Rear brakes question

[plethaus]

OK, so I had to take a half day off from work to fix the brakes on my car (grrrr).

The left rear rotor has "hot spots" all over it and it's making a nasty grinding sound when rolling, so I'm assuming the pads and rotor need to be replaced.

My question is, when I bought the car the P.O. told me something about the rear brakes being from a Lincoln Mark VIII. Is this even possible? I know the front brakes are commonly upgraded with those components, but I haven't heard anything about the rear ones.

If it IS possible can anyone think of an easy way to identify for sure what brakes are on the rear of my car? (keep in mind they're coated in 2 winters of Wisconsin rust... ) I guess I could just take home pads and rotor for both cars and see which one works.

 

[93rev2sev]

Take your pads and rotor to the autoparts store?







Unless of course, you need the car to get there...

 

[K-Dawg]

Take a picture and ask us?

 

[plethaus]

Well it turned out to be just regular SHO brakes.

When I popped the caliper off, the inside pad had NO material left (it was just riding on the metal bracket of the pad itself ) and the rotor was gouged seriously bad.

I popped the new rotor on but I had trouble getting the caliper to go back on with two new pads. The two new pads fit just fine INSIDE the caliper, but when I tried to the pads on the caliper bracket, then slide the caliper down over them, the brake pads were too thick to allow the caliper enough room to bolt back up to the bracket (probably about 1/4" too thick). This would seem to be caused solely by the thickness of the outside pad because I could see there was plenty of room between the piston, the rotor, and the inside pad.

This seems wrong to me for obvious reasons - I should be able to fit 2 new pads in there without problems.

I was able to fit in one old pad (the one good one which had plenty of wear left in it) with one new pad but that's a band aid fix. Why won't my caliper fit with new ones?

 

[93rev2sev]

You need to recompress the caliper(and probably free up the slider pins).

Search "cube of death"

 

[plethaus]

I already used the specific tool from Autozone (the actual kit they have, not the "cube of death") to compress the piston in. Like I said I have plenty of room on the piston and inner pad side of the caliper. I don't know much about brakes yet (this is only my 2nd or 3rd time doing them) but it seems like the caliper pins (the part that the caliper bolts to with 2 small-ish bolts) need to be adjusted somehow (they have rubber boots so look like they're meant to come in or out).

I tried using a wrench to turn the bolt head right by the rubber boot but it didn't seem to do much and I didn't want to risk tearing that boot.

 

[93rev2sev]

You need to get those caliper pins out, cleaned up and greased. The whole caliper sides in and out on those pins as the rotor/pads wear. When the pins get stuck, your pads won't wear evenly...which you described earlier...I think...

You will need to remove the caliper bracket, take it to the bench and heat the snot out of it. Then, you will need to put the caliper pin bolts back in and stick the head of the bolt in a vise. Use the bracket as leverage and twist, pull the caliper off of the pin.

BE CAREFUL!
since the pin is frozen, there is undoubtedly WATER MOISTURE in the pin hole. Heating it up will cause that moisture to expand and perhaps shoot the pin out at dangerous velocity.


Edit...you might as well get a couple of hardware kits since the rubber boot WILL be melted by the end of the heating...

Edit Edit...freeing up those pins(at least on gen1/2) can be a real biscuit. If you need to, be prepared to buy new caliper brackets and hardware kits.

 

[plethaus]

Thanks You are right and now that I understand how it works, that is for sure the problem (and why the old pads didn't wear properly). I'll probably just go buy a new bracket - the stuff that's on there now is so crusty I have no doubt that it would be futile trying to "rebuild" it.

 

[93rev2sev]

Well, good luck finding "new" brackets.

I would spent a good 20 minutes per side with heat and a vise or a pipe wrench or something...I've seen some pretty nasty pins and I've only had to replace the bracket once...the first time...I had no heat and no vise. I could get it to start to spin but it would not come out with the lack of tools I had on hand.

 

[plethaus]

OK, I have a question about getting the pins "unstuck". I'm assuming I have to take out the little bolts at the end of the pins that hold the caliper in, then attempt to loosen the bolt head of the pins like any normal bolt? And if it gives me grief trying to loosen I need to use typical methods like heat and crazy leverage?

Just asking before I make an attempt at it tonight after work.

 

[93rev2sev]

4 minutes...not bad...

Remove the pin bolts and the bracket will come off. They have a bigger than normal heads (14mm?) so leverage should be easy. Also, they're kind of a fine thread and SHOULD be loc-tited (blue) So once you pop the rachet with a hammer a couple of times, they should come right out.

Once you have the bracket in the bench vise, drive the pins in with a hammer, heat em up and twist while pulling.

I've also stuck the head of the pin in the vise and tapped the bracket off...you'll get it.

 

[plethaus]

Thanks for the help