Replacing pads and rotors: 1996 3.2TL
03-29-2005, 12:52 PM
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Replacing pads and rotors: 1996 3.2TL
I just did my pads and rotors (1996 3.2TL). Here's the writeup:
Tools needed: wrenches/sockets (lug, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm), impact screwdriver, caliper tool (got mine much cheaper than this at a Harbor Freight store), penetrant (PB Blaster is noice!)
* Get car up safely on jack stands and remove all four wheels.
* Disengage the parking brake (the rear rotors won't come off if it's engaged)
* Each rotor is held on by two well-attached screws. The impact screwdriver (IS) takes these off. For the unit I reference above, you would place the bit on the screw, push the handle in and rotate it clockwise. Whack the butt end of the IS with a hammer firmly - you should see the screw loosen. Once unimpacted, just use the IS like a normal screwdriver to remove (you don't need to keep hitting it).
* Before removing each caliper, loosen the two screws just behind the little dust boots. IIRC, the fronts are 14mm and the rears are 12mm.
* Each caliper is held on by two screws - the fronts are 17mm, the rears are 14mm. A ratchet with extension is best for accessing these. A regular box wrench may provide more leverage for breaking these bolts loose but you won't have much back-and-forth room. Once those two bolts are off, the caliper is free. It may be difficult to work it off against the friction of the pads on the rotor but it is, in fact, loose. Have a box of some sort on which to rest the caliper assembly. Do not let it hang by the supporting lines.
* If, once the caliper is off and the screws are out of the rotor, the rotor does not want to come off, it's because it's rusted to the mounting surface. You'll notice two other holes in the rotor (5 are for lugnuts, 2 are for the mounting screws - there are 2 more for the following purpose). I believe the screw size is M10. I have two of them with allen heads. What you do is, insert a screw in each of those holes and thread until you feel it bottom out against the rotor mounting surface. Then, about 1/4 turn at time and alternating bolts, keep turning each screw. After about one full turn, the rotor will pop off.
* Clean the rotor mounting surface with a brass brush and some brake cleaner. Get it as crud-free as you can. Take your new rotor and spray the braking surface liberally with brake cleaner and wipe clean. Manufacturers coat the rotor with a substance to prevent it from rusting - you need to get it off. Don't worry - brake cleaner is nasty stuff - a good dousing and wipe will clean it well enough. Place the rotor back on the hub, taking care to line up the screw holes as well as the lugnut holes. Use some anti-seize on the screws before reinserting them. I just used a manual screwdriver to tighten them down as hard as I can.
* Now, back to the caliper. If you've never done this, it's just a matter of paying attention to the disassembly (which is pretty easy). Remove one of the "dust-boot" screws and the caliper will swing open/down. Notice how the pads are really just sitting in there. One pad in there has a large clip on it - note its location so you can reinstall the new one likewise. Take a digital pic(s) if you're not sure you'll remember. Remove the old pads.
* Now, remove the lid from your brake master cylinder and place some rags around the rim (in case a little fluid comes out, no big deal but that fluid is nasty and eats paint). You're now going to push the brake pistons in to make room for the new pads.
* Front calipers are much easier. Follow the instructions and use your caliper tool with the largest disc. Place it against the piston rim and "expand" the tool until the piston is pushed all the way back. Remove the tool, set the pads in place and swing the caliper closed. Once it's closed, I gently insert a wrench between the pads and twist it so it pushes the pads apart and into place. Then, just gently slide the caliper into place, working the rotor in between the new pads. If you're having trouble, you may not have pushed the piston back far enough or just need to use my wrench trick to push the pads apart more.
* Rear pistons aren't harder, just different. Your caliper tool has an insert that works the piston properly - it's a much smaller disc with two little pegs. Place the disc on the piston so the pegs are in the "plus sign" shape and tighten the tool down. Instead of turning the large nut to expand the tool, you'll need to turn the T-handle to spin the shaft and disc (clockwise). You'll need to periodically re-snug the tool in there to make sure it keeps good contact with the piston (this will make more sense once you start using the tool, it's really not hard). Keep turning until the piston is just about back to flush with the surface. Then, remove the tool, reinsert the pads, close the caliper and remount over the new rotor.
* Put the lid back on the master cylinder.
* Note: when you swing the caliper closed, there will be just a little force needed to close it that last 1/8" or so. This is ok; you're just pushing against the little metal retainer spring clip at the top.
* Bedding in the new setup: find a lonely road that you can be reasonably sure you'll have to yourself for 10 minutes or so. I found one that had a empty parking lot that I could just duck in and out of if a car came. You want to do about 5 35mph - 5mph stops, with a little cool down in between. Also, if an ABS all-out stop is 100% force, you want to stop with about 80% force. So, cruise up to 35mph, hit brakes, release, drive around a little, hit 35mph, hit brakes, repeat, etc.... By the 5th stop, you'll probably start to smell just a little "burnt" smell. That means the surfaces are getting up to temperature and is OK. Now, do some 60mph - 5mph stops, again about 80% force. Increase your cool-down time just a little as you're really working the surfaces now. Do 5 of these as well. Then, find a nice empty road where you can just drive for 10-15 minutes without braking so everything can cool down. You're good to go!
