ronone10

I searched here and found some good information about replacing brake pads. Here is a link with photos that others here have referred to.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...brakepads2.htm

This helps me a great deal. But I still have some questions:

First for replacement pads. I plan to buy Ferodo rear pads from Pelican Parts. I figure I also need new brake sensors (one for each wheel, correct?) but do I need to buy shims? Or, do you insert the pads without them?

Next, in the link above, it talks about pushing back the pistons with a c-clamp. There aren't any pictures so I can't visualize this. Exactly where does the c-clamp go. One side on the old brake pad and the other side on the outside of the caliper? Do you just tighten the clamp until the pad pushes in the pistons? Do you do it to both pads?

Last one, it talks about removing the caliper to make is easier to do the job. I rather not remove more than I need to. I read another poster suggest just pulling the pads out with the calipers on. Seems easier unless I am missing something. Any thoughts?

Thanks...any more suggestions for a first timer is greatly appreciated.

kgorman

I am curious about this too! How to change pads while leaving the calipers on.

garrett376

I do it in a couple minutes per side... my method uses a pair of channel-lock pliers to first remove the spring clip, to then compress the pads into the pistons, then grab and slide out the pads. If you have the sticky backing plate-thingies, use a flat screwdriver to peel off the anti-squeal pads. I change out my pads on the race car all the time since the race pads squeal like a pig!

garrett376

By the way, I wouldn't want to remove the calipers all the time the pads are changed - that is way too much work, and to much potential to damage other things like the hard and soft brake lines.

kgorman

Thx!

Bill Wagner

I replaced my pads with MetalMasters a few months ago....very quiet now, FWIW, and the "mushroom dampers" are gone as well.

If you aren't using the "mushroom dampers", which are fixed to the back of the pads via adhesive, the job can be done very quickly (I take my time and it takes about 15-30 min per wheel). The first time I took the pads off they had the "mushroom dampers" installed. I did not remove the caliper but tried to get them off in place. Doing it like this took probably about 45 min. per wheel for the fronts and 1hr 15min per wheel for the rear. With the fronts, you can turn the steering wheel to gain easier access, but no such luck with the rears. The extra time was all due to having to fool with damper removal. It's easy in principal but in reality a pain in the butt. I didn't like the idea of removing the caliper because, like garrett pointed out, you can risk the possibility of busting a brake line.

MetalMasters have a damping material embedded on the back of the pad, it's kind of a crinkly looking vinyl coating, but I'm sure it's not vinyl...it just looks that way. In any case with the dampers now absent, to help noise reduction even further, I applied a thin film of high temp brake grease on top of this damping material, and also along the metal sides of the pads where they make contact with the edges of the caliper. For the first time in 5 years of ownership, the brake noise, which has periodically varied from non-existent to extremely loud appears to be gone for good, and now I will be able probably swap out all 4 sets in the period of an hour or so, instead of fractions of a day.

Hope this helps,

ronone10

Thanks Garrett and Bill,

I will be removing the rear pads and will try it without removing the caliper. I have to assume that the current pads are OEM so it may have the mushroom dampers, I don't know.

Ok, so Garrett, you compress the piston by squeezing the pad using a channel-lock plier. You have to spread the pliers out wide to get it to grab the pad and the other side grabs the outside of the caliper, correcct? I am sure I will understand once I see it up close.

As far as the replacement pads, I like the fact that the MetalMasters have the dampers fixed on the back of the pad. I am not sure if the Ferodo pads have them or not. I will check with Pelican. Bill, the high temp brake grease I imagine you can buy it from most auto parts stores. Is it specific for brake pads or for other uses? Any particular brand?

Thanks...

jimq

I also used Metal Master, no mushrooms, no noise

Marc Shaw

Yes, Ferodo's have the anti-squeal pad fixed to the back of the pads.

I use and like Ferodo's but have not used MetalMaster.

Marc

Rennen

FWIW, I think the Ferodos are ok for auo-x, but I think they are way to noisy for every day street use. I'm going to swap out for a set of Metal Masters for daily driving based on these posts about them.

garrett376

Here's some pics - when I am really doing the procedure, I put a piece of plastic between the wrench and the caliper so I don't scratch it - I like to keep them looking pretty!

Tom W

Needle-nosed vice grips make the spring removal trivial.

There is a great DIY write up on p-car.com for pad removal. It took me 3-4 hours the first time to change the pads and bleed the brakes as I took it really slow to make sure I understood what was going on. Now it's less than an hour and that includes the time to jack up the car.

I'd be happy to do a DIY brake day if bay area folk want to learn how. It's very easy.

Kahdmus

Yup, thanks to Tom I now do the pads on both my Mercedes and the C4 in less than an hour. This really is an easy DIY once you know how. I also used the p-car DIY first time through.

The ferodo pads have been excellent on my car and eliminated the squeal I had when I got the 964. Making sure the calipers are really clean before you put the new pads in seems to be the secret for me.

I also removed the brake sensors on my car as they are a pita sometimes and break (if you'll pardon the pun) easily. I used some old ones to make a constant loop by cutting and soldering which keeps the light from coming on.

ronone10

The P.Car DIY is the one I linked in my original post above. It looks straight forward until the part about the c-clamp and removing the caliper. Thanks to the answers so far and Garrett's closeup photos, it makes more sense to me.

Tom and others, bleeding the brakes is an optional step, correct? I am not sure when it was last done, but I rather not go there right now.

I was going to order new brake pad sensors just in case the current ones break. I may hold off because it looks like there is a way to by pass the connection, thanks Howard.

About the brake pad sensor...one end is connected to the brake pad, correct? It looks like it from the P-Car DIY photo. I know it will be clear this weekend when I do the pad replacement.

Thanks for the help...

jimq

The sensor slips into a grove on both pads. It is hard to get out sometimes without breaking it.