Hey guys, I’m going to finally my Brembo OEs, Axxis Ultimates/AEM pads, and Goodridge lines in the next few days. I was inspecting my stock rotors and the two chamfered screws are pretty stuck. So I guess I need an impact screwdriver/wrench, but I have no idea where to rent one or if you even can. Are there places where you can rent one or should I pay a shop a small fee to loosen them? What kind of shop would have one (Tuffy)?
What bolts/screws did you replace when you changed out the pads/lines/rotors? I already have the two chamfered rotor screws on my list.
Sorry about the huge amount of questions. Rapid responses would be awesome. Once again, thanks for the help.
You could probably rent one, but I’m sure for a few bucks more you could buy one from like Home Depot(Impact wrench/Screwdriver, that is) The problem with haveing a shop do it is, once you remove or loosen the screws, your rotors basically will woble. The screws are only on by a few threads. You have to tighten them using the impact tool, as well.
those screws came right out for me. I sprayed some wd-40 on them, then drove 45min over to my uncles house where i swapped rotors. The screws came out like butta! I can’t say for sure that it was only the wd-40, and that they weren’t super tight to begin with… but hey, its worth a try.
as far as everything else it went smoothly for me. I didn’t have to replace anything.
I do have a couple things to add though:
Usually there are little “shim” or spacer type things that stick onto the pads. I’m not sure if you should even bother putting these on. The shims on my pads slipped off after awhile and started cutting a groove in my rotor (not in an important spot… but still kinda irritating). I saw this also on a friends car when i put in his camber kit. so… if you do install the shims, check back later to make sure they stayed in place.
I can’t stress how important this one is. LUBE up the pins that allow the caliper to slide (since we have floating calipers). There are 2 pins on each caliper —i don’t know what they are called, but they are the ones you remove initially to be able to swap the pads.
If these pins are not lubed up well enough your pads will wear uneavenly. Last weekend my brakes started making a grinding noise. The outter pad on my left front turned out to be COMPLETELY gone, while the inner pad was in almost brand new condition!!! The caliper hadn’t been sliding enough and nearly all my braking was being done w/ one pad. I noticed the same thing on other side, but not as severe. And again i noticed the same thing on the totalled gsr i just picked up (it was nice to have it, cause it meant i didn’t have to run out and buy new pads just yet). I suggest everyone out there check their pads for uneven wear… if they are beginning to wear unevenly this can be easily remedied before the problem gets bad!
Other than that, pick up a can of brake clean, and have fun!
Originally posted by integracon You have to tighten them using the impact tool, as well.
I didn’t tighten my screws w/ an impact tool. and everything seems a-ok on my car. Seems like tightening them w/ an impact tool would just make it harder to take off in the future.
the impact screwdriver sells for about $15-20 at any local autoparts store. i advise you to buy one if you plan to keep your car and change brakes/rotors again.
Originally posted by integguy91 the impact screwdriver sells for about $15-20 at any local autoparts store. i advise you to buy one if you plan to keep your car and change brakes/rotors again.
Originally posted by integracon You could probably rent one, but I’m sure for a few bucks more you could buy one from like Home Depot(Impact wrench/Screwdriver, that is) The problem with haveing a shop do it is, once you remove or loosen the screws, your rotors basically will woble. The screws are only on by a few threads. You have to tighten them using the impact tool, as well.
From my experiance the screws at issue serve no crucial purpose. The brake disc is held in place from lug nut pressure according to the service manual. You will not need an impact tool to put the screws back on. They are to be torqued to 7 lb*ft. Since I don’t know of anyone that uses a torque sensing screwdriver, this means hand tighten. Please note though I am not recomending that you do not re-install these screws, maybe someone can point out what they do.
Originally posted by MrFrost They are to be torqued to 7 lb*ft. Since I don’t know of anyone that uses a torque sensing screwdriver, this means hand tighten. Please note though I am not recomending that you do not re-install these screws, maybe someone can point out what they do.
There are sockets with phillips heads that can be used with a torque wrench. Having a shop remove those screws shouldn’t create a problem. Once the wheel is on and the lug nuts are tightened down the rotor really isn’t going anywhere.
Good info guys. I had no idea that impact screwdrivers were so cheap (compared to $70+).
