replacing brake rotor's and brake pads
 

Hey all:

I'm going to be replacing my brake pads and my front two rotors this weekend.

Has anyone done this yet? How did it go in terms of difficulty and time to do it? Should I be looking for certain things to check when I go under? Any trouble spots? Any info. whatsoever about your experience is appreciated.

Also, anyone have any directions on how to do this? I have a general idea as I've seen the DIY at the acrura world website and I've done my Saab's, but I was wondering if anyone had specifics for our car.

I have a 97 2.5TL (Standard) with OEM everything. I'll be upgrading to Axxis pads and Brembo's up front.

Thanks much guys.

Peace.
-beno

pads will be straightforward, in order to take off the rotors though you will need an impact screwdriver, i picked up mine from autozone for 15? all u do is set it and start bangin on it until the screw comes off. After that, if the rotor loves u it will come off if not bang it till it does, but not to hard =)

why are you replacing your rotors?? are you upgrading rotors or are you replacing them with new stock rotors? i have axxis metal masters and they say they dont give off too much dust? they're lying... if you have aftermarket wheels, you wheels will be covered with dust really fast compared to stock brake pads. the stopping power of the axxis is great..but it just give off dust like a mofo.

I'm upgrading to Brembo's on the front before the winter sets in here in Cleveland...the front ones are a bit warped too, so I figure I'll kill two birds with one stone. I am interested in stopping power and the Axxis seem to have the best reviews for this. I'm not too worried about the dust. I guess I can just clean that off.

I will be upgrading the rear rotors in the spring (along with timing belt, water pump, and suspension) when I get some more cash and some better weather to do the work in.

Thanks for your help guys.
-beno

I replaced the pads and got the rotors resurfaced.

the pads were squeaking like MAD!!! so I replaced them for the cheap ones at canadian tire cause those are softer than the premium ones. and got the rotors resurface because of the glazing on it.

Corby, how did those CrappyTire pads work?
 

How did the CdnTire pads work out? How about the resurfacing of the rotors?

very old thread i doubt hes around.

changing the the front rotor is too much work and requires a presser.
you will need to remove the whole control arm portion and press it down.
I almost died when I did mine. I was all bruised up the next morning.
However, changing the rear rotors is alot easier, just unbolt, replace, and rebolt.

If your intention is to save money then I recommend you pay the shop to change only the front rotors. Then when you get home, you can replace the pads and rear rotors.
goodluck.

Yeah changing the front rotors on the 2.5 TL is a royal pain in the butt. (So is changing the oil filter btw)
The pads are a different story, I did mine myself.
Take the rotors to the shop. :2cents:

it took me and 2 friends 3 hrs just to take out the front rotors. the brake pads are pretty straight forward though. now i'm just going to the mechanic for the back rotors - i don't want to go through all that pain again :) .

Havent had a chance to look under my 3.2tl but just wondering why you have to remove the control arm...and lol glad to see you walked away relatively unharmed

The 2.5 is alot harder than the 3.2 as far as removing the rotors is concerned. On the 3.2 the rotors have two screws that you remove with an impact phillips screw driver. And then the rotors just pop right off. On the 2.5, you have to do all sorts of shit.

Here is the picture of front TL brakes consistance. Also you can see difference between 2,5 TL and 3,2 (upper right corner) TL

I am having trouble with my 3.2 TL. When i brake, and get almost to a complete stop maybe 5-10 miles an hour it starts lightly jerking the car. My mechanic told me it might be the rotors hence my brake pads are almost brand new. How hard is it to replace the rotors on the 3.2 and are the Ebay drilled rotors any good?

Sounds like you have warped rotors which is typical on our cars.

link

I'd go with Powerslots and ceramic pads on the front.

On the 3.2, it shouldn't be that hard to change. You can probably do it yourself. You can search and there should be some instructions on how to.

Before I would buy anything- go to the Black Market Section of this forum and then sponsored sales/ group buys

There you will find the vendors who sponsor this website, so its free to us.

Excellerate has Rotora slotted rotors www.rotora.com
Mr Heel Toe has Racing Brake UP rotors and Hawk pad combos www.racingbrake.com

Look at both makers website and PM or call both the vendors and ask for a price.

The drilled rotors are not needed for TLs- go ahead only if you buy top quality or probs occur
SLOTTED provides the extra outgassing area you really want

My personal preferance on a TL that sees both driving by the wife and then some fun runs on the back roads and occassional days at good speed on the road-racetrack

I like The Racing Brake Ultimate Performance rotors and Hawk HPS pads all around
the rotors have a unique inner cooling vane pattern that extract more heat than others- check out their website racingbrake.com and heeltoeauto.com or under postings look for MrHeelToe

Enjoy you newfound braking over stock!

My 01 3.2 TL was easy to do the parts swap.
A Compressor and air wrench is very helpful- otherwise a 1/2 drive breaker bar with a long bar slipped over it for leverage- the brackets that hold the caliper are on tight for a reason
The impact screwdriver. a big hammer to hit it with, a rubber mallet to encourage the disc off and remember to use something like a coat hanger or plastic wire tie to hold the caliper up while working on the rest of things. Sure enough that thing will drop down, hit your hand, tear the abs sensor lead or some other horrible thing.
So much safer to just tie it up out of the way.
Dont worry if you have to drill out the retaining screws. not required for the new ones. your new rotors may not even have holes that match!

3.2 TL rear disc brake, inside pad
 

If anyone is changing rear pads on a 97 3.2 and throwing out the old pads, please consider sending me one inside pad as a favour. I could use that part. Also, if anyone knows of websites which is dedicated to letting people sell or swap used car parts for Acura, please let me know. (I'm in Toronto, if anyone is wondering.)