When changed brake pads, aswell as undoing the brake res cap i guess to let air out is it?, but do you need to do anything else, like top up the fluid?

Reason for asking is I'm thinking about changing the discs and pads front and rear myself, just a bit worried that I get stuck then I have car with no brakes on to drive somewhere for help.

Found a guide on here for simialr brakes (i have brembo's), 2 nuts then and the caliper is off, then the disc just comes off then?, i thought there were more screws holding it on, no?

 

You only undo the brake res cap to make pushing the pistons back in easier, and to top up the fluid obviously... You will find that once new discs and pads have been installed the the fluid will have risen back up anyway because of pushing the pistons back in etc.

You only have to remove the two pins that hold the pad retaining clip in place to change the pads, but if you're doing a disc swap as well then the caliper will need to be removed from it's carrier bracket. Two bolts at the rear of the caliper and she's off...

Disc might be held in place by a small retaining screw but I doubt it as many places don't bother as it's held in place by the road wheel... always good practice though if you have the screw, as it makes lining up everything that bit easier when putting the road wheel back on.

Cheers,
Kim.

 

Kim, thanks for that info.
My pads have a fair bit of life left in them, so have been told I can re-use them, but have to sand them down to make them as flat as possible for the new disc's, which makes sence.
But if they are so easy to fit new pads maybe worth doing all at once.

Im just lost with the brake bleeding thing, so if i changed the pads i just simply top up the brake fluid or do you need to bleed the whole system?

 

No need to bleed the system if you are just changing discs and pads, unless of course the fluid has been in there for an eternity then it can't harm.

If you are going to sand the pads down, then make sure you have your sandpaper lying on a piece of sheet metal (bench) or maybe a kitchen worktop... i.e. something real flat and real hard otherwise the slightest bit of movement/spongyness (like if you did it on carpet or vinyl floor) will cause you problems.

Bleeding is easier than you think, if you decide you want to do it then just ask and i'm sure someone can talk you through it.

 

Oh really, ok then, sounds better, Just a top up then possibley.
Understand what you mean about the sanding part too.
Copper grease is the other thing needed for the new pads, is that right?

 

Copper grease should always be used on all moving parts/surfaces... sliding pins, rear of pad to piston contact etc.

Just make sure none comes into contact with the friction surfaces obviously, if it does it will need to be cleaned off properly before use.

 

You shouldn't need to top-up the brake fluid.

At the moment it should be towards the top half of the min-max levels.
When you put the new disc in you will push the pads back in the caliper, this will increase the fluid level in the reservoir back to nearer the full mark.

Watch out incase it overflows though, as has happened to me in the past. The place I bought the car from topped up all the fluids before selling it, but the pads were worn, so when I put new pads and discs on the fluid spilled out of the top reservoir. Brake fluid is a very good paint stripper so clean any spills quickly and well.

 

DarrenSTI, this should tell you everything you need to know, I used it and it was a godsend, might be slightly different for Brembos but you get the idea NorthUrsalia.com: Braking System Modifications

 

Thanks guys for all info given