Special Brake Tools
Brakes require more attention than most people care to imagine, and replacing worn or damaged brakes can get expensive. You save money by re...
Brakes require more attention than most people care to imagine, and replacing worn or damaged brakes can get expensive. You save money by repairing the brakes yourself. The task intimidates most people, but with the right tools, working on brakes becomes easy. Several manufacturers design and build different types of specialty brake tools, but all help to remove and repair brake systems.
Compression Tools
A C-clamp and an old brake pad accomplish most of the compression you need to push the caliper piston back into the brake caliper. Without a clamp, you can use a disc brake spreader, which operates by turning a knob that pushes a flattened screw into the caliper, forcing it back into position. With rear disc brakes, the caliper screws in, so you need a caliper reset tool. Additionally, with dual-piston front brakes, you have the option to use a dual-piston brake caliper compressor, which looks like a caulking gun attached to a clamp.
Repair Tools
A rotor becomes grooved and worn with time. Using a micrometer tells you the width of the rotor, which must remain above a certain level, depending on your vehicle. The micrometer simply measures the width; the brake honing tool accomplishes the repair. A brake honing tool has three heads with honing stones on them. The tool attaches to a spinning tool like a drill press that allows the honing tool to push down on the brake rotor (a steady hand and a drill accomplishes this) until the metal of the rotor is smoothed out.
Springs and Clips
Drum brakes house a half-dozen or more springs that attach to various clips. The most common specialty tool, called brake-spring pliers, allows you to remove the springs with a turn of the wrist and remove clips. Additionally, manufacturers offer a brake-clip removal tool and a parking-brake cable remover. The clip remover pushes onto a retaining clip on disc brakes, and with a turn of the wrist, removes the clip. The parking-brake cable removal tool compresses the parking brake line, allowing you to disconnect the ends with one hand.
