[big_mountain_biker]

I just reset the pads on my front and rear brakes because they were dragging and touching the rotor no matter how much I adjusted them.

I used a shim that was probably too thick to set them right after they were reset, when I mounted them on the bike it took about 300-400 brake squeezes to get the rear brake contacting properly and it feels great now. However my front brake pads will not get much closer to the rotor no matter how many times I've pumped the brake. I even removed the pads and squeezed them with just the pistons to try to get them out a little further and that didn't even get them closer.

What can I do to get my front brake working again? They are '07 XT Hydros.

Thanks for the help.

 

[chinaman]

You might have a sticky piston ... just use some mineral oil to lubricate the seal and try again with the pad and separator on ...

A with the pads on
B without

 

[big_mountain_biker]

You might have a sticky piston ... just use some mineral oil to lubricate the seal and try again with the pad and separator on ...

A with the pads on
B without

View attachment 324874

Thanks for the advice, I'll pick up some mineral oil and give that a shot.

Would there be any movement if I had a sticky piston? It seems like they complete their full stroke when the lever is pulled its just that they are stuck too far away from the rotor to begin with.

 

[XSL_WiLL]

The brakes might need to be bled.

 

[chinaman]

You might need to bled the system as XSL suggested ... if lubricating the seal do not work ...

Try just leveling the reservoir ... remove the reservoir cap ... remove the rubber diaphram to check if there is enough fliud ... top up as necessary and with the diaphram removed slowly pump the lever to push more fluid into the caliper ... make sure you have the separator on ... if that does not work ... you have to bled the system

http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/t...eSystem/SI-0037A_En_v1_m56577569830607835.pdf

 

[XSL_WiLL]

If the lever is spongy or neither of the pistons move much... then it's a pocket of air or a leak. Needs to be bled. Inspect the line, around the fittings, around the pistons, etc for leaks before bleeding.