DIY brake pads, any hints/tricks???
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From: Portsmouth, NH
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DIY brake pads, any hints/tricks???
I was going to replace the pads this weekend on my C43 with EBC green pads. The rotors are fine but the pads do need changing.
I was wondering if there is anything I should be aware of in terms of a regular brake pad change. I have done this on numerous american made pickups and a cobra but never a MB.
I figure it can't be that much different. Any "heads up" on little tricks or things to expect would be great.
THANKS.
I was wondering if there is anything I should be aware of in terms of a regular brake pad change. I have done this on numerous american made pickups and a cobra but never a MB.
I figure it can't be that much different. Any "heads up" on little tricks or things to expect would be great.
THANKS.
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From: Langley, VA
1996 C36 Blk/Blk
I did a complete brake job on my C36 about two weeks ago. I have done this many times before on other cars, most recently my now sold 740IL. Only thing I can really recommend is have a wide range of metric tools available. A breaker bar is a must too if you don't have any air tools. Other than that it should be fairly simple for you. Good luck!
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the front should be pretty straight forward, but you will need a torx or hex socket, i can't exactly remember to take off the caliper. after wards, you should just use a big c-clamp or a sepcial caliper tool to compress the psitons back in so that new pads will fit. also if your sensor light came on already, you will probably want to replace pad sensors, i think they are like $3 each.
also the main spring on the caliper is probably the trickiest part of the caliper / pad removal, its tricky because its very simple to take out once you have done it but at first i wasn't able to remove it, i tried to carefully pry the spring with a flat head screwdriver but it didn't seem right. the proper way was to press hard on either the top or bottom of the spring and get that end of the spring out first. when you take a look yourself, youwill know what i'm talking about, kinda hard to explain in words. good luck.
also the main spring on the caliper is probably the trickiest part of the caliper / pad removal, its tricky because its very simple to take out once you have done it but at first i wasn't able to remove it, i tried to carefully pry the spring with a flat head screwdriver but it didn't seem right. the proper way was to press hard on either the top or bottom of the spring and get that end of the spring out first. when you take a look yourself, youwill know what i'm talking about, kinda hard to explain in words. good luck.
Last edited by linuxfoo; Sep 14, 2005 at 07:06 PM.
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1967 Morris Cooper "S", 1983 911SC, 1997 Toyota Tacoma, 1999 HD FXSTB, 1998 C43
Brakes
I went the alternate route and removed the calipers thus I did not use the 7mm hex...it's a standard brake job and extremely easy- you do need a breaker bar, a large c-clamp to push in the pistons, and of course a selection of metric tools.
They sent me the wrong sensors and used the old ones without a hitch. The rear disks are even easier than the fronts. Hope this advice helps.
They sent me the wrong sensors and used the old ones without a hitch. The rear disks are even easier than the fronts. Hope this advice helps.
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hey staple, how did you manage to take off your caliper without taking off the hex bolt inside the protected rubber boot? on mines, in order to take off the front caliper, you have to remove the plastic rubber cap and insert a hex to take out the caliper bolt. your don't have the hex bolt?? curious.
