Weird one this.
I've changed discs and pads before on my old WRX 4 pots, and recently found my old K Sport rotors and blue stuff pads needed replacing after 4 years of fantastic service.

Removing the calipers and discs was a cinch, although the old pads were a bit difficult to remove, and ended up having to use a pry bar to get them out, but they came out without damaging either caliper.

What was hard was getting the new pads in.
Changing the rotors was simple (time consuming but simple), but on bolting the caliper back in place and trying to insert the new pads they just didn't want to go in - it was a very tight fit, almost as if the new pads had too much material on em. I'm feeling pretty dumb now because the one thing I haven't done yet is check the box to ensure the company I bought them from sent me the right pads (can't check it at the moment as I'm out).

I had wound the pistons back into the caliper so it wasn't that which was the problem - the fit was just REALLY snug; normally I just tap the new pads in with a block of wood and a hammer / mallet.
I really had to bash these in to get em in (yes probably not the best idea before some smartarse has the idea to tell me that), and now the car basically won't move unless I give it beans.

Now, what's the best thing to do here? Do I try and rev it up and burn off a few mm of the pads, OR do I try and remove the pads and sand them down to a more manageable size? I'm tempted to try option 1 but am worried about damaging the rotors (as they took a month and a half on back order to arrive), and I also don't want to burn out the clutch...

Any advice appreciate thank you guys.

 

Did you take the brake res cap off before winding them back in?

 

Im with gaz on this one

 

Yes guys I did. The pads are in, just evidently not enough gap between disc and pad

 

Only had.mine from new but the pads slipped in fine.
Did u push pistons in enough?

 

They were flat against the caliper. Can't bloody work it out

 

Yeah they were flat against the side of the caliper. Curses

 

Pull them out and sand a little off. If you run it there likely to overheat. Burn the rotas,pads and boil the fluid

 

Thanks mate

 

Removing the cap wouldn't make any difference whatsoever , you can get that pad in various thickness , you have been given pads that are too thick if the pistons are fully in the calipers , driving as it is can warp and crack new discs , so sand the pads to take some material off them , put some sand paper on a flat surface and rub the pads back and forth so you take a even amount off them , you will probably need to take about a mil off them

 

Brilliant thanks Ian

 

Just checked the box and it says they're for AP calipers DP5006NDX.
Same shape as the set they replaced but definitely too thick.
Just hoping I'll be able to get them back out without too much problem. You lie and learn...

 

the Ksports run an AP Racing type pad shape but in 17mm rather than the slightly more common offering of 18mm.....................

 

For K-Sport or D2 you will need to use 17mm thick pads


Jura

 

Righto Alynn thanks

 

surley the giveaway was using a mallet to smash them in, in the first place?

anyway. to get them out you will more than likely have to take the calliper off the mount as they will be tight. they will probably have to be tapped off if you had to whack the pads in.


as Ian said, sand paper on a flat surface and rub the excess off.

 

I can't take that seriously from someone called "fudgey" lol

 

why not?
believe it or not.... my surname is...... Fudge....

i drive a bugeye too lol

 

Lol they're great I still miss my old one.

 

it does the job lol.

could do with another 200bhp and be RWD tho, but hey lol

 

This was my old girl, last owner got her up to 350bhp before he sold her on.
Still miss the WR blue and gold wheel combo but attracted too much of the wrong sort of attention round my way.
That, and I wanted to go faster and so went for a widetrack STI blob

 

Looks a very nice one bud. Mine is a uk300 so a bit marmite with the headlamps and spoiler. But its a bit different so thats why i got it.

 

Just wanted to give an update and thank you all for your input.

As it happens, there were two problems:
- The first was, surprisingly, actually the width of the pads themselves.
When I first removed the caliper to start the switch over (I mean originally before all of this post) I had real difficulty extracting the pads - they really were in there.
Looks like whoever last changed my pads (before me) distorted the pad guides in the caliper a tiny amount, but this basically means the pads won't easily slide in and out of the caliper.
A quick file down of a mm or so off the metal part of each side and they go in fine.
Thanks to Surrey Subaru Specialists for the tip on that one.

- The second part was, as suggested, the depth of the pad itself.
Took quite a bit of sanding to get them to fit but they went in eventually without the need to bash them at all, and service appears restored to normal.

Thanks all for your help

 

nice one fella, its good when it all comes together in the end