I will probably check out AutoZone tommorrow for the impact tool and the brake quiet.
91IntegGS and others: could you guys elaborate just a bit on the location of the caliper pin? What grease do you suggest I use? I am going to start tommorrow so it would be good to get a head start on these problem areas.
i think he’s referring to the caliper bolts as the pins. if they’re not properly greased your brake caliper can basically be non-operative. it happened to me and i learned the hard way. the caliper bolt is the same bolt you loosen to take off your pads. after you swing your caliper up pull that bolt off the rubber gourmet and you’ll notice it’s either greased up or dry. just add some high temp brake grease.
BAH! Forget all that impact crap…all you need are some pythons and a breakover bar. LOL, but really I gotta tip for the rotor screws…
Put the philips where it should go on the screw and hit the screwdriver w/ a hammer. The impact not only loosens the bolt but it helps get a bit further in there so you don’t strip the bolt. HTH.
basically its a two part thing. there is a small bolt, as well as a “pin.” (there is also a little rubber boot). The bolt keeps everything in place, but the pin is what slides back and forth and requires the lubrication.
its sort of hard to explain without just showing you in person, but you’ll be able to figure it out easily when you’re doing it. There are two bolts, i believe 12mm, and they are facing inward. You’ll know they are the right bolts because it looks like they screw into a part w/ a little rubber boot. (these screws will be removed anyway since you are replacing your pads… so they should already be off) Pull these bolts off, then remove the caliper and pads. Next pull on the boots and the metal pin they are attached to, it should slide out easily. Use some high temp grease (i used some really thick smelly stuff i bought awhile back for my camber kit… its pretty much all purpose hi temp grease, cost me maybe $2 for 12 or so ounces) to lube up the pin. Slide it back in place, reinstall the boot, and make sure it all slides nice and smooth.
basically its a two part thing. there is a small bolt, as well as a “pin.” (there is also a little rubber boot). The bolt keeps everything in place, but the pin is what slides back and forth and requires the lubrication.
it’s called the caliper bolt, i expalined it a few posts up.
Ah, I thought that the caliper pin was in a completely different location than the bolt. I’m sure I’ll figure it out when I start removing things.
The only thing that I’m worried about is draining the brake system. I’ve never bled or drained it before and I have no idea what to expect from the ABS system. Since, I’ll be putting lines on and my system hasn’t been bled for about a year, it’s pretty neccessary.
Could someone give a quick overview of the procedure they used to drain, the system?
For the people that wanted to know what those little screws are there for. They are only ment to hold the rotor in place and keep it from moving around when the wheel is removed from the car. They serve no purpose other then that. So, if you don’t put them back in, its not a problem.
Well, I just got an impact screwdriver and I’m about to take off the stock rotors. I’m just going to reuse the screws (unless I break/strip them).
Update: the screws came off w/o the driver, I just didn’t have the right sized tip. I couldn’t figure out what I was doing with that thing anyway.
New Problem: The two caliper bolts are seized. I’m using a 12mm wrench and they will not move and are starting to strip. I recall someone mentioning a flare nut wrench; would this be able to get the bolt off?
Update 2: got the caliper bolts off. On the right side I managed to get the caliper mounting bracket off using a 2.5 foot extension. The left side lower bolt came out but the upper stripped. This is not a bolt that you want to have strip on you (not that you would want any bolt to strip…). I’m debating whether I want to try at it again or buy more WD-40 because I ran out before I could spray that bolt==> probably why it stripped. :mad:
Note: when expected the pads the left side seemed to wear evenly, but the right appeared to be very off. The inner pad is perfect and the inside of the rotor is rusted from not being in contact. The outer pad and rotor side are very worn. Could this be because of a poorly greased caliper pin? The upper side of the pad is much worse than the lower side also.
Anyway, I’ll continue to try to get that bolt off.
New Problem: The two caliper bolts are seized. I’m using a 12mm wrench and they will not move and are starting to strip. I recall someone mentioning a flare nut wrench; would this be able to get the bolt off? What is a flare nut wrench?
dam are you going in and out of your house while changing your brakes??? well anyhow, are you turning the screws the right way? because those bolts should only be torqued to 24 ft lbs. what i’ve done before was use a breaker bar.
