I have that one or an identical one.
if you use a brake caliper bracket file it wont remove metal from the bracket. Its really good at getting crust out of the corners of the square slot.
I spent about 1.5 hours JUST TO inserting brake pads into a brand new caliper. Do I need to redo it again? A few queries.
- Thread starter lizpat
- Start date
@lizpat it's not you. I used to change the pads on my old Honda and Mercury and Isuzu and it was a piece of cake. I remember one pad had a thing on it that slid into the caliper. So easy for the inner pads. I changed the pads on my old RAV4 and it was so difficult to get the pads into the brackets. They just wouldn't fit properly. Too tight, too loose and fall out. Shims that seem to have no purpose. Took me hours to get them in. After that, I vowed never again.
If you're a visual learner, look up South Main Auto on YouTube and browse through a couple of his brake jobs. He is in NY and usually goes over very well the cleaning of the pad brackets and making sure everything is put back together properly.
Real shops use a sand/media blaster on the bracket.
Us DIY people normally don't have that luxury, i normally wire wheel the best i can. Sometimes its not enough.
I know the Duralast Gold pads normally have so much overspray on the ears that it makes it an issue But you have the element 3 pads. Ive done a few installs with those and don't think i ran into much of an issue. But you do need to file things down. The older the car the more likely the bracket is really bad.
Us DIY people normally don't have that luxury, i normally wire wheel the best i can. Sometimes its not enough.
I know the Duralast Gold pads normally have so much overspray on the ears that it makes it an issue But you have the element 3 pads. Ive done a few installs with those and don't think i ran into much of an issue. But you do need to file things down. The older the car the more likely the bracket is really bad.
Not very encouraging words . Doing Brake work isnt exactly easy, especially when dealing with rust . The last Brake job I did was frustrating because it was the first time I worked on calipers with an e-brake . Winding up the piston was a real pain and I ended up tearing the boot . I even wrote down instructions with socket and wrench sizes to make it easier next time .
just did them on my 18 f150, took me a couple hours taking my time. very easy, only thing to note was the electric parking brake. put it into service mode and the rest was just like you would expect. I used motocraft parts though, so everything fit like a glove. probably could have done it for half the price with autozone brakes but didnt want half the life or all the dust of cheap brakes.
That is why I only buy OEM, Nissin, Advics, or Akebono Pads.
I agree with everything you said except getting lube on friction surfaces.
I am extremely careful not to get any lube on friction surfaces.
Sorry, I should have been clearer. I meant that I have never accidentally got lube on the friction surfaces. It’s easy to control the lube and not get it all over the place with the brush in a can brake lube. I don’t use the packets.
Thanks for this tip!
If the work is beyond one's skill level, seriously think about whether someone should be messing with them. Mess up a brake job and you potentially put other people's life and health at risk. Mess up an oil change, oil dumps out 'cause the drain plug wasn't tight enough, it's an expensive lesson but unlikely to hurt anyone.
The only place I ever heard of having to "fit" pads to a caliper. I don't think anyone ever does this.
This is from the FSM for the Camaro; I'm pretty sure this applies to all other car lines that use these calipers.
This is from the FSM for the Camaro; I'm pretty sure this applies to all other car lines that use these calipers.
Oh ..... so there's no learning curve when it comes to replacing brakes . You cant go thru life worrying about everything .
Have someone help or watch over your shoulder. Some people think they can just watch a YT video and do anything.... There's plenty of work I look at and say, "nope, not messing with it".
I find that I often have to file the pad ears, even after removing the rust on the caliper bracket. It is best to remove the bracket, then filing it is easier. But usually a light bit of file work gets what is needed.
First time I do any job, it takes forever. Learning curve.
First time I do any job, it takes forever. Learning curve.
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2022
- Messages
- 115
I live in the rust belt. When I do brake work, I have to do a lot of cleaning of parts. Where the shims fit into the caliper bracket, I clean down to bare metal. I use a die grinder with a pointed tip to clean the corners. I run the grinder at low speed so I don’t gouge the metal. I pull the slide pins to make sure they have enough lube and there’s no rust on the pins or in the bore. If they’re rusty, I have stainless steel brushes I use to clean the bore and I roll up fine sandpaper to remove the rust. I coat the pins with brake grease and insert. I only use OEM parts because I have problems with aftermarket rotors rusting and pitting after only a year in service. That’s what I do and it seems to work well for me. I’m not a professional mechanic, but I try to do my best at anything I do.
This was my last brake job in Canada. Yeah I do not miss rust.
The caliper looks nasty, but it was original and worked perfectly fine. I actually painted it silver years before, which you can still see some of it, otherwise it would probably be a lot more rusty.
But if you take your time they clean up nicely. It's just a lump of cast iron after all. As long as the piston seals and sliding pins are in good shape, they will work fine despite appearances.
The caliper looks nasty, but it was original and worked perfectly fine. I actually painted it silver years before, which you can still see some of it, otherwise it would probably be a lot more rusty.
But if you take your time they clean up nicely. It's just a lump of cast iron after all. As long as the piston seals and sliding pins are in good shape, they will work fine despite appearances.
I'm encouraging him to be safe and do the right thing.
You can always find a reason NOT to do something. I saw on the news where a guy died on a walk. He just fell over and broke a vertebrae. Thus I have concluded it is not safe to walk, much less go outside.
If every one of us in our lives chose not to act every time seemed something complicated or remotely dangerous, we'd never do anything.
OP, you learned a ton. If the vehicle drives and stops fine, you're almost surely ok.
Post detailed pics if you want someone looking over your shoulder. Ignore the you'll-kill-a-bus-load-of-nuns crowd. You'll never learn and advance if you don't try.
Listen to Incubus "Drive" during your next DIY project. It's all too familiar to let fear take the wheel and steer......
If every one of us in our lives chose not to act every time seemed something complicated or remotely dangerous, we'd never do anything.
OP, you learned a ton. If the vehicle drives and stops fine, you're almost surely ok.
Post detailed pics if you want someone looking over your shoulder. Ignore the you'll-kill-a-bus-load-of-nuns crowd. You'll never learn and advance if you don't try.
Listen to Incubus "Drive" during your next DIY project. It's all too familiar to let fear take the wheel and steer......
We all have to start the learning process somewhere. If we stopped the first time we screwed something up, we would still be in the stone age.
Similar threads
