Brake job

footfootfoot · 01-07-2011, 01:00 PM

Despite my relative mechanical aptitude I've done very little work on cars, mainly because I never really accumulated the tools for working on cars. I have plenty of friends who do work on cars and I am about to call one of them up and cash in a favor chip, I think.

I had to get the car inspected in Nov and it needed rear brakes. Pads, Rotors, and labor came to about $300. It needs new brakes in the front now and I don't really have that much coin at the moment. Looking at the cost of parts on the internets it looks like a set of decent rotors and pads should run me about $140. I'll have to call my local parts place, but those prices are about $70 less than what my shop charged me.

The labor of having my friend do it is the cost of a six pack of beer and a pizza. (figuratively speaking)

So, What should a front brake job cost? How long should it take? Should I cash in my favor chip with my pal or try to do this myself? I also don't have a lot of time to learn from my mistakes right now, so having a pro who knows the territory seems like a smart move.

glatt · 01-07-2011, 01:24 PM

Do you have a nice place to work, or will you be outside in the slush?

The first and only time I did a brake job (without replacing the rotors,) it took about two hours. I was taking my time and taking pictures as I went so in case I had trouble I could see how everything was.

footfootfoot · 01-07-2011, 01:37 PM

I have tentatively lined up a garage with a heater.

glatt · 01-07-2011, 02:01 PM

Nice!

There are lots of resources out there that give step by step instructions, and you are certainly capable of doing this job.

But sometimes it's fun to do it with a friend, learn how from them so you can do it on your own with confidence next time.

I first felt the confidence to do the job after reading this step by step guide, and then I read the actual service manual for my car before actually doing it.

Don't forget to pick up a few packets of the brake pad lubricant that come in those ketchup packet sized packets. You put a little bit of this lubricant between the thin brake shims and the brake pads in order to prevent squealing. Don't get any on the face of the pads or on the rotor.

xoxoxoBruce · 01-07-2011, 02:07 PM

What makes you think you need rotors?

BigV · 01-07-2011, 02:26 PM

front brakes are a 2.5 degree of difficulty on a scale of ten.

you need a jack, some jackstands or a honking chunk of wood beam (8x12??, cinderblocks, etc. don't fucking skip this part). A big C clamp or king size channel locks. a small box end wrench for the bleed nipple, like... 8 mm or something.
probabaly a 13 mm to break loose the caliper from the car. You will also need another person. this is not a one man job, during reassembly, someone, maybe the inch, needs to sit in the car and pump the brake pedal, hold it down on your command, repeat.

Not hard, kinda messy.

Adding a rotor swap is still not hard, but more dollars and another layer of double hernia bolts to break loose and reinstall.

Pico and ME · 01-07-2011, 02:41 PM

Big V..go over to your What is This thread, please. Its time to give us the answer.

footfootfoot · 01-07-2011, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

What makes you think you need rotors?

Well, it seems SWMBO has been driving several hundred miles with the metal on metal sound and when I took a look at the rotors today there were a few 1/8" deep grooves running around.

xoxoxoBruce · 01-07-2011, 02:54 PM

Why bleed them? There is no need to disconnect the caliper from the hydraulics, just have a piece of heavy wire to hang the caliper free from it's mounting position, so it doesn't hang on the hose. The clamp pushes the piston back enough to insert the new pads. The hydraulic system is closed, so unless fluid has been added during the wear down of the pads, clamping it will just return the fluid to the master cylinder.

The only caution is, since the rear was done a short time ago, if whoever did the the rear, added fluid while the fronts were almost worn out, there might be too much fluid in the system. Depends how they did the rear, but normally they shouldn't have had to break the system either.

glatt · 01-07-2011, 02:58 PM

That happened when I did my brake job. I just used a clean glue syringe to suck up a little fluid out of the reservoir fill cap to keep it from overflowing and making a mess. Didn't bleed anything. Well, except I always bash my knuckles on any job like this and a little blood is involved.

xoxoxoBruce · 01-07-2011, 03:04 PM

Did you have to remove fluid or just a precaution?

glatt · 01-07-2011, 03:17 PM

I had to remove a little to keep it from overflowing. I had heard the stuff will peel paint, so I didn't want it spilling. As I compressed the caliper piston on each side, I took my time and check the level of the fluid at the cap. Once it became obvious it would overflow, I sucked out about an ounce or so with the syringe.

xoxoxoBruce · 01-07-2011, 03:32 PM

Oh yes, peel paint, eat wiring, and dissolve your driveway.
Worked with a kid who lived where they had to park on the street, and had one neighbor that parked by ear. Plastic squeeze bottles of brake fluid, duct taped to the kid's bumper, exacted revenge. Didn't squirt high enough to get the hood, but screwed the anodized aluminum grille.

plthijinx · 01-07-2011, 04:00 PM

brakes are easy. if you do replace the rotors don't forget to clean and repack the bearings. that bearing packer that i used kept the job reasonably clean. check out This thread. i just changed front brakes and rotors on the Fixed Or Repaired Daily. took about 45 minutes total. one thing that you may or may not be able to do that saved me some time is if you're going to change the rotors too then there is no need to remove the assembly from the brake mount. just remove the two bolts holding the entire unit to the disc. you can then swap out the pads. don't forget to c-clamp the old pads and squeeze the calipers back out to make adequate room for the new pads around the new discs.

Undertoad · 01-07-2011, 05:22 PM

Quote:

that bearing packer that i used kept the job reasonably clean

Isn't that term "bearing packer" derogatory? They're people too, y'know.

