It will be my first time changing brake pads myself. Ive watched a handful of youtube videos and read the haynes manual how to. Dont think it should be too hard, any advice?

 

Also found this great how to article, from corvette fever

http://www.mamotorworks.com/PressRel...brakes0806.pdf

 

Not tough at all... straightforward. About 45 minutes a wheel. Use a large "C" clamp to depress the pistons. Bleed system real good when finished.

I'm on my second set....180,000 miles.

 

The brakes lines were bled about 1 yr ago when I replaced the master cyl, do you think they should be again. Or can I wait another year or 2, there is no spongey feeling in them currently.

 

You're talking about 'replacing' the fluid. Bleeding is required when you remove/replace a hose, but usually not required when just changing pads. Bleeding is required to get the air out of the lines. Bleeding is not usually required when just replacing pads if you do it like this

Do not open master cylinder brake cap. When compressing the calipers back (you will be using a large C clamp to open the pistons further since the new pads are thicker than the old), apply the C clamp pressure SLOWLY, until they are completely open. Install pads, slide caliper back on. Start car and press (not pump) brakes once, then let go, then a 2nd time. Repeat until brake pedal feels normal, although usually after the 2nd press, the brakes are right back where they were since you did not introduce any air in the line. (Press the brake once before starting just to note how far your foot went down).

This is a very easy way to do this, done it a hundred times and never had to bleed any brakes.

 

Thanks

 

but you also need watch that the fluid in the reservoir does not get too close to the top. If there was too much fluid to start with, you may have to remove some to avoid spillage.

Make sure you wipe down your rotors with brake cleaner to remove any traces of oil off your skin.

 

What pads did you decide on?

 

I did my first solo brake job when I was 11 years old. It's that easy.

No, I'm not kidding.

 

If new pads do not come with silencer pads, apply a thin coat of silencer material to the rear of each pad (available at auto parts stores).

Apply some brake lube to the caliper slides and to the retainer rod; new C-clips for said rod wouldn't be a bad idea either.

 

Brake pads are one of the things that anyone can do. Rather than using a C-Clamp, spend the ten dollars at O'Reilly and get a K-D tools pad spreader. It is worth it. Use the old pad as a spacer on the piston and crank it in flush. Brake pad replacement is a truly simple process that can be done in as little as eight minutes a side if things go smoothly.

A good set of pads (NOT what I run on my DD Kia), will be tapered and chamfered like the factory pads and will include any shims that are required to maintain a quiet, firm braking experience. When customers at the shop buy cheap pads, I shake my head when the parts guy drops them off, but I will install them all the same.

Are you changing pads due to sound, feel or wear? If it is due to sound, check your rotors and if they need replacing, it is worth the few extra dollars to get a good quality new rotor as opposed to having your old ones turned or getting cheap ones. If you are changing due to perceived wear, examine the wear pattern of the pads. This can tell you what your calipers are doing. The C4 has dual piston calipers and if one of them is hanging up causing uneven wear from side to side on the pads, a caliper rebuild might be in order (a major pain in the rear end, just replace the caliper).

Just yesterday, I had a car in the shop with dual piston front calipers where ONE piston was hanging up necessitating a new caliper be installed. Rather than get the new caliper, they opted for the reman part, which I do not recommend.

Anywho, what I am trying to say is that if you have any questions or observations during the process, take pictures of what you have and post them up. Someone here will know exactly what is going on.

 

changed mine yesterday morn. took about 8 or 9 min. a side for the fronts. didn't need to change the rears.

 

Did the powerwheels monster trucks have brakes?

 

jeez you guys like to complicate things

 

This isn't rocket surgery.

 

try a rear hub bearing-now thats funnnnnnnnnnnnn!

 

Or the number 8 plug on the Lt1/4 just for fun.

 

or brain science for that matter.

The hardest thing about changing brake pads is taking the wheel off. And a C clamp works fine for compressing the piston back into the bore.

 

 

Personally, I'd open the cap. Otherwise pressure builds in the master when you push fluid back in. It's easier to compress the pistons with the cap open.

It also makes it easier to keep an eye on the fluid level, as it may overflow when doing all the pads if it was ever topped off with worn pads.