Brake Pad Change
04-19-2003, 12:22 PM
#1
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Brake Pad Change
I will be driving my s2k at Texas Motor Speedway in may. I want to change my own brake pads, but have never done this before. Can anyone direct me to a thread or a " how to ". I have carbotech panther plus pads coming.
04-20-2003, 07:21 AM
#4
There are actually a couple of ways of accessing the brake pads. I personally prefer not to mess with the caliper pins, so some guys reading this may disagree with my method. However, the way I do it is quick, reliable, and requires the least amount of disassembly.
Jack the front or back of the car up and place securely on jack stands.
Remove your wheels. When doing the front wheels, turn the steering wheel all the way to the left when doing the right wheel, and vice versa for the left wheel.
There are two bolts holding the entire caliper on to the hub. They face in towards the middle of the car, so you have to get in the wheel well to see them. Remove these bolts. It is easiest using an impact wrench, since they are on pretty tight.
After the bolts are removed, use a large screwdriver or some type of lever to compress the piston. Remember the pads you are installing are much thicker than the pads you are removing, so you need to compress the piston quite a bit. Watch your brake fluid reservoir when you do this. If your reservoir has been previously topped off, you may need to remove some fluid with a CLEAN (no dust dirt or debris) turkey baster, siphon, or whatever.
Take the caliper off the rotor, making sure you don't put a lot of strain on the brake line. It may be best to place a box or something to rest the caliper on to prevent undue force on the flexible brake line. It is not designed to take the weight of the caliper dangling down.
Remove the outboard brake pad first by pushing it to the center, and pulling out. Next, remove the inboard pad the same way. Not that the inboard pad has a wear gauge. Keep the stainless spring clips in place.
To install the pads, just reverse the process. Without removing the caliper pins, it takes a little work to get the new pads in place but once you get the hang of it, it's easier than removing the caliper pins. You must install the inboard pads first, because the wear gauge gets in the way. Once the pads are in the correct position, they are snug. Make sure you have the piston compressed enough to put the caliper back on the rotor. If not, you may need to use oversized channelock pliers or some type of C-clamp to GRADUALLY compress the piston.
You should also remove the rotor to be turned or replaced, but personally, I don't do this unless I have some break chatter, pitting, or heavy wear pattern.
Place the caliper back on the rotor, aligning the holes up to put the bolts back in. Be sure you don't twist the brake line.
Put some anti-sieze compound on the threads of the bolts, and reinstall them. I don't know what the torque specs are on these bolts, but I just get them about as tight as I can with a socket wrench (not an impact wrench).
Put your wheels back on, and make sure you torque the lug nuts.
Voila - you're done!!
A couple of notes: you may want to spray the brakes down with brake cleaner before you start, since it can be a very dirty job. Also, brake pads on some cars come with stainless spacers and anti-squeal grease. Instructions are self explanatory. Although the front and rear brakes are shaped differently, the process is basically the same.
I may have missed a few details, and I'm sure someone else will fill in the rest. If you follow these basic steps, you'll get the job done. Once you've done your own brake job, you will wonder why the shops charge so much to have it done.
Jack the front or back of the car up and place securely on jack stands.
Remove your wheels. When doing the front wheels, turn the steering wheel all the way to the left when doing the right wheel, and vice versa for the left wheel.
There are two bolts holding the entire caliper on to the hub. They face in towards the middle of the car, so you have to get in the wheel well to see them. Remove these bolts. It is easiest using an impact wrench, since they are on pretty tight.
After the bolts are removed, use a large screwdriver or some type of lever to compress the piston. Remember the pads you are installing are much thicker than the pads you are removing, so you need to compress the piston quite a bit. Watch your brake fluid reservoir when you do this. If your reservoir has been previously topped off, you may need to remove some fluid with a CLEAN (no dust dirt or debris) turkey baster, siphon, or whatever.
Take the caliper off the rotor, making sure you don't put a lot of strain on the brake line. It may be best to place a box or something to rest the caliper on to prevent undue force on the flexible brake line. It is not designed to take the weight of the caliper dangling down.
Remove the outboard brake pad first by pushing it to the center, and pulling out. Next, remove the inboard pad the same way. Not that the inboard pad has a wear gauge. Keep the stainless spring clips in place.
To install the pads, just reverse the process. Without removing the caliper pins, it takes a little work to get the new pads in place but once you get the hang of it, it's easier than removing the caliper pins. You must install the inboard pads first, because the wear gauge gets in the way. Once the pads are in the correct position, they are snug. Make sure you have the piston compressed enough to put the caliper back on the rotor. If not, you may need to use oversized channelock pliers or some type of C-clamp to GRADUALLY compress the piston.
You should also remove the rotor to be turned or replaced, but personally, I don't do this unless I have some break chatter, pitting, or heavy wear pattern.
Place the caliper back on the rotor, aligning the holes up to put the bolts back in. Be sure you don't twist the brake line.
Put some anti-sieze compound on the threads of the bolts, and reinstall them. I don't know what the torque specs are on these bolts, but I just get them about as tight as I can with a socket wrench (not an impact wrench).
Put your wheels back on, and make sure you torque the lug nuts.
Voila - you're done!!
A couple of notes: you may want to spray the brakes down with brake cleaner before you start, since it can be a very dirty job. Also, brake pads on some cars come with stainless spacers and anti-squeal grease. Instructions are self explanatory. Although the front and rear brakes are shaped differently, the process is basically the same.
I may have missed a few details, and I'm sure someone else will fill in the rest. If you follow these basic steps, you'll get the job done. Once you've done your own brake job, you will wonder why the shops charge so much to have it done.
04-21-2003, 12:20 AM
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2 notes to this good answer:
I only undo the lower bolt of the front caliper, then turn the caliper around the other bolt all the way up. It is quicker and saves the brakelines from stress. Replace one pad, while the other old one stays in place, thus no hassle with the spring clips.
On the rear calipers you do have to remove both screws, and turn the piston back into the caliper using some sort of tool (like a giant screwdriver...), as opposed to to pushing the front ones back into place.
Please excuse my English....
I only undo the lower bolt of the front caliper, then turn the caliper around the other bolt all the way up. It is quicker and saves the brakelines from stress. Replace one pad, while the other old one stays in place, thus no hassle with the spring clips.
On the rear calipers you do have to remove both screws, and turn the piston back into the caliper using some sort of tool (like a giant screwdriver...), as opposed to to pushing the front ones back into place.
Please excuse my English....
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