First time brake change, any advice?
12-31-2012, 11:28 AM
#21
OK - More tips:
The caliper pad replacement is pretty straight forward and easy to do. When you do them on this car, you will want to:
- Take care to lubricate every part where there is metal on metal contact. Be sure to use brake pad grease on the shoe or shoe hardware where metal parts of the pad touch metal parts of the caliper. (Like the sides of the shoe where its slides along the caliper, etc.) Any place where there is metal-to-metal contact is a potential squeal and needs grease.
- Pay close attention to the slider pins. As noted above, its best if you can get new ones as the originals will get flat-spotted and out of round. They should move freely back and forth in the caliper bracket. Best to take them out of the bracket entirely, clean them up with alcohol or brake cleaner, and then lube them liberally with grease before inserting in the bracket. Post-lube, you should notice they move much easier. This is critical for maximum braking power and the inner/outer pads wearing the same.
By all means - you should get a hold of a torque wrench and properly torque the bolts. If you don't.... the bolts can vibrate out under use and then... bad things happen. (Same goes for your lug nuts!) When you lose a wheel/brake caliper, there is no backup and these are kind of important things.
The proper torques:
Wheel Lug Nuts: 100 lb-ft (or 140 N-m)
Caliper Bracket to Car Bolts (Larger bolts): 74 lb-ft (or 100 N-m)
Caliper to Caliper Bracket Bolts (Smaller bolts): 23 lb-ft (or 31 N-m)
I also recommend red loctite on the small caliper to caliper bracket bolts. I noticed it on my bolts that came from the factory, although the GM repair manual makes no mention of its application.
The rears are the same except for the parking brake adjustment. Please advise if you can't find that procedure. Likewise, if you have problems doing the adjustment and need to rebuild and lubricate the parking brake - that's a much more difficult thing to do and probably worthy of another thread.
The caliper pad replacement is pretty straight forward and easy to do. When you do them on this car, you will want to:
- Take care to lubricate every part where there is metal on metal contact. Be sure to use brake pad grease on the shoe or shoe hardware where metal parts of the pad touch metal parts of the caliper. (Like the sides of the shoe where its slides along the caliper, etc.) Any place where there is metal-to-metal contact is a potential squeal and needs grease.
- Pay close attention to the slider pins. As noted above, its best if you can get new ones as the originals will get flat-spotted and out of round. They should move freely back and forth in the caliper bracket. Best to take them out of the bracket entirely, clean them up with alcohol or brake cleaner, and then lube them liberally with grease before inserting in the bracket. Post-lube, you should notice they move much easier. This is critical for maximum braking power and the inner/outer pads wearing the same.
By all means - you should get a hold of a torque wrench and properly torque the bolts. If you don't.... the bolts can vibrate out under use and then... bad things happen. (Same goes for your lug nuts!) When you lose a wheel/brake caliper, there is no backup and these are kind of important things.
The proper torques:Wheel Lug Nuts: 100 lb-ft (or 140 N-m)
Caliper Bracket to Car Bolts (Larger bolts): 74 lb-ft (or 100 N-m)
Caliper to Caliper Bracket Bolts (Smaller bolts): 23 lb-ft (or 31 N-m)
I also recommend red loctite on the small caliper to caliper bracket bolts. I noticed it on my bolts that came from the factory, although the GM repair manual makes no mention of its application.
The rears are the same except for the parking brake adjustment. Please advise if you can't find that procedure. Likewise, if you have problems doing the adjustment and need to rebuild and lubricate the parking brake - that's a much more difficult thing to do and probably worthy of another thread.
I bought a tourque wrench a long time ago, everyone should own one. Thank you for posting the torque specs!
Sounds like everything is pretty straightforward. I did have a question about the whole emergency brake thing. I thought that since I have a 1999 I didn't have to mess with that?
(Just in case it matters, I have a 1999, automatic, with 63K miles, and probably the original rotors...)
12-31-2012, 05:52 PM
#22
Unless you go drifting and burn up that shoe, you shouldn't have to mess with it too much. But - you DO need to adjust it if you put on new rotors. Just pray the adjuster wheel turns and isn't seized up. If it is, you'll need to disassemble it and lube it. (That's a bigger job.)
01-01-2013, 04:35 PM
#24
Unless you go drifting and burn up that shoe, you shouldn't have to mess with it too much. But - you DO need to adjust it if you put on new rotors. Just pray the adjuster wheel turns and isn't seized up. If it is, you'll need to disassemble it and lube it. (That's a bigger job.)
01-01-2013, 06:28 PM
#25
These two threads have the procedure and other good info:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...ke-01-z28.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...s-e-brake.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...ke-01-z28.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...s-e-brake.html
01-01-2013, 08:27 PM
#26
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Odd. On the 3 Fbodies I've owned, plus my current DD and my old 07 Titan, (they're all the same setup as far as brakes), getting the rears off was never an issue with the ebrake off. I have NEVER had to adjust the ebrake after swapping to new rear rotors.
Maybe I have just been getting lucky?
Maybe I have just been getting lucky?
01-01-2013, 11:21 PM
#27
Odd. On the 3 Fbodies I've owned, plus my current DD and my old 07 Titan, (they're all the same setup as far as brakes), getting the rears off was never an issue with the ebrake off. I have NEVER had to adjust the ebrake after swapping to new rear rotors.
Maybe I have just been getting lucky?
Maybe I have just been getting lucky?
01-02-2013, 10:17 PM
#28
These two threads have the procedure and other good info:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...ke-01-z28.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...s-e-brake.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...ke-01-z28.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...s-e-brake.html
This forum rocks...
Now I just wait for Autozone to ship me my stuff...
01-04-2013, 10:42 AM
#29
New, fresh hardware is always good advice. If you break one of the very brittle caliper bolts, you could end up "SOL" if it's your only means to return back to the store. I've broken a caliper bolt and, thankfully, my friend just broke his the week before during his pad/rotor change. I had a full extra set ready to go, so I had no problems.
For the rear brakes, you'll need a rubber mallet to break the rotor off the parking brake, which tends to get a little tight. Get cans upon cans of brake cleaner, and it's always a good idea for a street car to buy some brake quiet for the back of the pads to reduce any noises.
- Kevin
For the rear brakes, you'll need a rubber mallet to break the rotor off the parking brake, which tends to get a little tight. Get cans upon cans of brake cleaner, and it's always a good idea for a street car to buy some brake quiet for the back of the pads to reduce any noises.
- Kevin
01-06-2013, 04:05 PM
#30
Ok, stupid question... I have my car lifted and am just about to take off my front rotor and... I ordered a set of front and rear rotors and I don't know which is which...?? It doesn't say on the box or anything and they are both the same brand.
01-06-2013, 04:27 PM
#32
01-07-2013, 04:37 PM
#33
Got the front pads and rotors all replaced, and I made it to work alive so I must have done it right! 
I can't belive how easy it was...
Whenever I get some time I'll do the rears.
Thanks for all the help thus far guys!!
I can't belive how easy it was...Whenever I get some time I'll do the rears.
Thanks for all the help thus far guys!!
01-26-2013, 07:02 PM
#35
some times you need a big C-clamp to compress the caliper pistons.I use a mity-vac to remove all fluid from the master cylinder before a good brake bleeding.remove the master cylinder cap before compressing a caliper.