Mountain Biking - HELP! Hayes disc brake emergency...

Well i got my new Marin Quad a few days ago but i got this insane flat (i will share info later) and i had my rear wheel off the bike. so i was playing around looking over the bike and i just had to pull the brake levers. well i forgot that i had the rear wheel out and i pulled the rear brake.
so now the brakes rub, along with the lever throw being shorter. i think i may have screwed my brakes up (adjustments?) what can i do? i cant ride with my brakes making all kinda of lound screaches :o

Thanks!
Jonathan:)

Stick a screw driver in there and twist and push it so the pistons go as far as you can get them, squeeze the brake lever a few times when you are pushing the pistons back and they should stay. Be careful not to damage the pads, I normally get a worn or damaged set of pads to put in there so I dont ruin the newer pads.

Gently pry the pads apart a little with something like a large flat blade screwdriver. Pull the pads out. Take a 10mm box end wrench and gently walk the pistons back in till they are all the way in. Be careful not to push on the aluminum post in the center. Now put the pads back in, outer pad first.
Now go ride.
Kevin

ok ill try this, so it sounds to me the piston got pushed out to far? and now wont go back to where it was before?.
I tryed to adjust the caliper and it helped but it still has less clearance than the front and rubs slightly now. so i will take the wheel off again and see what i can do.

Thanks again!
Jonathan

For future referance. (http://www.hayesdiscbrake.com/pdf/45-14550BEnglishForWeb.pdf)

ok i got it "ridable" but it still rubs ever so slighty and they make a grinding/rough sound when i brake, nothing to horible but it does sound worse than the front (the front is perfect and smooooth). i slightly scuffed the pads with some FINE FINE sand paper and cleaned them with some alcohol whipes
(all i had) along with cleaned the rotors. it still made no inprovment as far as smothness goes.
so maybe im in for some new pads? or should i wait and let this set (brand new) get worked in first?

thanks for the info guys!
Jonathan

Did your fingers touch the pad or rotor? If they did, you are in for a royal mess. You now have to deal with glazed brakes. Take alchohol to clean the pads. Boil the rotors.

why boil the rotors? i cleaned them both (pads-rotors) with alcohol, how do you tell if you have glazed brakes?

Later
Jonathan

what are glazed brakes? lol

Glazed brakes means that the rotors are contaminated, you can tell when you have contaminated brakes when you don't have good braking.

when you get the new pads you should try a re-bleed too. It sounds like you've done everything to the pads that you can so maby there;s a piston sticking

I got them to not rub, but the rears just dont seam as smooth as they where before i messed with them or as smooth as the front. So i think they are contaminated. Is it bad to run with them this way?

The contamination will eventrually burn off. Very easy to contaminate disc and pads. Even the oil from your skin does it.

Wipe down the rotor with rubbing alcohol and torch the pads...do a search on pad cleaning for details :)