Brake tool needed for front brakes?

[lothos]

I was talking with some people about doing my brakes, and they mentioned a special brake tool needed to change the brakes. I tried searching on the forum, and it looks like it's a tool for either the calipers or pistons on the rear brakes, is that correct?

 

Is the tool needed to do the front brakes?

 

Also, still looking for some help with doing the front brakes, if anyone local is willing to help me with them!

[cutlsp]

you mainly need to tool for the rear brake calipers the front ones you can press in by leaving your old pad in place and use a c-clamp to compress the pistons.

[intern8tion9l]

i've never used a gm "special tool" for anything i've ever done on my car

[DOHCRagtopguy]

For the front calipers a 'c' clamp works fine to push them back. For the rears, they need to be rotated at the same time they are compressed. There is a tool for that, if absolutely necessary.

 

Lately, I've been saying the hell with it and buying 'loaded' rear calipers when I do the back brakes. I don't mind paying the extra buck so I don't deal with the aggravation. Probably because I'm an old head and don't have the patience I used to.

[5speedz34]

You need a T60 torx bit for the front caliper bolts.

[DiscoStudd]

You'll want to siphon off some brake fluid out of your master cylinder before you compress the piston(s) when you change the pads.

 

I bought a cheap "pad spreader" tool that inserts into the caliper and forces the piston (pistons on our cars) back into the bore. Wasn't more than 10 bucks at Checker. It only works on the front calipers, though.

 

Front pad replacement is hella simple. It shouldn't take you more than a half-hour per side. If you're only replacing the pads, you won't even need to remove the caliper mounting bracket (the one that uses the previously mentioned Torx T60 bit.)

After you siphon off the brake fluid:

1.) Pop off the 2 "slider" bolts that hold the caliper to the caliper mounting bracket.

2.) Lift the caliper off of the rotor

3.) Pop off the outboard pad

4.) Compress the pistons with the inner pad still attached until the pistons bottom out

5.) Remove the inner pad

6.) Spray off the caliper with aerosol brake cleaner, especially around the piston/boot area

7.) Install the new pads

8.) Scuff the surface of the rotor (both sides) with some 80 or 120 grit sandpaper

9.) Spray off the rotor with brake cleaner (to remove the sanding dust)

10.) Place the caliper back onto the rotor

11.) Lube up the slider bolts and reinstal

 

Rinse, lather, and repeat for the other side.

 

I also like to grease my balljoints and tierod ends while I'm in there with the wheel removed. Also do yourself a favor and coat the lug studs and the face of the rotor hat (where the wheel contacts the rotor) with anti-sieze.

 

After you get the new pads on, be sure you "bed" them properly. You'll need to find an area without much traffic (so you don't arise suspicion) and get the car up to 40mph, then brake hard 'till you're down to 10mph (don't lock 'em up, just brake firmly.) Get 'er back up to 40, brake hard down to 10 again after 15 seconds or so. Repeat again a dozen times...

[lothos]

You'll want to siphon off some brake fluid out of your master cylinder before you compress the piston(s) when you change the pads.

 

 

Didn't do this step. When I moved the car afterwords, I noticed a fluid on the ground. Not a lot, just a little splash. It was a liquidy, almost water like substance, clear with a little amber/yellow tint. Now that I read this, I went out and checked my car and it looks like some brake fluid came out of the resevoir. At first I thought it was from his floor jack, since it busted. Tried using his first, since it raised the car higher, but we ended up using my acdelco floor jack.

 

Is this bad? Did I ruin the resevoir or master cylinder or anything?

 

I did "bed" the brakes when we were done, we used some anti-squeel (sp) orange plasticy thing on the back of the pads, we did the greese on the caliper bolts and some anti-seize on the threads. Didn't sand the rotors tho. I'll have to keep that in mind for next time. He seemed like he knew what he was doing, he works on his ricer Eclipse a lot. He owed me a favor, since I work on his computer. I'm pretty expert at computers, but I feel like such a fucking idiot when it comes to car mechanics.

 

EDIT: I found out elsewhere that this is pretty normal. If that's not the case, please let me know! THanks!

[DiscoStudd]

So did you remove the cover from the MC at all? Wasn't it difficult to compress the pistons? I would worry about your rubber brake hoses bursting more than there being damage to the master cylinder...

[Guest TurboSedan]

it's probably ok. it's probably easier for the fluid to push past the master cylinder cover than to damage an internal seal (just a guess). just try to remove the excess fluid in the reservoir to get it back down to the full mark.

[lothos]

There aren't any fluids leaking, and the MC appears to be at the correct level. Looks like everything's fine. I'll have to remember that for next time. You live and learn, right?