Camel

Hi All,

Well, as I have found new mechanic skills (in the loosest sense of the term), I have got myself a Haynes manual from ebay (7 quid - result) and I am getting stuck in!

So the rear wheel is off - took me a while as the brake caliper is a little sticky, to say the least, and I didn't really know what I was doing.

So there are probably 8 years of neglect, and the swing arm was FILTHY!!

But I have more cleaning questions:

Should you clean the spindle, spacers etc? These seem to be covered in grease, not crud! Should I clean them, then re-grease?

Would you go as far as taking the blocks out of the swingarm, which the spindle goes through, and clean them? Do they need to be greased?

Is it bad to get brake cleaner on the brake pads?

Also, my rear brake pads look pretty shot - horrid infact. But the caliper is all dirty etc. If I get new pads, is there a good way of cleaning the caliper up, and getting some movement in the piston, without removing the piston?

Is it good practice to move the piston back in by just gettng a screwdriver between the pads and applying force? Will it damage the pad?

I will post a few pics later, when I find my camera cable!!
And thanks in advance!!