Replacing Front Disks

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by Wurm, Jul 31, 2003.

  1. Wurm

    Wurm Guest

    Hi all,

    I was helping my buddy put in new front brake pads on his 92 Saturn SL1, and
    while working, I found that his disks are completely dead and really need to
    be replaced. My question to you all is what do I need to watch out for when
    doing this?. From looking at how its all put together, and from reading my
    Hayes book, it actually seems really simple, remove the pads and caliper
    (being careful of the brake line so the solid part isnt put under too much
    strain), pop the old disk, put on the new one, make sure its nice and
    straight and doesnt wobble, replace caliper and pads, and done. Is there
    anything im missing here?, is there anything hidden in there that we could
    seriously screw up? (assuming that we are doing this slowly, carefully, and
    sober :) ) or any special tools that we need which isnt immediately
    obvious?

    TIA!!!!

    Wurm
     
    Wurm, Jul 31, 2003
    #1
  2. Wurm

    Mike® Guest

    I did my 98 SC2 Monday. If your buddies is the same you will need to remove
    the 2 slide bolts and hang the caliper from the shock spring using a tie
    wrap or coat hanger. 2 more larger bolts will remove the assembly that hold
    the brake pads and rotor in place. I used metric sockets as they felt like a
    better fit for my car. I bought 2 new rotors from AutoZone for $19.95 each.
    Do one side at a time, if in doubt you still have the other side to refer
    to. Be sure to remove the cover on the bake fluid reservoir and remove as
    much brake fluid as possible (do not spill on paint) and lay the cover in
    place. I had to carefully press my calipers back in place with a C clamp,
    replace rotor and pads, clean and lubricate slide pins and reassemble. When
    both sides are done, pump the brakes to get a solid feel and make sure to
    fill the brake fluid is up proper level with fresh brake fluid. Stay sober
    until the job is done and tested ;-)

    So maybe a large C clamp might be the only unusual item, along with a small
    suction ball or turkey baster to remove the brake fluid from the reservoir.
    Good luck.
     
    Mike®, Aug 1, 2003
    #2
  3. Wurm

    Kirk Kohnen Guest

    1) Get a pad-pusher, or a c-clamp to push the piston back in.
    2) Instead of pushing the center of the piston in, put the old pad over the
    piston and push that in.
    3) Are you going to remove and turn or replace the disks? If so, then a 1/2"
    drive 18 mm 6 point socket and a 1/2" breaker bar will be helpful for
    removing the rotors. 18mm is NOT a common wrench or socket set size (most
    skip from 17mm to 19mm).
    4) When you put the wheels back on, torque them to 103 foot pounds (140
    Newton Meters). This will help prevent rotor warping problems.
    5) Break the pads in as per the pad instructions.
     
    Kirk Kohnen, Aug 1, 2003
    #3
  4. Wurm

    Napalm Heart Guest

    Excellent advice on using an old pad as a base to push the piston back
    in. I've done that in the past. I've just got a fair amount of metal
    scraps around and usually just use one of them.

    Ken
     
    Napalm Heart, Aug 1, 2003
    #4
  5. Wurm

    Wurm Guest

    Thanks to everyone for the advice!, we are going to be doing this tomorrow
    morning so wish me luck ;).

    Wurm
     
    Wurm, Aug 1, 2003
    #5
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