Victor Lagana

I am planning on replacing my brake pads and rotors on my 94 C4 widebody. I have concerns of not being able to bleed brakes? I have heard horror stories that if you need to bleed the c4 brakes they are very difficult to do so? any light shed on this question would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Victor

Jeff Midili

Hi Victor,
I too have a C4 and the brake bleeding is no big deal as long as you have the proper tools. The most important tool being a pressure bleeder, which you can get for $40 for a decent one on up to $100+ for a professional one. Pressure bleeding is mandatory on the C4. You also need to bleed the accumulator and block soleniod valve which seems easy once I get some clarification! Oh, and don't forget the clutch slave cylinder.

I posted a similiar question a couple of month ago before I bled mine, do a search for with terms like 'brake bleed pressure' etc, and you will find lots of useful information.

As for replacing the pads, it can be a piece of cake or require a little extra effort. Sometimes it seems like the pads won't fit, and it could be because of crud getting under the aluminum cage that sits inside the caliper. Again, a search on the forum will provide info. The answer is either to try and clean under the aluminum cage, completely refurbish the caliper (getting the housing out is non-trivial) or simply using something to grind down the width of the brake pad (it's easy with a dremel and a 'cut-off wheel').

If you are interested in doing DIY work on your car then you really should buy Adrian's book, 964 Enthusiast's Companion. It's available at Amazon and through the publishers website, Bentley Books. Bleeding the soleniod and accumulator was something I didn't even realize that I should do until I got the book. Don't even waste your money on the official porsche service manuals, many hundreds of dollars and not nearly as much practical info as the Enthusiast's Companion (unless you need wiring diagrams).

Do a search on some of the keywords you are interested in and don't hesitate to ask, somebody always and something to contribute, and it's usually useful, too

I really suggest you get Adrian's book, do some searches on this forum, and also check out p-car.com, which has many DIY projects for the 993 that also apply to our 964s.

Jeff

Adrian

Dear Victor,
I have just one point on your brake rotor selection. I am sure you are aware that the C4 Turbolook uses special rear brake rotors. They are somewhat more expensive than standard rears. Please keep this in mind because I only know of one aftermarket company that supplies them here in Europe. I have no idea about the USA. The Porsche replacements are even more expensive.
Ciao,
Adrian
964C4

9sixty4

The only rear rotors I could find for my TL were factory, cast hole, Turbo rotors. Be sure to be specific and persistent that you have a TL when pricing and ordering rear rotors. They ARE different.

Phil Raby

If the pads don't fit, than the aluminium caliper has corroded, causing the stainless baseplate to lift. Grinding the pads to make them fit is a cheap fix – far better to remove the caliper, clean off the corrosion and fit a new baseplate. It's not a hard job. Again, be worth doing a search - this has been talked about here in some detail.

Cheers

Victor Lagana

Adrians book has arrived. ( I ordered it prior to posting ) and I am very happy with the results of his effort. I appreciate all the help and comments I have found on this forum. I will keep you all informed. I plan to perform most of the work myself.

Attached you will find a picture of my car. 94 Carrera 4 TL. I LOVE IT!