when im putting on new pads, should i resurface old rotors, or buy new ones and what is the difference between the two? also will i have to bleed or change the brake fluid because the new pads are thicker or do i just shove them in there? how hard is it to do all this? also the rotors are attached just to the wheel studs and nothing else right? or is there a spline that holds it on to a bearing or something? anything else i should know? sorry so long. thanks for any help.

 

Replacing the rotors depends on how's the condition.You dont have to bleed the brake lines since your not going to take the lines off.You just need to push the brake piston back with a C clamp so you can slide the new pads in and about the rotors they are being held by 4 bolt you might need an impact screw driver if you are going to replace it.

 

It's not really necessary to change your rotors unless you can feel deep grooves on them. One way you can tell is to just rub your finger up and down on the rotor (make sure you haven't driven the car for a couple hours). Changing brake pads is really easy. All you would have to do is take the wheel off, then use a 12mm ( i believe) to take the two screws off that are holding the caliper. Like GDR said, use a large C clamp to depress the piston back. You can use on of the old brake pads to protect the piston from the C clamp while pushing it in. Then put the new pads in, bolt everything back up and repeat for the other wheels. One thing you should remember is to make sure your e-brake is down when you're doing the rear.

 

sweet thanks, i read somewhere that it was recommend to change the rotors or get them resurfaced when changing pads. does this really do anything? or should i just change the pads and be done with it?

 

Rotors should be changed if they've reached the minimum thickness. This comes from multiple resurfacing. Grooves in a rotor can sometimes be machined out if they aren't too deep. Front minimum thickness for non ITR is 19mm front, 8 mm rear. ITR is 21 mm. If you've got relatively low miles on the rotors, say under 90k and you haven't had them resurfaced too often then you should still be able to resurface yours. The rotors are attached to the hub with 2 phillips head screws. You'll likely need an impact screw driver to get them off unless you get lucky.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mrdeadman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">... i read somewhere that it was recommend to change the rotors or get them resurfaced when changing pads. does this really do anything? or should i just change the pads and be done with it?</TD></TR></TABLE>

You should only have to resurface if you're getting a vibration on brake application, or if the rotor is grooved.

 

how grooved is grooved? mine have extremely small humps in them but nothing major.

 

bumps? As in spots where the rotor isn't flat? If so I'd say resurface them if they're thick enough.

 

they aren't super high though either but you can feel them. should i just take the entire car to the shop or just the rotors? how hard is it to get the rotors off?

 

On my DA, the front calipers are pressed in with a C-clamp, the rears are screwed in with the grove on the piston. Also remember to remove the cap on your brake fluid resevoir so that when the piston is compressed the fluid has a place to go.

The rotors might also still have the retaining screws in them.

 

I always recommend either resurfacing the rotors or replacing them. Reason is that over time, the pads and rotors become "seasoned" to each other, or worn down in a certain pattern that is matched to each other. If you put new pads on worn rotors, you will likely end up with uneven pad wear which could wear out the new pads faster than normal.

In the case of the rear rotors, the last 2 times I've replaced my rear pads, I just replaced the rotors as well, because they're only $17 each at AutoZone. To me it was worth the time savings, gas savings, and down-time savings to not have to go somewhere to get the resurfaced.

Also you can get an impact screwdriver kit from AutoZone for about $10. It comes in VERY handy for brakes and many other things, too.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Sam92Teg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">On my DA, the front calipers are pressed in with a C-clamp, the rears are screwed in with the grove on the piston. Also remember to remove the cap on your brake fluid resevoir so that when the piston is compressed the fluid has a place to go.

The rotors might also still have the retaining screws in them.</TD></TR></TABLE>

huh?!? you push your fluid back into the resevoir? instead of opening the bleeder screw?

or did i totally miss something

 

yah you missed something

Pads get thinner as they wear down, which means the piston sticks out more over time. When installing new pads you have to push the piston back into the bore, which backs up the brake fluid a little bit into the reservoir. You should always have the reservoir cap off when doing this to avoid pressure getting built up inside. Place rags around the reservoir just in case it overflows (shouldn't happen unless you're doing all 4 brakes and you don't remove any fluid from the reservoir).

 

Also just to add, its not a bad idea if your car has ABS to pinch off the brake line and push old fluid out the bleeder. The old fluid can clog up the ABS system, you don't have to but its a good idea unless you want to risk wrecking the ABS system.

 

so all i have to do is change the rotors and pads, not the fluid? but i open the reservoir cap to let out pressure as a ipush the piston back in witha cclamp or whatever. i thought that every time the brake fluid touched air it lowered the boiling point of the fluid because it absorbed water vapor. also no fluid should come out because i didn't add any to account for thinner pads. then i just close up the reservoir and then what. pump the brakes or whatever to put back in the pressure or what? also how do you know when its time for a fluid change? thanks for all the help so far! keep it comin.

 

I normally would agree with Patrick in the resurfacing/replacement of rotors for new pads when it comes to a customer's car, but over the years I've come to see that practice as an added expense with little return. It's a great practice but not absolutely necessary. Now we are talking about relatively flat, ungrooved rotors. Anything else and all bets are off.

As for when to change the brake fluid I have 2 things to say about that.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BlackLudeSi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">.... its not a bad idea if your car has ABS to pinch off the brake line and push old fluid out the bleeder.....</TD></TR></TABLE>

I would definitely recommend against pinching soft brake lines. When you pinch the rubber lines you're weakening the wall strength, especially on older lines that may already have some deterioration. Also the typical DIY'er doesn't have hose pinching pliers, so they'll likely end up putting vise grips on there or something. Not a pretty sight. Besides, the ABS system is isolated from the regular brake system unless it activates during braking.
What I do agree on is pushing the old fluid out of the bleeder instead of back up the lines into the master cylinder. What this does is gets rid of all the old nasty fluid that's been next to the piston for tens of thousands of miles, getting heated and contaminated. The only trick is not getting any air into the caliper while you do it, or making sure you bleed all the air out when you're done. If you're comfortable with that then try it out. There is no real guideline as to when to change the brake fluid. It usually is done (along with repairs) as a result of brake pedal softness, but if you're feeling frisky, go through the bleed procedure. You'll likely need a buddy's help though.

 

I gravity bled my system to perfection. It only took 7 minutes apiece for the rears and 5 minutes apiece for the fronts. Make sure you do it in the correct order tho, my 92 RS with no ABS is RR, LF, LR, RF, but some years are different according to the Helms.

This order does go against conventional wisdom of bleeding the farthest wheels to the closest wheels in order. No need for speed bleeders when gravity bleeding can be done solo in less than 25 minutes.