01-07-2011, 01:00 PM	#1
footfootfoot To shreds, you say? Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: in the house and on the street-how many, many feet we meet! Posts: 18,449	Brake job Despite my relative mechanical aptitude I've done very little work on cars, mainly because I never really accumulated the tools for working on cars. I have plenty of friends who do work on cars and I am about to call one of them up and cash in a favor chip, I think. I had to get the car inspected in Nov and it needed rear brakes. Pads, Rotors, and labor came to about $300. It needs new brakes in the front now and I don't really have that much coin at the moment. Looking at the cost of parts on the internets it looks like a set of decent rotors and pads should run me about $140. I'll have to call my local parts place, but those prices are about $70 less than what my shop charged me. The labor of having my friend do it is the cost of a six pack of beer and a pizza. (figuratively speaking) So, What should a front brake job cost? How long should it take? Should I cash in my favor chip with my pal or try to do this myself? I also don't have a lot of time to learn from my mistakes right now, so having a pro who knows the territory seems like a smart move. __________________ The internet is a hateful stew of vomit you can never take completely seriously. - Her Fobs

01-07-2011, 01:37 PM	#3
footfootfoot To shreds, you say? Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: in the house and on the street-how many, many feet we meet! Posts: 18,449	I have tentatively lined up a garage with a heater. __________________ The internet is a hateful stew of vomit you can never take completely seriously. - Her Fobs

01-07-2011, 02:07 PM	#5
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	What makes you think you need rotors? __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

01-07-2011, 02:26 PM	#6
BigV Goon Squad Leader Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 27,063	front brakes are a 2.5 degree of difficulty on a scale of ten. you need a jack, some jackstands or a honking chunk of wood beam (8x12??, cinderblocks, etc. don't fucking skip this part). A big C clamp or king size channel locks. a small box end wrench for the bleed nipple, like... 8 mm or something. probabaly a 13 mm to break loose the caliper from the car. You will also need another person. this is not a one man job, during reassembly, someone, maybe the inch, needs to sit in the car and pump the brake pedal, hold it down on your command, repeat. Not hard, kinda messy. Adding a rotor swap is still not hard, but more dollars and another layer of double hernia bolts to break loose and reinstall. __________________ Be Just and Fear Not.

01-07-2011, 02:54 PM	#9
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Why bleed them? There is no need to disconnect the caliper from the hydraulics, just have a piece of heavy wire to hang the caliper free from it's mounting position, so it doesn't hang on the hose. The clamp pushes the piston back enough to insert the new pads. The hydraulic system is closed, so unless fluid has been added during the wear down of the pads, clamping it will just return the fluid to the master cylinder. The only caution is, since the rear was done a short time ago, if whoever did the the rear, added fluid while the fronts were almost worn out, there might be too much fluid in the system. Depends how they did the rear, but normally they shouldn't have had to break the system either. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

01-07-2011, 01:24 PM	#2
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	Do you have a nice place to work, or will you be outside in the slush? The first and only time I did a brake job (without replacing the rotors,) it took about two hours. I was taking my time and taking pictures as I went so in case I had trouble I could see how everything was.

01-07-2011, 02:01 PM	#4
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	Nice! There are lots of resources out there that give step by step instructions, and you are certainly capable of doing this job. But sometimes it's fun to do it with a friend, learn how from them so you can do it on your own with confidence next time. I first felt the confidence to do the job after reading this step by step guide, and then I read the actual service manual for my car before actually doing it. Don't forget to pick up a few packets of the brake pad lubricant that come in those ketchup packet sized packets. You put a little bit of this lubricant between the thin brake shims and the brake pads in order to prevent squealing. Don't get any on the face of the pads or on the rotor.

01-07-2011, 02:41 PM	#7
Pico and ME Are you knock-kneed? Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Middle Hoosierland Posts: 3,549	Big V..go over to your What is This thread, please. Its time to give us the answer.

01-07-2011, 02:58 PM	#10
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	That happened when I did my brake job. I just used a clean glue syringe to suck up a little fluid out of the reservoir fill cap to keep it from overflowing and making a mess. Didn't bleed anything. Well, except I always bash my knuckles on any job like this and a little blood is involved.

01-07-2011, 03:04 PM	#11
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Did you have to remove fluid or just a precaution? __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

01-07-2011, 03:17 PM	#12
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	I had to remove a little to keep it from overflowing. I had heard the stuff will peel paint, so I didn't want it spilling. As I compressed the caliper piston on each side, I took my time and check the level of the fluid at the cap. Once it became obvious it would overflow, I sucked out about an ounce or so with the syringe.

01-07-2011, 03:32 PM	#13
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Oh yes, peel paint, eat wiring, and dissolve your driveway. Worked with a kid who lived where they had to park on the street, and had one neighbor that parked by ear. Plastic squeeze bottles of brake fluid, duct taped to the kid's bumper, exacted revenge. Didn't squirt high enough to get the hood, but screwed the anodized aluminum grille. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

01-07-2011, 04:00 PM	#14
plthijinx Master Dwellar Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 4,197	brakes are easy. if you do replace the rotors don't forget to clean and repack the bearings. that bearing packer that i used kept the job reasonably clean. check out This thread. i just changed front brakes and rotors on the Fixed Or Repaired Daily. took about 45 minutes total. one thing that you may or may not be able to do that saved me some time is if you're going to change the rotors too then there is no need to remove the assembly from the brake mount. just remove the two bolts holding the entire unit to the disc. you can then swap out the pads. don't forget to c-clamp the old pads and squeeze the calipers back out to make adequate room for the new pads around the new discs. __________________ For your dreams to come true, you must first have a dream.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)