*NOTE: you should NEVER come to a complete stop with hot rotors. The pads will deposit material on the rotors and you will get vibration. It is of utmost importance that you have an area to do your bed-in where you can avoid coming to a complete stop. If you absolutely have to, slow down as much as possible with your pedal but then release the pedal and use your e-brake to complete the stop.
FYI: I got my parts from autopartswarehouse.com. Rotors are OEM-spec manufactured by Mountain, pads are Akebono ceramic. IMO, they are a great combination of smooth, quiet and firm braking power. Any questions, please feel free to ask. I'm in the Philly area if anyone would like some help sometime.
Tools needed: wrenches/sockets (lug, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm), impact screwdriver, caliper tool (got mine much cheaper than this at a Harbor Freight store), penetrant (PB Blaster is noice!)
* Get car up safely on jack stands and remove all four wheels.
* Disengage the parking brake (the rear rotors won't come off if it's engaged)
* Each rotor is held on by two well-attached screws. The impact screwdriver (IS) takes these off. For the unit I reference above, you would place the bit on the screw, push the handle in and rotate it clockwise. Whack the butt end of the IS with a hammer firmly - you should see the screw loosen. Once unimpacted, just use the IS like a normal screwdriver to remove (you don't need to keep hitting it).
* Before removing each caliper, loosen the two screws just behind the little dust boots. IIRC, the fronts are 14mm and the rears are 12mm.
* Each caliper is held on by two screws - the fronts are 17mm, the rears are 14mm. A ratchet with extension is best for accessing these. A regular box wrench may provide more leverage for breaking these bolts loose but you won't have much back-and-forth room. Once those two bolts are off, the caliper is free. It may be difficult to work it off against the friction of the pads on the rotor but it is, in fact, loose. Have a box of some sort on which to rest the caliper assembly. Do not let it hang by the supporting lines.
* If, once the caliper is off and the screws are out of the rotor, the rotor does not want to come off, it's because it's rusted to the mounting surface. You'll notice two other holes in the rotor (5 are for lugnuts, 2 are for the mounting screws - there are 2 more for the following purpose). I believe the screw size is M10. I have two of them with allen heads. What you do is, insert a screw in each of those holes and thread until you feel it bottom out against the rotor mounting surface. Then, about 1/4 turn at time and alternating bolts, keep turning each screw. After about one full turn, the rotor will pop off.
* Clean the rotor mounting surface with a brass brush and some brake cleaner. Get it as crud-free as you can. Take your new rotor and spray the braking surface liberally with brake cleaner and wipe clean. Manufacturers coat the rotor with a substance to prevent it from rusting - you need to get it off. Don't worry - brake cleaner is nasty stuff - a good dousing and wipe will clean it well enough. Place the rotor back on the hub, taking care to line up the screw holes as well as the lugnut holes. Use some anti-seize on the screws before reinserting them. I just used a manual screwdriver to tighten them down as hard as I can.
* Now, back to the caliper. If you've never done this, it's just a matter of paying attention to the disassembly (which is pretty easy). Remove one of the "dust-boot" screws and the caliper will swing open/down. Notice how the pads are really just sitting in there. One pad in there has a large clip on it - note its location so you can reinstall the new one likewise. Take a digital pic(s) if you're not sure you'll remember. Remove the old pads.
* Now, remove the lid from your brake master cylinder and place some rags around the rim (in case a little fluid comes out, no big deal but that fluid is nasty and eats paint). You're now going to push the brake pistons in to make room for the new pads.
* Front calipers are much easier. Follow the instructions and use your caliper tool with the largest disc. Place it against the piston rim and "expand" the tool until the piston is pushed all the way back. Remove the tool, set the pads in place and swing the caliper closed. Once it's closed, I gently insert a wrench between the pads and twist it so it pushes the pads apart and into place. Then, just gently slide the caliper into place, working the rotor in between the new pads. If you're having trouble, you may not have pushed the piston back far enough or just need to use my wrench trick to push the pads apart more.
* Rear pistons aren't harder, just different. Your caliper tool has an insert that works the piston properly - it's a much smaller disc with two little pegs. Place the disc on the piston so the pegs are in the "plus sign" shape and tighten the tool down. Instead of turning the large nut to expand the tool, you'll need to turn the T-handle to spin the shaft and disc (clockwise). You'll need to periodically re-snug the tool in there to make sure it keeps good contact with the piston (this will make more sense once you start using the tool, it's really not hard). Keep turning until the piston is just about back to flush with the surface. Then, remove the tool, reinsert the pads, close the caliper and remount over the new rotor.
* Put the lid back on the master cylinder.
* Note: when you swing the caliper closed, there will be just a little force needed to close it that last 1/8" or so. This is ok; you're just pushing against the little metal retainer spring clip at the top.
