Car brakes

I put new brake pads on the front of a 1993 cadillac sedan deville and now the caliper rubs on the inside of the wheel to where the wheel won’t even turn.

the pads went on just as they came off.

what did I do wrong???

I know you are supposed to force back the caliper’s pistons before inserting the new pads. Did you do that? There is a special pliers-like tool for that operation, or you can use a C-clamp and wooden block. That’s my guess.

If you removed the caliper frame, you may have mounted it to the wrong side of the steering knuckle. You can do this on some cars.

I did use a tool just for that purpose, I pushed the piston all the way in.

Are you using aftermarket rims? Some of these do not have the correct backspace and caliper clearance for the car. But, there is a cheap fix using a hub spacer. These can be found at most auto parts stores, and basically space the rim off the hub, giving more clearance and backspace.

Some of the caliper hardware might be rusted and jammed because of it. There is a lot more to a brake job than just replacing the pads. You have to install them on the proper side of the vehicle too. If the wear indicators are just hanging out in open space, it’s a dead giveaway that they are on wrong.

no the rims are 100% cadillac, its a totaly stock sedan, also I thought about spacers but there was none on the car, will I have to use spacers every time I put new pads on ?