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Change front brake pads on a CTR.

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Hi guys and gals. I did this the other day, as I be-grudge paying the stealers 60 quid and hour for some spotty Oik to do it for me. So I thought I would spread the wealth.

I apologise if I'm teaching some of you to suck eggs with some of this, but I prepared this as a presentation for work, based at absolute beginners.

Inventory:
  • Jack (Supplied with the car. Use a better one if you can)
  • Wheel brace (Supplied with the car)
  • Locking nut socket (Supplied with the car/set)
  • Either a 12mm spanner/socket set/adjustable wrench
  • Flat head screwdriver
  • Piston clamp (not entirely necessary)
  • Heat resistant grease e.g. Copper slip/Molykote grease (supplied with OEM pads)
  • Toothbrush (optional)
  • Kitchen roll/rag
This should take the beginner mechanic between 1-1.5 hours to complete both sides.

Before You Start:

Try to have the car on a flat surface. Apply the hand brake to prevent the car from rolling backwards once jacked up. If at all possible find something comfortable to kneel or sit on.

First loosen all of the nuts connecting the wheel to axle. A wheel brace should be supplied with the car. Turn the wheel brace anti-clockwise to loosen.


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The locking nut socket will have a matching design to the locking nut. It will not be hexagonal like the standard bolts.



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Once the wheel nuts are loose enough to undo my hand, you can jack up the car. Underneath the car, find a suitable site to place the jack. The CTR has a jacking point near the wheel. Consult you manual to locate your jacking point if you are unsure.


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Slowly raise the jack until it meets the jacking point. Once you are happy that the jack is in the correct position and will not slip, raise the jack until the wheel is free from contact with the ground.


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Now undo all of the wheel nuts and remove the wheel. Make sure you put all of the wheel nuts and locking nut socket in a safe place.


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Removing The Old Pads:

Once the wheel has been removed, you should have easy access to the brake disc and calliper. The calliper holds two brake pads either side of the brake disc via a hydraulic piston.



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Loosen the bolt, which secures the rubber brake fluid hose to the suspension strut. This will give the middle of the calliper more room to manoeuvre and prevent the brake fluid line from kinking or tearing.



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Loosen the calliper safety bolt that locks the outside of the calliper to the inner piston mechanism. You can use either a spanner, or an easier option is to use a socket wrench.


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Once the calliper safety bolt is loose, it may be easier to undo and remove the bolt with your hand. Once the bolt has been removed, you should be able to lift the inner piston mechanism of the calliper.



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As you lift the piston mechanism, you should be able to see the old brake pads and shims, either side of the brake disc.


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The picture below shows the piston in the fully raised position. The brake pads are exposed either side of the brake disc. Be careful not to let the piston mechanism fall and damage your hand or the brake disc. Ideally you need someone to hold the piston in position while you change the pads.



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There are several parts to the brake pad that need to be removed. The brake pad itself will have a shim attached to the outside edge. This is to protect the outside of the pad from the piston mechanism. As the pads may be quite difficult to remove, a flat head screw driver can be put between the pad and the disc to gently lever out the old pad. Be careful not to damage the disc when doing this.


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Once both pads have been removed, you need to remove the pad retainers. These are located at the top and bottom of the calliper. They ensure the pad fits snugly in the calliper. To remove, again free gently with a flat head screwdriver.



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Preparing The New Pads:

Once the old pads have been removed, clean the whole calliper of any rust/brake dust that may be present. An ideal tool for this is an old tooth brush. Next coat the shims and outsides of the pads with a heat resistant lubricant, such as Molykote grease or copper slip. This prevents the pads from seizing and makes removal easier in the future.



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Apply a liberal coating of grease to all surfaces of the shims, retainers and pads, EXCEPT the inside of the pad. If there is grease between the pad and the disc, friction will be greatly reduce and your brakes will not work!



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Fitting The New Pads:

First place the pad retainers back into their original positions at the top and bottom of the calliper. Next place the inside pad into position up against the disc. Place the correct shim against the outside of the pad.


(Please note, my decent camera died at this point, so the rest are from my phone. Sorry for the poor quality!)


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As the new pads are naturally thicker than the old worn ones, you now need to close the piston in order to fit the outside pad and close the calliper. A special tool called a piston clamp is ideal for this.

If a piston clamp is unavailable, you should be able to lever the piston back using a screwdriver. Lower the piston mechanism and place screwdriver in a suitable location to acts as a lever. I went through the gap on the side of the calliper and into the vents of the disc.


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Now carefully lever the screwdriver and push the piston back. This method is not ideal and unless great care is taken, you can potentially warp/damage the brake disc.



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Once the piston has been pushed back enough, re-open the piston mechanism and insert the outside pad and shims.



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Once both of the new pads are in place, close the piston mechanism. Replace all bolts and tighten to manufacturers required torque (or really tight).


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The safety bolt on the calliper has a nut on the other side which will need to held with a spanner when tightening


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Finally...

Now it’s just a case of putting the wheel back on. Place the wheel on to the axle and fasten the wheel nuts until they are hand tight. You may need someone to support the wheel whilst you are doing this. Now rotate the wheel and get somebody to test the brakes by depressing the brake pedal. DO Not sit in the car to do this. Once the wheel nuts are hand tight, slowly lower the jack until free from the car.



