Diy: Change Your Own Brake Pads (front And Rear)

[predator]

Good guide - request it to go in the FAQ section.

Few things though : never actually thought of doing it that way! Slotting them out that way. I thought that metal bracket was actually just an extra holding mechanism

Generally I've always undone the top bolt and slipped the whole caliper up. Usually the pistons have moved in that 3mm or so (the difference between a new caliper and worn one) which prevent you putting the new ones in. So have to depress the piston to get the new ones in.

G-clamp works wonders in depressing the pistons, but you have to be careful to get them straight or you can unseat them in the boot and lose pressure in the whole line.

Somebody also needs to post "how to bleed the brakes" as thats an important part of it too.

[Edge]

Somebody also needs to post "how to bleed the brakes" as thats an important part of it too.

Great idea - what bleed kit is recommended for diy brake bleed?

Instructions / pics would be good / maybe brand of bleed kit to make it clean and simple? (reuseable kit?).

It would be very useful

[SupaFly Skyline]

i bought a "one man bleeder" from autopro, cost less than $20 very simple and easy to use, also helped me "recycle" the fluid when pushing the piston back in to make the pads fit.

[drifto]

Squealing sounds from brakes are caused by the extremely fast vibrations in the pad and pistons making contact with the brake rotor.

Acting simily to a record and needle, the fine grooves on the rotor face cause hamonics that we hereas sqeals.

It is common in cars that have had new pads fitted without machining the rotor. You'll here alot of race cars brakes squeal because they usually throw new pads in during a meet without machining the rotor.

It doesn't effect braking effeciency measurably and therefore only hurts your ears, the only real cure is to machine or renew the rotor.

Also bedding in pads varies considerably from pad to pad. Check the recommendation on the box.

[supra]

Sorry if I sound nOOb. Is it dangerous to relase the park brakes while the car is on stand? Even with the bricks at the rear wheels, like are they gonna stop the car from rolling back assuming now the car has gradient sloping down to the back?

2nd question, from the pictures, the way you jacked the car up, how come the car is on the trolley instead of the stand? I am not picking on what you did, cause I am don't know the what to do! is it suppose to be standing on the trolley jack and the stand is a back up incase the trolley give way?

[benm]

how come the car is on the trolley instead of the stand? I am not picking on what you did, cause I am don't know the what to do! is it suppose to be standing on the trolley jack and the stand is a back up incase the trolley give way?

I had most of the pressure on the jack and the stand there as a backup because I wasn't quite sure exactly where to put the stand without it causing any further damage than what is already under that part of the car due to constant use of the jack.

[supra]

what's the purpose of releasing the park brakes?

[Edge]

edit

Yes it will hold; but, using one wheel chock is intended for a single tyre change situation and it is specified with the handbrake on!

If you purposely intend to do more such as release the handbrake or lift two wheels at the same time you should chock all the wheels.

[wylie]

i took out my pads to put some anti-squeal between the shim and the back of the pad and i found that i have no shims, just the pistons pushing against the pad backing plate... sooo lound and sqealy

[grepin]

i took out my pads to put some anti-squeal between the shim and the back of the pad and i found that i have no shims, just the pistons pushing against the pad backing plate... sooo lound and sqealy

My RB74 pads squealed even with the anti squeal stuff. The way to make them stop squealing is to shamfer each end of the pad a good half cent and about 30deg and put a slit half way across the pad about a 1/3 through. Thats what my mechanic did and I have had it on the track working fine.

[locosam]

I just put in some rb74's today.

To push the piston back, i found a small piece of wood about the same thickness of a brake pad. Then i shoved it in and levered the piston back. Heaps easier than using a scredriver, plus i think its safer too since its pushing the whole piston back at once. (plus i dont think think a small piece of wood would do any damage to the disc or calipers even if i forced it as hard as i could)

[Edge]

My RB74 pads squealed even with the anti squeal stuff. The way to make them stop squealing is to shamfer each end of the pad a good half cent and about 30deg and put a slit half way across the pad about a 1/3 through. Thats what my mechanic did and I have had it on the track working fine.

Hmmm I may try this.

[Duncan]

My RB74 pads squealed even with the anti squeal stuff. The way to make them stop squealing is to shamfer each end of the pad a good half cent and about 30deg and put a slit half way across the pad about a 1/3 through. Thats what my mechanic did and I have had it on the track working fine.

interesting, I've seen a few pads which are made this way, must be the reason

[Abo Bob]

Well well well.

I have a squealing problem and half of the solutions posted here have already been done.

On the back I've got brand new bendix ultimates, brand new DB4000 slotted rotors, I bedded them in by doing braking from 40-0, 60-0, 80-0 an 100-0. The edge is chamfered from the factory.

There were no shims there when I pulled them apart.

The previous pads were the same and had the same problem until a track day cured them. Is this what it takes???

What's the theory behind it?

[Duncan]

Yes Adam, brakes need a good thrashing to bed them in properly....get out there

OK so not really....

did you put the squeal shims from the old pads back in with the new pads?

there is also some anti squeel stuff you can chuck on the back of pads to help but I've never tried it.

One other thing, I understand you are not meant to bed new pads in on new or newly machined discs....not sure of the impact of doing this tho

[Abo Bob]

I didn't see any shims so if they were there I chucked them out.

I have now put the aluminium can thing in and also tried snading the edges off which lasted all of about 5 minutes.

**** it. Track day is next weekend anyway.

[Duncan]

Yeah shims normally live nice and tight on the back of the pads, either 1 or two thing metal pads.....could be bad news if you've thrown them out, they can be hard to find replacements

[Abo Bob]

I'm sure they weren't there. Also Alistair did the last pad change and I can't imagine him throwing them out so I guess they dissapeared some time in Japan but until I put Ultimates on it didn't matter.

By way of update, yesterday I went for a bit of a drive and the squealing was much improved. Not gone altogether but about 70% better.

[Merli]

I've tried using that red gooey anti-squeal compound on the back of the my Ferrodo DS2500 (street pads)...

I bought it from Pep's Auto for about $15 if memory serves?

Anyway, the only thing it did was get my hands all pink, my shirt and dirty old jeans all pink, make the pistons on my caliper all pink and did absolutely NOTHING to stop the squeal

[Merli]

I've never changed pads on a stock Nissan caliper, but with my AP calipers, I'm very easily able to pull the old pad out half-way, and then push on the compound side of the brake pad (as opposed to the backing plate side) and leverage the pad to push the pistons back in a little bit making putting thicker pads in MUCH easier (e.g. taking out your worn out track pads and putting in your new new street pads)

No need for g-clamps or screwdrivers, but it might be harder to do on the Nissan calipers?