Brake pads - checking hoses and tools needed

[d215yq]

Re front brakes/wheels I bought a 1m long steel bar...and bent it. So far I just have one of 10 bolts loosened. So it's sitting in penetrating fluid over night. Has anyone got any tips (garages are closed until Monday). Is a hammer or other technique better than just force? To put it in perspective the car moved against the handbrake on firmly (not fully) with the force I was putting on it so I had to put it in gear to stop it rolling back and forwards.

This is definitely a reason to maintain it myself in future...I've been through France, Italy, UK and all over Spain like this. If I'd have got a puncture then it would have been hugely inconvenient not being able to put a spare on...No other garage has ever put them on anywhere near this tight so it can't be it requires this torque, or may as well just bin the spare and save weight as there's no way it could be changed outside a tyre shop anyway.

 

[Jimbo1959]

Re front brakes/wheels I bought a 1m long steel bar...and bent it. So far I just have one of 10 bolts loosened. So it's sitting in penetrating fluid over night. Has anyone got any tips (garages are closed until Monday). Is a hammer or other technique better than just force? To put it in perspective the car moved against the handbrake on firmly (not fully) with the force I was putting on it so I had to put it in gear to stop it rolling back and forwards.

This is definitely a reason to maintain it myself in future...I've been through France, Italy, UK and all over Spain like this. If I'd have got a puncture then it would have been hugely inconvenient not being able to put a spare on...No other garage has ever put them on anywhere near this tight so it can't be it requires this torque, or may as well just bin the spare and save weight as there's no way it could be changed outside a tyre shop anyway.

If the nuts are so tight that you are bending a bar 1m long, I think it's time to go to a garage with a buzz gun who can/will remove the nuts for you and, refit them at the correct torque setting which, will enable you to loosen them with the breaker bar that you have.

You have been incredibly lucky so far, personally I think chance is going to catch up with you and you need to be able to change that wheel yourself when it does.

 

[d215yq]

If the nuts are so tight that you are bending a bar 1m long, I think it's time to go to a garage with a buzz gun who can/will remove the nuts for you and, refit them at the correct torque setting which, will enable you to loosen them with the breaker bar that you have.

You have been incredibly lucky so far, personally I think chance is going to catch up with you and you need to be able to change that wheel yourself when it does.

I think youre right as they still wont budge. Will get them loosened when i get my rear tyres changed at the end of the month and change pads after.

 

[davidsl500]

I've jacked a car up and placed the brace at an angle so when you let the car down it uses the weight of the car to loosen the nuts /bolts.

 

[d215yq]

I've jacked a car up and placed the brace at an angle so when you let the car down it uses the weight of the car to loosen the nuts /bolts.

I like the ingenuity but assume this would only work with the rears - as it's RWD there's no way of locking the fronts so they would just turn as the car comes down...

 

[om613]

wedge the brake pedal on using:
a piece of wood.
a friend's foot / leg combo.

 

[d215yq]

I think I'll take it to a garage to remove the bolts. I've already spent longer loosening one of the 10 wheel bolts than it took to do my rear brakes completely (including redoing the one again where I missed off the shims first time!)

 

[Jimbo1959]

I think I'll take it to a garage to remove the bolts. I've already spent longer loosening one of the 10 wheel bolts than it took to do my rear brakes completely (including redoing the one again where I missed off the shims first time!)

I see the OCD has crept in regarding the shims.


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[LostKiwi]

I have an 8 foot piece of thick wall steel tube. Fit it over the end of a breaker bar and not much will resist it.

 

[d215yq]

I see the OCD has crept in regarding the shims.


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No it started to squeak at 5mph...I think it still squeaks a little but nothing i can do about it now so i dont care any more as its nothing ive broken/ not due to my workmanship . It squeaked in summer anyway and then suddenly went silent for no reason. You couldnt own this car with ocd. There is not a straight panel nor one without half the lacquer peeled nor an interior bit of trim that isnt cracked or starting to fall off...the mechanical parts seem somewhat more robust though...

