How hard is it to change pads?

[kemicalx]

My front brakes are starting to make a scratching sound, apparently a sign they are very low on pad surface.. How hard is it to change them? does it require any disassembly of the caliper? What tools will i need? And how long should it take?

Thanks for your time,
Ashlin.

[Nate]

if i can do it anyone can do it!! just remember to put the pad in the right way around ... still dont know how i managed to do that ...

anyway ... you will need:

a jack
a wheel brace
a 10 or 12 mm socket (cant remember which)
and some new brake pads

and i honestly cant explain hwo too do it ... i will post up some picks form the manual ... but basically ... you have to undo the bolt that holds hte caliper to the bracket ... so the caliper can swing ... and undo the locking pins ... now where did i put that manual :lol:

[kemicalx]

Cheers mate, some manual pics would be great. And basically I just need some new pads? Looks like I don't need any fancy tools. thought I may have needed something to hold apart the calipers :?

[st11x]

A pair of C clamp is handy. Keep one side of the old pads on, use the clamp to force the piston back in. You don't even need to release the brake nipple or open the master cylinder cover.

[geetee]

make sure when you force the piston back the master cylinder reservoir doesn`t overflow.
the scratching sound is the wear indicator on the inboard pads, means you`ve got about another 500 miles or so of normal driving.
here`s a guide from popuplights, its pretty accurate: :wink:
http://popuplights.co.uk/brakepads.htm

[kemicalx]

Seems like a pretty good guide, but with all this talk of brake fluid overflowing i'm thinking it'd be a good idea to bleed the system first then start over once the new pads are installed. I think my system needs it anyway, pedal feels a little squishy.

[kemicalx]

how do i drain the fluid out of the res?

i've got my left piston almost all the way back atm and the fluid isabout to overflow.. still got the other side to do :P

Wish they had started playing up BEFORE i topped up my fluid last month.

[Cosmo Dude]

Test fit the pads to see if there is enough room to fit them b4 draining fluid but if you need to drain fluid grab a 10mm spanner and loosten the nipple on the caliper, fluid will drain out slowly and air shouldn't get in (it's a gravity thing).

Good luck, I'll be doing my front as soon as Dr. Who is over ops:

[kemicalx]

cheers

yer i'll definatly have to drain, it's at the brim of the res and i've still got another one to do

[Cosmo Dude]

The bleading nipple is always on the top of the caliper as air is lighter than brake fluid and isn't welcome in the system. Don't touch the peddle while it's loose.

[kemicalx]

well problem number 2, the outside pad (not the piston one) seems to be fatter than the distance between the disk and the inside edge of the caliper??

Any idea whats i could be doing wrong? Or not doing at all lol..

Perhaps i got the wrong pads though i don't think so.. They are Ferodo DB1158Z's (hooray for povo pads)

[Cosmo Dude]

Now you've got the inside one in you can leaver the piston against it, probably just not infar enough yet.
Anyway, I've finished mine, good luck with yours.

[kemicalx]

all done, pedal is spongy as hell, but when it does engage the brake is much better.

[Cosmo Dude]

It shouldn't be very spongy beyond a few pushes on the brake pedal. If it's not 100% within a few days then you may have air in the system. You'll need a friend to help bleed the air out.

[kemicalx]

yer its pretty bad, pads have been bedded and bite good, pedal just needs to be fully depressed basically to get it to stop

[Cosmo Dude]

You'll need to take the wheels off one at a time, have a friend press the pedal hard while you loosten off the bleeding nipple and catch the liquid spurting out (a piece of clear plasic tube on the nipple works well) and tighten it before your friend lifts off the pedal and pumps the brakes.
Repeat that a few times on each wheel.
Remember to keep an eye on the resevour so it doesn't empty.






You don't need to remove the wheels, it just makes the job sooooo much easier.

[platypus]

yeah you have to bleed after the changed pads...
and yeah i know its done now, but i prefer to use a crossed pair of screwdrivers... BIG screw drivers. like bigger than... a canoe.... ok sorry side tracked....

[kemicalx]

Originally Posted by Cosmo Dude

You'll need to take the wheels off one at a time, have a friend press the pedal hard while you loosten off the bleeding nipple and catch the liquid spurting out (a piece of clear plasic tube on the nipple works well) and tighten it before your friend lifts off the pedal and pumps the brakes.
Repeat that a few times on each wheel.
Remember to keep an eye on the resevour so it doesn't empty.

Hmm well thats exactly what we did :?

Like my mate pumped the pedal a few times then kept it depressed, i unscrewed the nipple a bit and fluid squirted out, then i did it back up. steps repeted a few times for each of the front wheels...

[platypus]

is a bit easier if you have a bleed kit, coz this will allow the air to come out first, and you can see the brake fluid pop out past the valve....

[kemicalx]

where could i buy a bleed kit?

-btw love the avatar bender rules!