# Caliper piston and ecm questions!



## alexrgwolf (Aug 30, 2014)

Hey all,
Need a new ecm for a '97 gxe maxima with199k miles on it. 
Anyone have any experience buying a used one and getting it flashed at a dealership? Or anyone have any experience/success getting a used one off EXACTLY the same car and swapping it out for the bad one that keeps my "service engine light" on?

Also, left my e-brake on and right rear brake froze. Had to loosen it "gently" with a 5 lb. hammer. After this right rear brake pads made contact with rotor while driving. So I replaced both rear rotors, bled brake lines, and went to replace the pads but can't get either left or right rear caliper piston to adjust enough to accommodate the new larger brake pads. 
I tried using the special caliper adjustment tool without much success, the caliper piston does not want to turn. A lot of people seem to have success using a c-clamp with bleeder valve open to suppress the caliper piston enough to accommodate new brake pads.

So second question is this, Can I use a c-clamp on the caliper piston without permanently damaging it (assuming the bleeder valve is open)?

Forgive me if these are stupid questions, I am doing all this for the first time as I am trying to get the car presentable so I can sell her. After ten years and 120k miles its time for me to move on....


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

ECM's don't need to be flashed on 97 Maximas. You just have to make sure you get the right one. 

Don't use a C-clamp on your rear brake calipers. The piston needs to be turned in. If it won't go in, try loosening the e-brake cable.


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## 99 maximo (Jan 21, 2014)

From my experience the piston should go in without having to loosen the e-brake cable. I had one that would not turn. I broke two of the OEM blocks that I bought from Autozone. So I just bought a new caliper and it came with a lifetime warranty. Its better than fighting with it.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

99 maximo said:


> From my experience the piston should go in without having to loosen the e-brake cable. I had one that would not turn. I broke two of the OEM blocks that I bought from Autozone. So I just bought a new caliper and it came with a lifetime warranty. Its better than fighting with it.


I agree in that you "shouldn't" have to loosen the brake cable, but I've ran into a couple over the years that did start to turn in once I loosened or disconnected the cable from the rear caliper. It's worth a shot before laying out the money for a new caliper and having to bleed the brake line.


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## Rob_themechanic1 (Oct 1, 2014)

Sounds like a frozen caliper to me. not sure on the ecm.


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