Help replacing brakes and rotors

[dkal]

I'm getting ready to replace my rear brakes tomorrow and I need some members expertise on the do's and don'ts.
I know I have to change the rear pads, and the rotors. Right now my driver rear brakes are grinding on the rotor, the passenger side is fine.
I did read my SHO manual and it stated that I needed to obtain a tool to turn the piston either clockwise or counter clockwise in order to install the new pads. Where can I purchase a tool of this sort?
Are the rotors easy to install? And are there other forseeable problems that are expected when replacing the brake pads on SHO's?

Thanks

<small>[ June 13, 2003, 06:15 PM: Message edited by: dkal ]</small>

 

[Shoaz]

If you have a manual or Chilton's you're most of the way there. The tool in question can be obtained several places, I got mine at Sears. It's on a Lisle label and is a little brass-colored cube that fits on the end of a 3/8" socket drive. It fits a number of different brakes, but one side fits the SHO rear caliper.

The e-brake and tool for the caliper make this a sucky job, but I don't know how to get around that. The job is easiest if you disconnect the parking brake cable at the pedal assembly under the dash. Unhooking it is easy, but when you're done reattaching it is a pain. I take a length of coat-hanger wire and hook one end on the lever actuator and the other end around the head of the cable end, pull the cable back in with the foot pedal, clamp the cable with a pair of vice grip pliers. This gives a length of cable to work with so that when you release the pedal back to slack it's pretty easy to hook back up.

A torque wrench will be helpful, too, and the caliper bolts are best secured with some red loc-tite.

Other than that it's fairly obvious what to do. Unhook the e-brake cable from the caliper, ubolt the caliper from the bracket and remove the old pads. Another length of wire can be used to support the caliper, since you should not let it hang by the hose. Putting one bolt back in the caliper to secure it once the pads are removed makes it much easier to screw the piston back in with the tool. You have to turn the thing quite a bit to get it to seat all the way back in the caliper if your old pads were well worn.

To get the old rotor off you need to remove the caliper bracket, which is held to the upright with two bolts. The rotor should come off easily once the bracket is removed. With the new rotor on the bracket can be replaced and the bolts re-torqued.

Reassembly from there is straightforward, but I would recommend a little loctite on the caliper bolts. Make sure the slider pins move freely as well and the boots are intact before putting everything back together.

If you live in a bad-weather area dirt and corrosion can make this job fairly nasty and you won't know until you get in there.

Best of luck with this.

 

[projectSHO89]

Couple of points:

1) Forget the cube! It will **** you off. Buy the "disk" shaped tool. It is made by K-D Tools part number 3055 and is available from NAPA and most parts stores that cater to the professional for $10-12. I have not seen it at AutoZone and Sears does not carry it.

2) While you're at NAPA, pick up a tube of SylGlide. It's a small tube of silicon-based lubricant that is perfect for the caliper slide pins and a number of different applications.

3) If the SHO gods are smiling on you, you won't need to disconnect the e-brake cable to replace pads and rotors. If you do, just grab the large ferrule on the end of the cable in vice grips and pull slack out until it unhooks. No need to unhook anything anywhere else if you're lucky. Check the cables for smooth movement if they are disconnected. Replace them if needed.

4) If your car has ABS, unscrew the bleeder screws while turning the caliper piston back in (clockwise). The fluid that is displaced by the piston has to go somewhere as the piston is driven back home, you don't want to force it back through the ABS system.

5) Bleed the brakes when everything is back together. Make certain that the bias proportioning valve is not cutting off flow to the rear brakes. You can do this by raising the rear passenger knuckle/control arm if the car is supported under the frame on stands. A large ty-wrap around the arm and the valve will also hold the valve in the proper position for bleeding.

Steve

 

[LaTechSHO]

projectSHO89:

1) Forget the cube! It will **** you off. Buy the "disk" shaped tool. It is made by K-D Tools part number 3055 and is available from NAPA and most parts stores that cater to the professional for $10-12. I have not seen it at AutoZone and Sears does not carry it.

