96 CS sedan brakes.

[Imp558]

It may have been another car but I remember breaking my torx socket the first time I did the pads and falling back to my small pipe wrench to take them out.

[jiggity76]

6 minutes ago, Imp558 said:

It may have been another car but I remember breaking my torx socket the first time I did the pads and falling back to my small pipe wrench to take them out.

My buddy has a pipe wrench lovingly called "The Persuader"  if we need to use it!

[snippits]

1 hour ago, jiggity76 said:

Great info, thanks so much.  I believe I have a T60 and I definitely know my buddy has one.  I'll check out RockAuto for the rubber boots, I use them a lot and they're prices are pretty good.  I'll look at my car but in what general area is that parking brake nut? 

On my 92,  it's in front of the rear left tire on the under body.  Look up underneath at the driver's side passenger door on a sedan. You will see it if it's the same as mine.

I held the threaded rod with a 5 mm wrench, and then turned the adjusting nut with another wrench.  

 

Edited November 29, 2018 by snippits

[jiggity76]

1 minute ago, snippits said:

On my 92,  it's in front of the rear left tire on the under body.  You will see it if it's the same as mine.

I held the threaded rod with a 5 mm wrench, and then turned the adjusting nut with another wrench.  

 

Ok, thank you.  This is my first W body brake job so I'm not sure what to expect.

[snippits]

One other thing I forgot to mention.

My front calipers have double pistons. 

I clamped the flexible brake hose, and then opened the bleeder valve.  I have a Lisle 24400 disc brake pad spreader.  I left the old inboard pad installed, and then used the tool to push the pistons back in.  Even though I had the tool centered over the double pistons, both pistons would not go in evenly at the same time.   I re-positioned the tool over the center of each piston only going in a little bit each time switching back and forth until they fully seated.  Don't push one piston in all the way because the other piston might pop out.

Edited November 29, 2018 by snippits

[jiggity76]

14 minutes ago, snippits said:

One other thing I forgot to mention.

My front calipers have double pistons. 

I clamped the flexible brake hose, and then opened the bleeder valve.  I have a Lisle 24400 disc brake pad spreader.  I left the old inboard pad installed, and then used the tool to push the pistons back in.  Even though I had the tool centered over the double pistons, both pistons would not go in evenly at the same time.   I re-positioned the tool over the center of each piston only going in a little bit each time switching back and forth until they fully seated.  Don't push one piston in all the way because the other piston might pop out.

Oh that would have not been good, thanks a million!  I don't know what I have up front, I was just going to use a C clamp on the old pad and push it back in.  Ok, I will pay attention to that as well.  If I have twin pistons, I'll switch back and forth.  I'm impressed that GM put twin pistons up front!

[55trucker]

2 hours ago, jiggity76 said:

 I'll look at my car but in what general area is that parking brake nut? 

It's under the drivers seat, next to the floorpan pinch weld.....

[jiggity76]

4 minutes ago, 55trucker said:

It's under the drivers seat, next to the floorpan pinch weld.....

Thanks Steve!  Hey, do you know if any of the sedans had the lighted key ring option?  I know the GP and International coupes have em.

[55trucker]

The RPO code for that option is TR9 (lamp group) courtesy lighting,

the GTP's got it my GT has it, the STE's also got it, it was an option on the SE models. 

[jiggity76]

47 minutes ago, 55trucker said:

The RPO code for that option is TR9 (lamp group) courtesy lighting,

the GTP's got it my GT has it, the STE's also got it, it was an option on the SE models. 

I just looked at my STE RPO list, not listed so mine doesn't have this option.  Thanks Steve.

It is listed on the International's RPO list, so it originally had it.  Cool!

Edited November 30, 2018 by jiggity76

[Schurkey]

The nice thing about the much-unloved first-gen rear calipers is that you don't need any stinkin' special tool or "cube" to push the rear pistons in.  DISCONNECT the lever on the back side of the caliper, push the pistons in with a C-clamp (I use a C-clamp style Vice-Grip.)  Then reinstall the lever, washer, and nut.  The threaded rod spins instead of the caliper piston.