* Bedding in the new setup: find a lonely road that you can be reasonably sure you'll have to yourself for 10 minutes or so. I found one that had a empty parking lot that I could just duck in and out of if a car came. You want to do about 5 35mph - 5mph stops, with a little cool down in between. Also, if an ABS all-out stop is 100% force, you want to stop with about 80% force. So, cruise up to 35mph, hit brakes, release, drive around a little, hit 35mph, hit brakes, repeat, etc.... By the 5th stop, you'll probably start to smell just a little "burnt" smell. That means the surfaces are getting up to temperature and is OK. Now, do some 60mph - 5mph stops, again about 80% force. Increase your cool-down time just a little as you're really working the surfaces now. Do 5 of these as well. Then, find a nice empty road where you can just drive for 10-15 minutes without braking so everything can cool down. You're good to go!
*NOTE: you should NEVER come to a complete stop with hot rotors. The pads will deposit material on the rotors and you will get vibration. It is of utmost importance that you have an area to do your bed-in where you can avoid coming to a complete stop. If you absolutely have to, slow down as much as possible with your pedal but then release the pedal and use your e-brake to complete the stop.
FYI: I got my parts from autopartswarehouse.com. Rotors are OEM-spec manufactured by Mountain, pads are Akebono ceramic. IMO, they are a great combination of smooth, quiet and firm braking power. Any questions, please feel free to ask. I'm in the Philly area if anyone would like some help sometime.
woooooooooooooow thank you man ive been thinkin bout doin this but i know i wouldve screwed it up
03-29-2005, 03:30 PM
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Nice post we should get it moved to the suspension forum and stickied in there. You got every little detail for changing on the 3.2. I'm suprised you actually went out and bought all those tools. A big screw driver and a clamp would have worked instead of the caliper press.
here is one for the 96 2.5: take it to shop, pay man to do it, smile and bear the suffering costs. :P
03-29-2005, 06:05 PM
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Originally Posted by LDH
Nice post we should get it moved to the suspension forum and stickied in there. You got every little detail for changing on the 3.2. I'm suprised you actually went out and bought all those tools. A big screw driver and a clamp would have worked instead of the caliper press.
* the C-clamp can't do the screw-in rear piston.
* the calipers on my car are weird/deep; you need a huge clamp to be able to reach around to the back side.
Unfortunately, I have something I have to head out of town for Saturday, so I can't make the meet
.
03-29-2005, 07:23 PM
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Originally Posted by sonicblue
I actually went to Harbor Freight just for the impact screwdriver and couldn't pass up $3.50 for it. Then, just browsing, saw the caliper tool - for $10, that seemed like a real steal, too. At a total cost of $13.50, it seemed worth it to have the proper tool. Plus, I've tried using a C-clamp before - it works OK on simple setups, but:
* the C-clamp can't do the screw-in rear piston.
* the calipers on my car are weird/deep; you need a huge clamp to be able to reach around to the back side.
Unfortunately, I have something I have to head out of town for Saturday, so I can't make the meet.
* the C-clamp can't do the screw-in rear piston.
* the calipers on my car are weird/deep; you need a huge clamp to be able to reach around to the back side.
Unfortunately, I have something I have to head out of town for Saturday, so I can't make the meet
.
and the rears just use a big screw driver or a huge file. It works fine on the cars I've done. I'll be going to harbor freight when my car gets out of the bodyshop to get the caliper tool 
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03-30-2005, 08:44 AM
#9
98 3.2 Flamenco Black
Sonicblue,
Can you please tell me the Item numbers for the Harbor Freight Tools you bought? Save me time looking for it. Lucky to have a Harbor Freight pretty close to work! Awesome pricing for the not so much used Tools.....saves me time, all the time, and the frustration, too, that comes with the fact that you have to jerry rig something to make it work.
Tool savers.
Can you please tell me the Item numbers for the Harbor Freight Tools you bought? Save me time looking for it. Lucky to have a Harbor Freight pretty close to work! Awesome pricing for the not so much used Tools.....saves me time, all the time, and the frustration, too, that comes with the fact that you have to jerry rig something to make it work.
Tool savers.
03-30-2005, 02:18 PM
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Link to impact screwdriver. Price is showing as $6.99 but my store's price was $3.50.
Link to brake caliper tool. Price is showing is $39.99 but I'm almost positive my price was more like $10.
Tell you what: if you're seriously interested in these, I can verify my store's price, pick them up for you and you can paypal me just the cost + shipping. They're a bit heavy but I'm pretty sure I could ship 'em economy-style and keep your cost around $20.
Link to brake caliper tool. Price is showing is $39.99 but I'm almost positive my price was more like $10.
Tell you what: if you're seriously interested in these, I can verify my store's price, pick them up for you and you can paypal me just the cost + shipping. They're a bit heavy but I'm pretty sure I could ship 'em economy-style and keep your cost around $20.
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