Absolutely correct on not bothering with the cube... it isn't for that style caliper however i think the part number is 3355 which you can look at here The reason you can get it at napa is because KD makes there tools..... another interesting point is that Danahar Tool Company makes KD tools, and is also the company that makes Craftsman hand tools.... that being the case it is interesting that you couldn't get that part at Sears, though absolutely believeable... the KD tools i have look to be of much better quality and construction than the craftsman tools my old roommate had, which leads me to believe KD is probably Danahar's top brand (unless i'm just hallucinating and they are the same tools )


Louis

 

[Shoaz]

My experience differs, FWIW. I started out with the round tool (shown in the bottom of the previously referenced link), which I had to rework twice, and even once I matched the nibs to the piston slots it didn't work very well. I got the cube at Sears and haven't had any trouble since with the tool fit. IMHO the difficulties are just from this being a nasty way to reset an adjustable caliper, not with any inadequacy of the cube tool.

A couple of steps that I think haven't been mentioned yet:

Once the piston is nearly reset with whatever tool you wind up using, make sure the slots in the caliper piston line up with the nib locations on the new pads. The lock between the two with the nib fitting in the slot is important for the adjuster to be able to work.

After everything is back together and the e-brake hooked up again, apply and release the e-brake several times. This will adjust the pads out against the rotors.

Again, best of luck with this.

 

[dkal]

I haven't attempted to do the brake job as of today. I have to work the weekend so I plan on the job on Monday.
Thanks everyone for the tips, this is the first time I have worked on my SHO since I bought the car. I had Erik of Shomassters tune my SHO up and a Muffler shop install my PP y-pipe and catback system.
I guess it time for me to get out my rusty ole toolbox and spend some quality time with my ShO.

Thanks again!

 

[LaTechSHO]

i know the calipers changed in later year SHO's with solid discs vs. vented discs..... but I have changed many a brake pad on rear disc systems and the cube didn't have the right spacing between the notches on any of the six sides for it to work properly on my 1990 SHO with vented discs.... perhaps things differ on the later model cars... I don't know, but the only thing that fit properly and snugly on my car was the KD 3355...i tried the cube, because i already had it... worked great on a couple of other cars i had worked on. But on the T-Bird i had as well as the SHO the 3355 was the only one to work..... I wish you well with your brake job

Louis

 

[Shoaz]

i know the calipers changed in later year SHO's with solid discs vs. vented discs..... but I have changed many a brake pad on rear disc systems and the cube didn't have the right spacing between the notches on any of the six sides for it to work properly on my 1990 SHO with vented discs.... perhaps things differ on the later model cars... I don't know, but the only thing that fit properly and snugly on my car was the KD 3355...i tried the cube, because i already had it... worked great on a couple of other cars i had worked on. But on the T-Bird i had as well as the SHO the 3355 was the only one to work..... I wish you well with your brake job

Could be, mine's a 95 with solid rotors and the cube works well for me. This suggests that the calipers are different as well, which wouldn't surprise me (the front calipers are very different from Gen I to Gen II).

 

[dkal]

[/QUOTE]Could be, mine's a 95 with solid rotors and the cube works well for me. This suggests that the calipers are different as well, which wouldn't surprise me (the front calipers are very different from Gen I to Gen II). [/QB][/QUOTE]

I forgot to mention I have a 95 SHOMTX, I too have solid rotors.
Good point Shoaz, didn't think to mention of model year of my car since I assume the brake designs were the same.
Thanks

 

[LaTechSHO]

pads are different..... rotors are different... calipers are different.... perhaps that explains the difference in opinions...

Louis

 

[dkal]

Finally replaced the rear disc brakes and the rotors on my 95MTX, encountered some problems, the condition of the rear brakes have been like this since I bought the car several years ago:

1) Replaced the left rear brakes and rotors with no problems, started the right rear and discovered the locater pins were either welded or rusted to the disc support bracket cuss . I sprayed some WD40 on them and attached a vise grip to them and couldn't move them.
I decided to go ahead and start putting everything back together since it was getting late. I had a difficult time trying to align the locating pins and the disc support bracket, which made bolting the caliper to the support bracket difficult.