Never dicked with the newer-style rear calipers, so I don't know if you can do something similar with them.

As already said, don't push old fluid backwards through the system.  Pinch off the rubber hose, open the bleeder valve, remove the old fluid.  The fluid at the caliper is typically the most-polluted stuff in the whole system.

There's no point to doing a rear brake job and then not performing whatever steps it takes to adjust the rear brakes.  On the first-gens, you need to activate the park brake to adjust the rear calipers.  I don't know about the newer design(s).

I wouldn't get too worried about "penetrating oil" on the Torx-head caliper bolts up front.  Just muscle 'em out, 'cause if they're seized, the penetrating oil is unlikely to help, and if they're not seized, the penetrating oil is unlikely to help.  Once removed, I've heated the bigass sleeve with a torch to free it, tried to work some anti-sieze between it and the bolt (tough to do) and then hope for the best.

[vipmiller803]

Remember that the front caliper bracket bolt (the t-60) should rotate in its sleeve/washer. They normally sieze inside, which makes it near impossible to remove that bracket because the sleeve's bottom is serrated much like a lock washer. If you need a replacement one, get oem. The dorman ones are a joke and will not hold 100 lb.ft of torque. Spec is well above that.

[jiggity76]

7 hours ago, Schurkey said:

The nice thing about the much-unloved first-gen rear calipers is that you don't need any stinkin' special tool or "cube" to push the rear pistons in.  DISCONNECT the lever on the back side of the caliper, push the pistons in with a C-clamp (I use a C-clamp style Vice-Grip.)  Then reinstall the lever, washer, and nut.  The threaded rod spins instead of the caliper piston.

Never dicked with the newer-style rear calipers, so I don't know if you can do something similar with them.

As already said, don't push old fluid backwards through the system.  Pinch off the rubber hose, open the bleeder valve, remove the old fluid.  The fluid at the caliper is typically the most-polluted stuff in the whole system.

There's no point to doing a rear brake job and then not performing whatever steps it takes to adjust the rear brakes.  On the first-gens, you need to activate the park brake to adjust the rear calipers.  I don't know about the newer design(s).

I wouldn't get too worried about "penetrating oil" on the Torx-head caliper bolts up front.  Just muscle 'em out, 'cause if they're seized, the penetrating oil is unlikely to help, and if they're not seized, the penetrating oil is unlikely to help.  Once removed, I've heated the bigass sleeve with a torch to free it, tried to work some anti-sieze between it and the bolt (tough to do) and then hope for the best.

What's the best way to pinch off the rubber hose without damaging it.  I've already ordered the stinkin "special tool" so I'll use it.

[vipmiller803]

An alternative to pinching is to flush first, then do the brake job. I never worried about pushing fluid back, tons of shops do, but I know many people see it as taboo.

[Imp558]

In the rust belt bleeder valves are all nearly impossible to remove without ruining. 

That said, I push the fluid back.

[Schurkey]

On 12/3/2018 at 8:26 AM, jiggity76 said:

What's the best way to pinch off the rubber hose without damaging it.  I've already ordered the stinkin "special tool" so I'll use it.

Thousands of years ago, I used a needle-nose Vice-Grip, adjusted just tight enough to block the hose without crushing the thing to death.

Later on, I bought some of those "Hose Pinch-Off Tools".  They work OK.

https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-22850-Hose-Pincher/dp/B0002NYB78/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1543979201&sr=8-9

[jiggity76]

18 minutes ago, Schurkey said:

Thousands of years ago, I used a needle-nose Vice-Grip, adjusted just tight enough to block the hose without crushing the thing to death.

Later on, I bought some of those "Hose Pinch-Off Tools".  They work OK.

https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-22850-Hose-Pincher/dp/B0002NYB78/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1543979201&sr=8-9

Thanks!  I'm going to see if the local parts stores have something.  I want to change the brakes out this Friday.  I just got my caliper tool set in to turn in the rear pistons today.