Well, the wheels are off, and so are the discs, and pads, but the new ones can’t go back on until the pistons are retracted, and it would appear, after some fairly extensive Googling, that around a hundred quid will get me a kit that will have an adaptor that will work.

I don’t believe that there aren’t any smaller kits that would work though. Anyone used one on a V40 successfully? Needle nosed pliers and other mild bodges aren’t working at the moment…

Wats so special about the v40s that you have topay 100 quid ? Left hand winding ?

Ime you are in for a pain in the hoop trying to use a bodge on this job ,…..been there with a golf….bought the tool.

Either use a big jubilee clip round the piston and a pair of waterpump pliers to grab it whilst applying pressure using a G-clamp to help you force the piston back in or buy one of these

I have one i’d be willing to send you for the price of postage as long as i get it back.

Next time do your research before hand…..and this time get the tool.

grinder disc spanner?
cone pin spanner?

It seems that the pins are a funny spacing, and the only kit that I can find that says in the spec sheet that it will fit is a fairly extensive Laser kit. I am sure one of the more bog standard kits will fit, but I just don’t know which one…

Actually, Laser do an adjustable one but none of the online retailers seem to do it so don’t know if it will be in any way discounted. And most of the cheap kits just say “universal, fits most Japanese and European makes”.

I have the one somafunk linked too.

That says fits volvo…. And it works.

If you bodge it and bugger the caliper whats that going to cost 😉

somafunk, you anywhere near the northern end of Derbyshire? I would happily nip a little way to give it a go, just to see if it fits as much as anything. That was what I was expecting to get if my mates universal (one of those cubes) one didn’t fit.

Trying to avoid attacking the edges of the piston with anything too agressive, but a jubilee clip might be worth a go, even if it is a bit of a faff.

timber, a grider disk spanner might be worth a go, might be about the right size. Not got a cone pin spanner.

Oh, and waderider, with the lack of info available, stripping it down and trying the mates universal cube thing was the only option over sending it to a garage. And this way I have a £60 budget for tools before there is no saving made 🙂

But I would like to make a saving, hence the hunt for a cheap set…

Trail rat, agreed on the bodging! As regards the basic tool somafunk linked to, on the Volvo forums they seem to be of the opinion that although they fit many Volvos, a V40 (’96-’04 shape) isn’t one of them… Unless you know otherwise?

I can’t believe it is such a rarity, just need someone who has actually done a V40, The Haynes manual offers no measurements/spec to help unfortunately…

If you consider Dumfries & Galloway to be near the north end of Derbyshire then yeah….i’m pretty close.

That Laser one i linked to WILL fit, i used to own a Volvo S70 for a while (piece of lardy arse useless shite) and it worked fine on that, a large Halfords or motor factors will stock the laser tool, or Euro car parts etc..etc…

Volvo V40 Laser Brake tool as mentioned on the Volvo forums does work

Well, I haven’t got a T4, but assuming the brakes are the same, it looks like I might be going for it, machine mart do them for a decent price so hopefully my local friendly car bits and pieces shop will get one in for a decent price as well.

I shall be holding you all jointly responsible if it doesn’t fit, but mainly you somafunk 🙂

Thanks all!

What you might need to do if you pistons are well out is cut off the other tabs that dont fit your piston to get it all in the caliper and be able to wind it

Stick the old pad back in and then using the tool linked above wind against the pad? It’ll push the piston back and knacker the pad buts that’s not a problem is it.

At a push you can cut the old pad down that has the pins on it and use that to wind the piston back in. Make sure you use a mask before cutting through the pad material. Nails through a piece of plywood would do the same. Not sure if yours wind in in different directions

craigxxls idea would need a bit of work but would do it eventually

doosuk you cant simply push against the pad – you need to rotate the piston at the same time.

Got a photo of the caliper / piston hole arrangement?

The pads don’t have pins in them, if they did then how would the piston rotate?, the pads cannot rotate in the calliper – the only reason the piston rotates is due to the handbrake mechanism inside the calliper which winds out whenever you apply the handbrake. That tool will work – believe me……. i am a mechanic to trade, i own such a tool, amongst many many other tools and some may say i’m a bit of a tool sometimes, i have worked on volvo brakes.

Fords have the same arrangement and I know people have used long nose pliers to push and turn the piston but as Trailrat said its hard work. I bought the rewind kit with multiple adapters which I could have loaned you.

Somafunk, my pads on a Mondeo do have pins as per the eBay link
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=190770662152&index=0&nav=WATCHING&nid=34826530827
I’ve never questioned how the pistons turn with the pads in but I know when I have changed them the indents on the piston are always at 6 & 12 o’clock

ive litterally just loaned my one to a colleague to do his golf – im expecting a phone call tomorrow as it requires more force than you think you should be applying.

craigxxl : the ford pistons do not turn with the pads in place as the – the pins are there to locate the pad on the piston

But you still need to wind them in rather than just push the piston back as the rear calipers adjust for pad wear.

Craigxxl, I pick up “the tool” in the morning, so I may yet call on you and your box of many adaptors, not that I have faith in somafunk and his extensive tooling experience 🙂

If I remember bigyinn I will take a picture of the holes (well, recesses really) but it is more likely to happen if the tool doesn’t fit… but it will, somafunk told me so!

edit, and yes, push and turn required, and as the main trasport for my wife, 1 and 3 year olds I want to keep brake bodging to a minimum, am even going to try and replace the rounded off bolt rather than just doing it back up with the mole-grips that will remove it…

What year is your v40 and what was the laser tool kit?

It’s an 02 plate and the wind back tool is the Laser 1314 that has been linked to.

If the tool doesn’t work then needle nose pliers will do the job. If you measure the distance between the indents on the piston I will see what I have if you want to use the rewind tool

And the winner is…

SOMAFUNK!

But we all knew that already though, didn’t we 🙂

Time constraints mean there has only been a quick check but it fitted spot on, and wound in beautifully. Just need to work out when to stop now… 🙂