BTW ...

 

[fhudsonjr]

If you have a Harbor Freight store nearby or a similiar store, buy a set of dental picks.

Similiar to what the dentists use. Since they have bends and pointed ends, they should help.

 

[snowborder714]

They are not convential snap rings. They are just a circular wire ring with a small chunk cut out of them (so you can't use snap ring pliers).

As for the air compressor suggestion, this will work for the boot and piston, but most likely the ring will stay behind after you rip the boot out.

I like the dental picks suggestion. They should work really well. I did this a month or so back (I'm turbosax2's bro) and we did have a heck of a time. Your best bet is to find a small screw driver so you can get under the break in the ring and pry it out so you can maybe get a pair of pliers on it and then just walk it around and out (don't try and pull it all out at once, but let it 'unwind' out of the caliper).

 

[jtmcinder]

Take a small, cheap, flat-head screwdriver. Bend the tip 90* about a quarter-inch from the end. You now own a caliper snap-ring remover. Amaze your friends. Astound your enemies. Sell it on eBay and retire at 23.

- Jtoby