front pad change

[eddo]

Hi
Can anyone please talk me through a front brake pad change? Ive got jacking pucs etc.

thanks Ed

 

[wishuwerehere82]

You need a metric socket set.
And you need a long breaker bar for your socket set to get the bolts loose.

You need to remove about 2/3 of the brake fluid in the reservoir so that it doesn't overflow when you put the new pads on.

Loosen the lug nuts on the wheel before you jack the car off the ground.
Jack the wheel off the ground and remove the lug nuts, and take off the wheel.

Take your socket and breaker bar and loosen the two bolts that hold the caliper to the wheel assembly.
Once you have removed the two bolts that hold the caliper to the wheel assembly, the caliper will slide off of the rotor.

The caliper is a 1 piece assembly that is connected to the mount by 2 pins that allow the caliper to slide back and forth centering it on the rotor. Pull the caliper off the mount, making sure that the dust boots for the pins stay on the caliper. Re-grease the rods with silicone grease before you put them back together.

The old pads will slide straight out of the calipers toward the rotor side. The hardware kit needs to be replaced too. This is the hard part. Make sure to note the orientation of the hardware clip before you remove it from the caliper. Replace the hardware by unclipping the tabs from the caliper and pulling it straight out towards the rotor side.

Next, replace the hardware clips by pushing the new clip into the caliper in the same orientation as the old one. Make sure the tabs clip around the casting like the old ones did. It takes a bit of force to re-insert the new clips into the caliper.

Then put the new pads into the caliper, and keep them parallel to the casting. In otherwords don't let them cock at an angle, because they will fall out if you do.

Now you can put the caliper back onto the mount by inserting the pins into the guides in the caliper. You are going to have to push the pistons in back of the pads back into the calipers to get the pads back on the rotor. Push the pads in evenly on both sides with your fingers, or take a couple of wooden wedges and pry them apart to push the pads back into the caliper. I take a socket a little bigger than the width of the rotor and put it between the pads to hold them apart. Then you can slide the pads over the rotor with enought clearance to fit, and once the pads are on the rotor, the socket slides or drops out.

Replace and retorque the bolts holding the caliper to 23 Ft./Lbs., and you are finished with that side.

Replace the wheel, hand tighten the lug nuts, lower the car, and torque the lug nuts to 100 Ft./Lbs.
Starting at 50 for all, then 75, then to 100. This keeps the wheel and the brakes from warping, very important.

When you finish both sides, refill the brake fluid reservoir to the full mark. If it's not there already.

This is, to the best of my recollection, how I did mine last spring. Maybe someone else will add to this with any easier way to do it.

Hib has a short explaination on how to do it here:
http://www.idavette.net/hib/C5diy/c5diy2.htm


Good luck, and happy wrenching.

 

[eddo]

Thanks very much Pete.
Ed

 

[Roc]

Thanks very much Pete.
Ed

if you are talking about a C5 then all you need to do for the front is to remove the upper caliper bolt which requires 2 open end wrenches. I think they are 15 & 18mm. The caliper pivots backwards on the bottom bolt and the pads pop out to the sides. taking off wheels and jacking takes way more time than the actual brake work. Rear calipers have to be completely removed because they don't rock back far enough. Also they need different wrench sizes and some cars have a mix of metric and SAE bolts...go figure.

If you have never changed the brake fluid, then you should do that as well.

anything more aggressive than stock pads need to be bedded.

 

[eddo]

Thanks Roc, yes it is a C5. That sounds a dodle even for me!
Ed

 

[Roc]

I am constantly swapping pads, flushing fluid with my 02 and Solo Boca's C5 when we switch back and forth from street to track. it goes really quickly once you do it the first time. If you are flushing fluid let me know and I'll be glad to go over that in detail.

 

[eddo]

Thanks mate!
Ed

 

[Talmadge]

When you push the pistons back in the calipers will this not harm the ABS System? When pushing the fluid back thru the system it goes thru the ABS in the wrong direction, or is this not a problem with the Corvette?

 

[Roc]

When you push the pistons back in the calipers will this not harm the ABS System? When pushing the fluid back thru the system it goes thru the ABS in the wrong direction, or is this not a problem with the Corvette?

It's not a problem, it just displaces out of master cylinder. make sure when you push the pistons back that the cap on the master cylinder is off.