 

[d215yq]

I have an 8 foot piece of thick wall steel tube. Fit it over the end of a breaker bar and not much will resist it.

Doesnt sound very portable for road side repairs though...

 

[d215yq]

I just managed to change the front brakes so finally all done. I noticed the old pads were 3mm one side of the disc and 6mm the other so not sure why that would be and why the garage told me new pads were needed. But anyway, everything came apart easily and even pushing the caliper in was easy enough (having to use two pieces of wood as a lever as I don't have the proper tool).

I did notice the bottom pins that let the caliper move were stuck on each side...would that explain the above? I didn't know what to do nor have anything specific to brake lubrication to hand so just freed and then cleaned them with brake cleaner and after used WD40 which is probably incorrect but atleast they slide now where they didn't before. I suppose if someone recommends the correct grease I can undo them and grease them up. The top ones could be moved with my little finger by comparison so didn't even touch them with brake cleaner nor WD40.

I also had to remove a litle part of the shim on one edge as there was no way one of the pads would fit with it on. Not sure if this is because they're not Merc pads but Ferodo after market. Can't complain for 17€ for the complete front brake set. Anyway, will test it all tomorrow and see if it makes any noises.

Thanks for all who replied, as I'm learnign on the job I can only really get stuck in with these things knowing there is usually moral and technical support here for any tasks and issues one may run into

 

[EmilysDad]

....

I did notice the bottom pins that let the caliper move were stuck on each side...would that explain the above? ...

Yes!
I'm sure there will be recommendations for specific grease, but some/any grease will be better than WD40 (I wouldn't suggest copperslip type grease as it tends to dry out)

 

[d215yq]

Yes!
I'm sure there will be recommendations for specific grease, but some/any grease will be better than WD40 (I wouldn't suggest copperslip type grease as it tends to dry out)

Thinking about it though, I mean although they weren't springy like the top ones, I was able to in push/ pull it in by hand while turning the nut at the same time. So it's not like it was "stuck" stuck and I'd assume the caliper could easily overcome that force? Or am I thinking about it wrong and if it doesn't slide totally freely it's always the inner pad that gets worn unless you brake hard, which for me is probably about 1% of braking!

 

[Wighty]

Thinking about it though, I mean although they weren't springy like the top ones, I was able to in push/ pull it in by hand while turning the nut at the same time. So it's not like it was "stuck" stuck and I'd assume the caliper could easily overcome that force? Or am I thinking about it wrong and if it doesn't slide totally freely it's always the inner pad that gets worn unless you brake hard, which for me is probably about 1% of braking!

Use ceramic grease on the slider pins , you can buy new pins and rubbers quite cheaply

 

[rf065]

Yes!
I'm sure there will be recommendations for specific grease, but some/any grease will be better than WD40 (I wouldn't suggest copperslip type grease as it tends to dry out)

I though Copperslip was the recommended grease for exactly this purpose. It's the ability not to melt from heat that makes it useful on brake pads etc.

 

[Wighty]

I though Copperslip was the recommended grease for exactly this purpose. It's the ability not to melt from heat that makes it useful on brake pads etc.

When you buy the new slider pin kits they come with a white ceramic grease , when you install new piston rubbers and the internal piston seal in the calipers , those kits come with red rubber grease .
I don’t know about copper slip in those circumstances, just saying that’s what the caliper rebuild companies sent me .

 

[d215yq]

Use ceramic grease on the slider pins , you can buy new pins and rubbers quite cheaply

Where can you buy the pins from? I assume they just pull out and then you push the new ones back in pregreased, or is it fixed somehow?

 

[Wighty]

Where can you buy the pins from? I assume they just pull out and then you push the new ones back in pregreased, or is it fixed somehow?

I think the two companies I used were “Big Red” and “Brakeparts “ .

 

[Wighty]

Looking on line , it seems to be a silicone grease that is recommended for slider pins , so I might be wrong about the ceramic grease . I’ll let someone else answer that one .