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Freeing stuck brake pistons with basic tools and no mess!

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andy120t:
I've been struggling with extracting 6-pot pistons from my ZX6-r (which has sat through lockdown and beyond and slowly seized up,) and I've been slowly trying to fix. They were stuck solid..all 12 of the little blighters.

I've seen various other tips but haven't found them easy in my garage and with limited tools;
- grease...I've only got a tiny grease pump and it didn't seem to get any pressure going. Plus it's putting lots of muck in the caliper.
- compressed air ...attaching a line always seems tricky. I've used this before on a garage forecourt but never felt it seemed very safe. Plus, with these caliper body shapes it's been quite hard to hold or fix anything to ensure one didn't pop out too far and still leave the rest.

So I found this clip online (and from Yorkshire!) and it certainly works. I split my calipers first so I could get to three pistons at a time. Jam the inside of the piston with screwdriver bits ( or small sockets) and a large allen key which you'll use to turn it. Once you start turning and it all jams up the piston will start turning. Then twist it upwards and it will slowly wind out. Amazing! And no mess.

I tried it a few weeks ago and managed to get them all turning but they were still not keen to come out.So I sprayed a lot of wd40 around the pistons and forgot about them until today. Today they just twisted out relatively easily. Genius!

https://youtu.be/HZ1SLCHR8EI?si=qUrjdM7dwXy6Itv9

McCabe-Thiele (Ted):
Looks like an honest video as it did not work within a few seconds.

Are they normal caliper pistons or like some automotive ones where you have to use a rotary retractor to push the piston back normaly?

Laverda Dave:
Those workmate jaws were straining as much as he was! Good method though and there was no 'here's one I prepared earlier' staging going on. I don't think wet and dry will remove that scuffing on the piston either, that's a bin job :(

andy120t:
Mine are just normal pistons, so nothing unusual. They were pretty solid so the first time I just managed to get a couple of them loose and turning after about 45 mins. Then I got fed up, sprayed them with wd40 and left them for a few weeks. I think the wd40 certainly helped - today they were still tight and I had to clamp them in the vice and put a lot of effort in, but the method definitely gives a solid grip on the inside of the piston, so let's you grip it and turn it.

Every now and then, or if something slips then the whole lot 'explodes' everywhere but if they are jammed in you can feel if it's right and gripping.

Very satisfying today when it all worked and they all came out!

DomP:
I used a method an old American bloke uses on his XS650 on YouTube, same principal but using a large nut and bolt wound out inside the piston, stick an open ended spanner over the bolt then a bar through the ring end to twist while pulling up gradually.  Photos might help with this description 😀

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