Brakes Stuck after new pads & brake fluid

[JamesMio]

I decided to give my brakes on the Blade a good going over (*disclaimer - I'm very much an amateur mechanic, please don't assume that I've done anything/everything correctly!).

The shortened run of events went something like this:

• Removed wheels (was getting new tyres fitted) and cleaned the discs using brake cleaner, steel wool and a clean cloth.
• Removed pads (front & back)
• Used brake lever to push out the pistons a bit so that I could clean them up (using toothbrush, fairy liquid and warm water).
• Mistake #1 was letting one of the pistons come all the way out, brining a load of brake fluid with it.
• At this point I decided to just change the brake fuild over, seeing as I'd lost loads of it anyway.
• So, refilled and pumped the brake fluid until I got the new stuff coming through, then bled the system (using a basic wee bleeder kit from Halfords).
• Repeated this for the back, but without popping out the piston this time.
• Replaced wheels (also did the chain & sprockets).
• Fitted new brake pads (front and rear).

Now both the front & rear brakes are very sticky - can hardly push the bike out of the garage.

Any suggestions? If some numpty brought you their bike to look at, explaining all of the above, what would you be checking they'd done!?

Cheers all

[TamSV]

Too much fluid in the system maybe?

If you brought the pads into contact with the discs and them immediately brimmed the reservoir and put the cap on, there's nowhere for the fluid to go so your brakes stay jammed on a bit.

If that seems likely, take the reservoir cap off and push the pistons back in a wee bit. Remove any excess fluid from the reservoir with a syringe or bleed it out the caliper, and try again.

[JamesMio]

Hmmm... It's 99.999% certainly because of something I've done/not done so that's very possible, cheers Tam I'll give that a check.

I filled it up with the wheels still out and the pistons chocked back with bits of wood, so I guess that would certainly be a potential cause. Hmmm - amazing how all these things make a lot more sense when you've made an e'rse of it at some point!

[TamSV]

That could be the issue then, if your chocks of wood were just exactly the wrong size - i.e. slightly smaller than two new pads and a disc.

If the calipers were a tight fit when you slid them back onto the discs then I'd be pretty certain that's the problem.

[JamesMio]

That makes a lorra sense - I shall investigate, thanks again!

[TamSV]

BTW when you're pushing the pistons back in, make sure you don't push brake fluid out over the top of the reservoir onto your shiny paint.

[johnnyrod]

You might have twisted up one of the caliper seals, did you lube the pistons with brake fluid or rubber grease when you put them back? Either that or the calipers are too grotty and you should have replaced the seals and cleaned them up a bit more.

just had this problem with my mates 1050 speed triple and i turned out to be the caliper seals so i would you change them if i was you

[Bibio]

before you go doing anything... is the brake leaver spongy?

if so then there could be air in the lines the air will expand after you have pumped the brakes causing the pistons to move out afterwords or stay out against the discs.

if its a case of the pistons are grabbing the seals then take the pads out of the callipers and pump the pistons out till they are almost all the way out then take some RRG and smear around the pistons and push the pistons gently and slowly back in. if you have no RRG then you can use olive oil or silicon grease and if push really comes to shove some vaseline. if you use the olive or vaseline then make sure that you wipe the excess off after you are done as they have a low boiling point.

[JamesMio]

It's alright... it's a simple case of me being a fanny!

I'd got everything right, apart from the back brake sitting a bit squint when I re-fitted the back wheel, and it was rubbing on the disc.

Prat!

Thanks for all your tips though folks!