chaging brake pads

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p3akin

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does anybody know how hard it is to change brake pads??

or if you are able to give me a step by step process it'd be appreciated..

Thanks Peter
 
You will need tool-wise:

Socket Set (Air tools speed this up)
Ring Spanners or open spanners
Flat head screw driver
Grease - High Temp Grease
Some woodworking clamps
Axle Stands
High Lift Jack

Optional but recommended - Anti Squeal compound

1. Jack up front of car and put on axle stands and remove Front wheels.

2. Leave the keys in the ignition so the steering isn't locked. Turn the wheel full lock to the left if you intend to start on the left hand side of the car.

3. Undo the bottom Caliper bolt which is the one with the little rubber boot. Lever it out and away from the rotor and then it shoud slide off towards you.

4. Undo the Caliper Bracked bolts and remove the bracket. Take the old pads out being careful not to loose the anti-squeal shims.

5. Send your rotors off to be machined, Repco does them as do many other places.

6. Put the machined rotors back on and the caliper brackets.

7. Paint some anti squeal compound on the back of the new pads then put the anti squeal shims on top of that.

8. Put the pads in their retaining clips on the caliper brackets.

9. Re-grease the caliper slides/bolts with some high temp grease

10. Undo your brake fluid reservoir lid and perhaps remove a little fluid if it is really full.

11. Get the clamp and re-compress the caliper 'pot' (the bit that goes in and out when you press the pedal). A small piece of wood can be usefull here.

12. Carefully refit the calipers on the bracket and tighten up the bolts, put the wheels back on and lower the car off the stands.

13. Start the car and pump the brake pedal a few times before driving it to re-set the calipers.

14. Take it VERY easy for the 200 or so km while the new brakes bed themselves in.

I think thats everything :wink:

Rears are the same except you need to twist the caliper pot clockwise to screw it back in rather than compress it with some clamps.

Mimmo
 
It's pretty easy, even if you've never done it before. Just jack the car up, take the wheel off. I recommend you get some caliper spreaders from super cheap or something, just cheap things, it doesn't matter, otherwise you will scream and throw things :D

http://www.vfaq.com/mods/BigBrakesInstall.html

This should give you enough info to remove the calipers. (In my experience with these things, brake caliper bolts get really stuck, prepare to bang your knuckles - if you have a breaker bar or a torque wrench, something long like that, it will help.) Just pop the old brake pads out, put the new ones in, spread the calipers apart, and re-install. Don't know the torque specs off the top of my head, but that means you have a good excuse to download the FSM hehe.

Probably a good time to drain your brake fluid and replace it, while rebleeding the brakes. You can get bleed helper kits from supercheap/repco etc, if you cant get someone to help you.

Edit : Damn, beat me to it! Hehe a much better guide than I was offering :p Also some good advice in regards to long term preventative maintenance, the last time I did brake pads was on a mates astra before he sold it.. hehe.. but it DID brake 10,000 times better.
 
thanks mimmo and doommachine,

do i really have to get my rotors machined though?

ive never done any mechanical work, how long would it take me to do?

Thanks
 
p3akin said:
do i really have to get my rotors machined though?

ive never done any mechanical work, how long would it take me to do?

Thanks

YES. You want a nice surface for them new pads :D

If you have access to a friends/mechanics disc surfacing machine, get him to show you once, then do the rest yourself. I did :D Its not hard.

I think 10-15 each disc. Its a slow process.....
 
Yeah you really should get them machined otherwise the surface is not smooth and you will hear and feel this uneaveness through the new pads. They will wear faster otherwise and brake performance will be less than optimal.

Its only about $30 anyway to get machining done :)

Give yourself half a day, it will probably take you a while being a newb but its not that hard. Also transit time between your house and Machining Shop!

Mimmo
 
my mates misses uncles a mechanic, and said he'd do it for me for 40 bucks, so i guess i can't go wrong there lol


Thanks alot anyways guys..
 
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