mk's78

An appeal to any Forum Member who has brake system knowledge...

Can the front brake pads be replaced without having to remove the calipers from the rotors? And if so how is it done?


mk's78

Mike

CA-Legal-Vette

Yes and pretty easily. Remove the tire and pull the pin on the top of the caliper. Loosen the master cylinder cover and make sure that the reservoir isn't already full. Slide the old pads out one at a time. You'll have to compress the two pistons simultaneously. Once the pistons are compressed, slide the new pad in. Repeat with the other pad and replace the retaining pin and clip.

Easy

CA-Legal-Vette

I'll add one trick to the above. I like to use a pry bar or large screwdriver on the old brake pad to compress the pistons simultaneously. This is probably the trickiest part as compressing one of the pistons will tend to make the other one pop out.

Jud Chapin

There is a cheap tool available to hold the pistons in simultaneously while installing the pads. Check the FOR Sale forum, Ebay, etc., if interested.

Easy Mike

Crack the bleeder just a tad to be able to push the pads away from the rotor.

mk's78

What a clusterXXXX, I got one pad in on the d/s and hit a stone wall on the inner pad....no dice...just could not sync the pistons with enough clearance to insert the pad???? I guess I was just lucky with the outer....My ? is..where is the bleeder located to be cracked??

I am not sure about that process because i don't want anther cluster ff...and have to bleed the system...

Again, EM thanks for your help and patience..Mike

71 Green 454

You can't miss it, it's right there on the caliper.

mk's78

Ok I found the location from a caliper photo from Wilcox.....How much do you crack it open and if I do both one after the other will the system need bleeding???

Hey Green 454.....thanks and would you suggest four hands instead of just two???

Mike

71 Green 454

If you don't want to mess with the bleeder screw then re-read post #2. Make sure the reservoir isn't full, push the pistons in and install the pad.
If you have a wide putty knife, put it in between the pad and the pistons when installing the pad. C3 pads are the easiest pads to install.

mk's78

Hey there Green 454,

Well 1st let me say thanks for all of your advice and tips etc...My son and I finally got All 4 ceramic pads in and on the 1st test drive they were quiet..as no rattles or squealing..However, the brake pedal goes to the floor but it will stop if I pump the brakes a little....We did not have to crack any caliper bleeders and the reservoir is full....no leaks at the calipers and now I am really needing to know how to restore the pedal pressure without having to take it to a local shop....Note that I have no experience bleeding any type of brake system..Would probably only make it worse if I would even try to do it....

Hmmmm here I go again needing help...OR is it possible that we did something incorrect????

mk's78 Mike

mk's78

Hello Forum Members,

I just downloaded a How To: bleed your brakes paper and it seems pretty straight forward..however:..Just a couple of items that seem a little unclear...What is the bleeding sequence for the calipers for a 78 coupe?

I just replaced my two front sets of pads and had my vette person do the bleeding....No probs at this point....But in case I want to try it in the future I'd like to know the ins and outs..He says most calipers tend to leak at any given future time....

One thing I could not find when my son and I did the front pads and that was the bleeder screws....I even posted a thread with the place to look for them and all we could find was a rubber line going into the top rear of the caliper.....I could use any and all help to locate the mysterious bleeder screws and any other tips that might help...

mk's 78 Mike

71 Green 454

I always start at the furthest wheel and I use a mighty vac. It puts a vacuum on the bleeding hose, then I open the screw to let the fluid pass. Always remember to keep the reservoir full.

I also use this method when changing brake fluid. Others might prefer gravity bleeding or pressure bleeding at the master cylinder.

Do you see the bleed screws on the right side in the photo below?

7T1vette

Rather than forcing 'old' brake fluid back into the lines and M/C, crack the bleeder valve when pushing the pistons back into the caliper, making sure that you tighten the bleeder just BEFORE they are fully back in place. This will bleed out old [contaminated] brake fluid, since your M/C will already be full (if you've checked and filled it with some regularity).