2) When I did try to assemble the caliper to the disc support bracket I noticed that the disc support bracket was contacting the top edge of the rotor. Since it was getting late I needed to get the car on the road since I have to work tomorrow. If the locating pins were welded to the disc support bracket not allowing them to slide will that prevent the brakes from working properly?

3). I drove the vehicle home and noticed that the right rear brakes were smoking a bit. I believe its from the rotor contacting the disc support bracket. I priced the disc support bracket and locating pins and will pick them up tomorrow. The left side brakes were working just fine

I would appreciate some input headbang I don't quite know what to do

Dkal

 

[Shoaz]

Eep!

I'm not sure I completely understand your description, but the caliper bracket shouldn't be touching the rotor unless the bracket is bent or improperly attached to the spindle.

You do have the option of getting a replacement caliper bracket that has fresh pins, etc., and isn't bent. I'd confirm that yours is bent or otherwise hosed first.

If you do get the thing straightened out, be sure to put some compatible silicone grease on the slider pins. You can get brake compatible (i.e., high-temperature) silicone grease at most automotive supply places, like Pep Boys, etc.

In any case try not to drive it any more than absolutely necessary with it like that. You may be doing some expensive damage.

Glad to got the first one done easily, though.

Cheers.

 

[LaTechSHO]

my advice (things being as they are) would be to purchase a loaded caliper for that side... it should come with the bracket and everything... have your rotor turned or replaced and bolt that new caliperw/bracket up and call it done... no more hassle


Louis

 

[dkal]

Shoaz:
Eep!

I'm not sure I completely understand your description, but the caliper bracket shouldn't be touching the rotor unless the bracket is bent or improperly attached to the spindle.

You do have the option of getting a replacement caliper bracket that has fresh pins, etc., and isn't bent. I'd confirm that yours is bent or otherwise hosed first.

Glad to got the first one done easily, though.

Cheers.

After positioning the new rotor onto the spindle shaft, I bolted the caliper bracket to brake adapter plate with the 2 bolts. I noticed the rotor wasn't centered between the cutout in the caliper bracket. Something is bent, maybe its the caliper bracket or maybe its the brake caliper isn't sittng properly due to the locating pins unable to slide back and forth?

By the way the cube worked fine, was kinda worried that it wouldn't work because it was kinda slipping off the notches on the piston thumb

LaTechSHO:


my advice (things being as they are) would be to purchase a loaded caliper for that side... it should come with the bracket and everything... have your rotor turned or replaced and bolt that new caliperw/bracket up and call it done... no more hassle

I might go that route, I already priced the caliper bracket and the pins, and also the caliper. I know there is a serious problem here. However I didn't know the problem existed until I started the job. I did have a feeling that something wasn't quite right in the rear after I purchased the car in 1998.
And yes, I have been driving the car like that since.
I also purchased a set off Wheel Hub bearing assemblies. I wonder what a nightmare of a job will that be, I haven't installed them yet.

Thanks everyone for your help!! thumb
Will post my findings after I get this problem solved.

I do have another question in my manual it lists the calipers and the caliper bracket as LH and RH.
When I go to AutoZone to get a price they say the parts are interchangeable and can be used on either side.
Is that correct?

 

[dkal]

Follow up from the previous post. I purchased a new caliper support bracket with locating pins. Also Autozone exchanged the worn rotor with a new one, and said the brake pads I had bought had a lifetime warranty and I can bring them back and them will exchange them also.
Put everything back together and my SHO is back!!
Thanks again everyone for your expertise and great advice!

 

[Shoaz]

Cool! Glad to hear you're back on the road.

Any post-mortem analysis on the bent bracket?

 

[dkal]

Shoaz:
Cool! Glad to hear you're back on the road.

Any post-mortem analysis on the bent bracket?

My bad it wasn't a bent bracket as I suspected.
I installed the new rear brakes and rotors with the caliper pins welded in the extended position.
Which resulted in the outboard pad being pressed hard against the rotor and the inboard pad floating in the caliper bracket.
After driving it like that for about I'd say 15 miles the brakes were smoking a bit, and the their was a loud scraping noise.
Taking you guys advice I needed to resolve this right away!

Thanks everyone