hey,

i need to change my front rotors and pads but cant work out how to get the calipers off. i took off the 2 bolts holding it on and one of the clips holding the pads in. i dont know how to get the top clip out, it wont just yank out. i have a hanes manual but its describing different brakes, pre-my car i guess. can some one help me out? ? i dont want to get a mobile mechanic in.

 

On my car (84 GS) there are three bolts on each caliper. Two hold the caliper bracket onto the strut, they're around back and far from easy to get to. The caliper itself is held onto the bracket with one bolt and one none removable pin. The bolt is at the bottom and unscrews from the front, I believe, then the caliper can be swung upward away from the rotor to take out the pads. If you're going to change the rotors too, however, you'll need to take out the whole thing, including the bracket. Also remember that there is no separate hub on these cars, the wheel bearing are in the rotors so you'll have to deal with those when you change them. You'll have to re-grease them at the minimum and you should probably just replace them and the seals while you have the rotors off. Not an easy job if you don't have a press.

You could also try here for more up do date information.

 

thanks man, that link you gave us looks like it'll be wicked

 

the caliper bracket is held on by two 14mm bolts. you may have to turn the wheel to gain access to one of the bolts. the rotor is held on by a nut. you'll have to remove the dust cap by wedging a screwdriver between the dust cap and the rotor and prying in a few different places around the dust cap. a lot of times i use a hammer and LIGHTLY tap on the handle of the screwdriver (flathead) in between the dust cap and the rotor. this will help you gain access to the nut. behind the dust cap there is a cotter pin. remove that and slide the crown out. from there you can remove the nut. after you remove the nut, the rotor will slide straight off. you can re-use the bearings if they're good, but you'll have to clean them and re-pack them with good quality grease. make sure you clean the spindle as well. buy a set of seals and a seal driver and put new seals into your new rotors. when you are putting the rotor back on and tightening the nut, make sure you DO NOT overtighten the nut. if you do, you will smoke your wheel bearings. you will see when you spin the rotor with a loose nut that it'll spin pretty freely. i tighten the nut until i notice drag on the rotor. at that point, i back the nut off slowly until there is no drag. you can tell if the nut is too tight or loose. if you have any questions, post back for help.

 

thanks mazdaverx, ur helping me out heaps

 

no problem! thats what we're here for. if you have any questions. post back or pm me.

 

the thing that confused me is that sealant was used to stick the pads to the calipers - which i didnt realise was on there, so knifed it away and pulled callipers off. another question - what did you use to secure the pads to the callipers? i bought some 210 degree celcius silicon stuff. the guy at the auto said to get this ulta slick engine assembly lube to prevent squeeks and stuff, dunno if or where ill use it yet.

 

the pads are held in place on the caliper bracket by two "clips". there is a clip at the top and bottom of each side of the caliper bracket that secures the pads in place. i've never used any "anti squeal" lube. the pads that i buy always have an anti squeal shim on them to help prevent brake noise.