Tighten the wheel nuts to the manufacturers desired torque or until really tight. Clear up tools and have a cup of tea.


PLEASE NOTE: The brake pads will need to be bedded in before they reach 100% efficiency. Allow extra distance for braking for the first few miles.
 
Very good 'How to'. The pics, even the phone ones are great and clear. Well done
 
Great thread mate! I would have tackled this job myself if i hadnt just had the pads changed by TDI North during my 48 month service!! defo doing it myself next time. :)
 
nice one,ive never changed brake pads myself b4 always had and paid the local stealers to do it,but with the pictures and guide will prob give it a bash when the time comes....
 
Nice one dude. Just a not to add, there's a jacking point in the centre at front just behind the front bumper, if you look under you see it, its metal 'bulge' which the bumper is cut around. You can lift the whole front here and just put an axle stand under each sill. ;)
 
Mint!:D

Silly Question but is it just the same for the rear pads as mine need some attention?
 
Nice one dude. Just a not to add, there's a jacking point in the centre at front just behind the front bumper, if you look under you see it, its metal 'bulge' which the bumper is cut around. You can lift the whole front here and just put an axle stand under each sill. ;)
Cheers fella. You learn something new every day!

Mint!:D

Silly Question but is it just the same for the rear pads as mine need some attention?
The technique for changing pads is the same no matter what make of car/front or rear pads. Of course there will be variations, but the principles will be the same.

Also, remember your rear pads take a hell of a lot less pounding than the front's. My car's just been serviced and the rear pads have only worn by about 20%. That's with some fairly spirited driving, but no track driving.
 
The technique for changing pads is the same no matter what make of car/front or rear pads. Of course there will be variations, but the principles will be the same.

Also, remember your rear pads take a hell of a lot less pounding than the front's. My car's just been serviced and the rear pads have only worn by about 20%. That's with some fairly spirited driving, but no track driving.[/quote]


Good stuff.

mine dont need changing i was told they need stripping and freeing off a bit, i could of had this done while it was in for its service but they wanted £60 extra and my old man said it was a simple job that he would help me do.
 
Dont forget to bleed your brakes once you have fitted the new pads.
You shouldn't need to as you don't have to disconnect the brake hoses. No air should get into the system. The only thing you need to be weary of is that if you have too much brake fluid on board and you push the piston back in, it might spill out of the reservoir tank.
 
You shouldn't need to as you don't have to disconnect the brake hoses. No air should get into the system. The only thing you need to be weary of is that if you have too much brake fluid on board and you push the piston back in, it might spill out of the reservoir tank.

Yeah you might have to siphon some of the brake fluid out of the reservoir, I had to do that when I fitted new pads. You should still bleed the brakes though, I always do after fitting pads and there are always a few bubbles of air in there.
 
The screwdriver method isn't brilliant as my main worry wouldn't be damaging the disc but damaging the piston or the piston seals.

A piston rewind tool can be had for around £15 and will do the rear as these screw out rather than push out, and the front buy just placing the back of the old pad against the piston and using the rewind tool on that to evenly push the piston back in.

Piston rewind tool

Taking the cap off the brake fluid reservoir should be all that's needed re: the fluid, bleeding the brakes shouldn't really be required. I've never bled mine, nor did I bleed G's brakes and both have been rock solid:)

Good how to though Jermal:cool:
 
The screwdriver method isn't brilliant as my main worry wouldn't be damaging the disc but damaging the piston or the piston seals.

A piston rewind tool can be had for around £15 and will do the rear as these screw out rather than push out, and the front buy just placing the back of the old pad against the piston and using the rewind tool on that to evenly push the piston back in.

Piston rewind tool

Good how to though Jermal:cool:
I'm definately going to invest in one of these for next time. Although I think the disc is robust enough to take a levering, it is far from ideal as you say. When I buy one, I'll edit the guide!
 
I'm definately going to invest in one of these for next time. Although I think the disc is robust enough to take a levering, it is far from ideal as you say. When I buy one, I'll edit the guide!

No worries mate, it's a minor point, although the rears are damn near impossible to do with out one of those tools:lol:
 
The screwdriver method isn't brilliant as my main worry wouldn't be damaging the disc but damaging the piston or the piston seals.

A piston rewind tool can be had for around £15 and will do the rear as these screw out rather than push out, and the front buy just placing the back of the old pad against the piston and using the rewind tool on that to evenly push the piston back in.

Piston rewind tool

Taking the cap off the brake fluid reservoir should be all that's needed re: the fluid, bleeding the brakes shouldn't really be required. I've never bled mine, nor did I bleed G's brakes and both have been rock solid:)
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spot on advice above...just a couple of questions please...when retracting
the rear piston caliper,im assuming you retract it clockwise on the drivers
and passenger side??also does the sealey tool Vs024 come with the correct lugged adaptor(that fits in the cross of the piston)or do you have to buy this separately?reason i ask is because there is another rewind tool avail elsewhere franklin TA890(with a variety of adaptors sold as a kit)but is obviously
more expensive....thanks folks..:smt017
 
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