Help me take my brakes off

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webink_EK9

Senior Member
I've got my car on jack stands and the wheels off. I'm trying to take my brakes apart to replace the pads and rotors. I don't know where to start. Can someone walk me through it?
 
I just did all the pads and rotors on my crx. Since you already have the car up on jack stands and the wheels off your next step is taking off the brake calipers. To do this just look and you will find 2 bolts that hold it on there. After you unbolt them you can slide the caliper off the rotors, a good idea right now would be to hold the caliper up using wire but you can just sit it up against the springs. To take the rotors off there may or may not be 2 screws holding it on (depends on if someone took them off before or not) just take a #3 phillips screwdriver and unscrew them, your rotors should just slide off the wheel bolts now. To remove the pads they should just slide out of the caliper. Then all you have to do is put all the new parts on there in the reverse order you took it all off. You can put the screws back on the rotors when you put it back together but they really aren't needed. They are just a thing used durring assembly of the car to hold the rotors on since the wheels are one of the last things to go on there. I was a first timer doing my brakes and since I only had a shitty haynes manual to go by it took me about 2 hours. Hope everything goes well and that this helps. Oh yeah and don't forget to compress the caliper piston before trying to put the caliper back on the rotors other wise you'll never get it back on there.
 
compress the piston? How? By pumping the brakes? And how would I know if I need new calipers?

Thanks for the help...I was just looking and I see like four bolts behind the caliper. This is my first time taking a wrench to a mechanical part of a car.
 
There are 2 easy ways to compress the caliper piston, you can either use a c clamp and one fo the old pads or run to auto zone and buy a caliper piston compresor for like $8. If you use a c clamp and an old pad just put the pad against the caliper piston and wrap the c clamp so it is around the pad and the other side of the caliper, then just clamp it up till the piston goes in flush. Unless your car has gone through a lot you shouldn't need new calipers. My car is a 90 crx si and I am still using the origonal stock calipers. Something that might be a good idea would be to get a manual for your car or a friend that has done this before to help you. Since I couldn't find a friend that had the time I got a manual for my car and even though it was a shitty haynes it helped out quite a bit. Any more questions just let me know.
 
not to be an ass but since you have never turned a wrench on your car brakes might be one of those things that you should get help w/.
if not don't push brake pedal all the way down when your finished with everything and you need to push the piston out after compressing it. Doing this may tear the cups inside the master cyl. hope this helps good luck
 
I've gotta start somewhere. I found the master cylinder yesterday...if I brake that, I can replace it! :D I may just wait for a guy I know to get home and help me out. I'll have the parts for this tomorrow. I'll get the book too. Thanks guys!
 
One last suggestion just to be a little safer you might wanna take the car for a couple runs around the block at low speeds first just to make sure everything is working right before you get back out into traffic. You don't wanna get in a situation where you have to slam on the brakes because some idiot pulls in front of you and then find out that your brakes aren't working right.
 
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I've always got the ebreak and sideways to slow me down :lol: Anyway, it will be fun tomorrow. I'll get the books and start around 5pm.
 
Originally posted by webink_EK9@Jul 8 2004, 09:27 PM
I've gotta start somewhere. I found the master cylinder yesterday...
Click to expand...

holy crap. Get a Helms son!
 
And since you are replacing the rotors, make sure to clean them well with brake clean and a rag. Many companies will coat the rotors in a waxy substance to keep them from rusting while in storage and if you leave it on there and then use the brakes heavily, you'll warp the rotors.
 
Well, its done...at least the pads are changed. That was easy. I don't have a screw driver that will get those screws in the rotors lose. I messed up at first and started taking off the bolt that let brake fluid leak out, but only a few drips came out. I need to change those brake lines to the ones with steel around them. I'm alson going to change my brake fluid to that blue stuff. Will it say in my brand new "Haynes Repair Manual"?

How can I get those screws out without an impact gun thinggy. And will I be able to bleed my lines if I change the fluid and lines?
 
If you aren't gonna change the rotors you should at least get them resurfaced otherwise you are just gonna destroy your new pads very fast.
 
Got the pads switched...thats how far I am. One of the screws that hold the rotors on is stripped now. The other broke free fine. The calliper bolts are stuck and I can't get them off. I need new shims. Need new lines too, but don't know how to bleed the lines properly or drain the system for new fluids. I just need to get it to a shop. This sucks. And it's hot outside.

Sorry to bitch but this pissed me off.
 
if the rotor screws are stripped out then use a drimel to cut the slots deeper so you can fit the head of the screw driver in. then use an impact screw driver and a hammer to get the screw off. to use an impact screw driver place it in the screw slot and hit the end with a hammer, it turns everytime you hit it. use your haynes manual to bleed the brake lines. you'll need to get new screws for the rotors and the caliper bolts if those are broken, just take them in to the dealer ship and they should be able to get them for you if they don't have them in stock. you might want to call first in case they need to order them. just take the process slow you should be able to do this. everyone needs to start somewhere.
 
you don't need the screws. The screws are there for one purpose. When the car is assembled, the wheels are basicly the last things they put on. To keep the brakes from coming off while the car is going done the assembly line, they put those screws on. Unless your wheels fall off, you brakes are going to stay on, and if your wheel does, then you have much bigger problems.

That being said, get a dril, and drill through the screw until the head comes off. Then, pull the rotor off, and with a pair of vice grips, remove the remain part of the screw.


As for the caliper bolts, just turn the wheel so you can get a long breaker bar on them, and do it that way.

Shims? WTF?
 
shims are thin metal plates that go on the outside of the pads. Don't know what they do, but mine have rust on them. I'll drill that head off today. Not that big of deal if I don't really need it on there. Whats a breaker bar? Is it the big thing that looks like asocket wrench but that doesn't wratchet? I think I may have something like that. Thanks!!!
 
Alright, is there anyone here in the St. Louis area that would be willing to help me get my #$@#% rotors off? @%$@#%^#$^&#$@#$!!
 
Did you try drilling out the head of the screws yet? I would do that and then get the rest of the screw out with some vice grips to unscrew them.
 
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