Front Brake Replacement

[jaggedfish]

Well folks... the repair bug has firmly planted eggs all over my bus and new ones keep hatching. I just had to replace my exhaust system... that's another story but went to custom 2-1/2" Magnaflow side exit system - nice!

Then another egg hatched in my front brakes - lovely grinding sound and subsequent sinking feeling in my gut. Parked the bus at home and got replacement pads and rotors and did the repair work in the driveway over the last couple evenings - only lost the skin on one knuckle!

The grinding sound turned out to be the Japanese version of brake "squealers" as the brakes weren't down to metal yet... close tho.

I will write out my methods after this post because I now think yet another egg has hatched and it seems both calipers may be seized. On one, the centre piston on the back side of the caliper doesn't seem to want to move and on the other the outside pistons don't seem to move. The question is... how easily should it be to push the pistons in to accept the new pads? The pads were unevenly worn on one side for sure and the marks where the pads sat while the van was stored in Japan are still on the disc. I am assuming that is another symptom and it seems the brakes haven't worked properly from day one (over a year ago) because of the marks on the disc still being there - I figure the marks should've worn off after 25,000 km.

Any ideas?
Many thanks!

[coaxial]

one of my pistons was sticking due to the rubber seal around it having a puncture. It filled with water/mud and quickly rusted, etc. Replaced both calipers and pads and things are good again. I am told I need new rotors though.

At one point when checking pads I had to get one of the pistons back 'in' to re-assemble and it really didn't want to budge. Looked around for a tool the right size to wedge in there and ended up sticking the head of a regular hammer in there and prying on it, that was enough force to slowly send the piston back in.

[vixentd]

Use a large c clamp to push the piston back.

[jaggedfish]

I spoke to Glen at CC Autos and he said seized calipers are a very common problem on Delicas. If you aren't close to him for ease of delivery, these are available off-the-shelf at Lordco for $75 a piece plus a $60 refundable core charge for the return of the old calipers - same price as Glen. Cheap insurance in my mind when it comes to blowing a seal and having to re-replace the brake pads.

As far as pushing the piston in... if you have to push REALLY hard with REALLY big tools and not have the pistons move, your bus probably can't move them either.

More to come...

[parkside]

DO NOT USE THOSE OLD CALIPERS!!!!!!! They will only cause you more grief.

[jaggedfish]

Okay! Brakes are done! Next project... trailer hitch...

So the brakes weren't too difficult to do. I will do up a description of the process but will have to poach some pix from another thread if I may. There was a post on dual piston calipers that had some good info on it. There was only one error on the tools list in that post regarding a torx head driver... actually (mine, at least) was a #2 phillips head srewdriver instead.

Just a brief point until I write everything out... loosen the bolts holding the hub and rotor while the assembly is on the vehicle. By inserting a large screwdriver thru the top caliper mounting hole, you can easily prevent the rotor assembly from turning while trying to initially crack (that first movement of loosening) the bolts. It's mostly easy after that.

Desciption to come...

[snelson]

Hey Jagged - any update on the rotor/pad/caliper replacement write up?
I think I'm due to replace all these, but trying to find a step-by-step to help me through....
Cheers

[jaggedfish]

Hey SNelson!

Sorry for the delay.... apparently I have taken too much on again. Will try to get it done very soon for you. Where DOES the time go?

[snelson]

Ya I know what you mean....

I have a faint "whompa-whompa-whompa" sound and a very slight steering wheel wobble when driving, I'm thinking I either need my tires balanced, but more likely my rotors are warped. They get pretty hot after a long drive with little braking....

Anyhow - looking forward to the write up...!

[Meanman]

.... Cheap insurance in my mind when it comes to blowing a seal .......More to come...

Do you do that in the water or wait for them on shore? How do you get them to hold still? Do you just club them like the Newfies do?

[jaggedfish]

OMG!... I just laughed very loud in the middle of my office! Didn't think anyone would figure out my lifestyle choices so soon. Gotta sneak up on 'em... those seals are very skittish.

So... SNelson... I had the same wobble you speak of. Yup, warped discs due to partially seized calipers. I will write something up this weekend. It's a pretty simple operation but there were a couple things it took a while to figure out because the grease in the hubs obscured the answers from being obvious.

The difference was astonishing and I thought I was going to roll over forwards the first time I hit the new brakes. If I forget later... the brakes will smell hot for a few days while the pads seat themselves - nothing to worry about.

[jaggedfish]

Okay… so here’s the process as I remember it. Will add photos later if I can poach a few (my camera was broken at the time).

1. Remove plastic hub cap and carefully remove the clip ring that holds it in place.

2. Loosen lug nuts on wheel.

3. Jack up front end and… while this may be stating the obvious, it is important to note that once the front end is high enough, us jack stands to protect you from any malfunction with the jack. 400 pounds of Delica doesn’t feel so good sitting on your face.

4. Undo the lug nuts and remove the wheel.

5. Remove the caliper assemblies (2 bolts) and tie them to the upper control arm out of the way so they aren’t hanging from the rubber brake hose.

6. At this point, if you don’t have a healthy bench vise (which I don’t) I recommend loosening the bolts holding the rotor and hub together now. This can be awkward but I used a non-ratcheted universal and short socket to get behind the outside ring of the hub. I also used a large screwdriver inserted thru one of the mounting holes for the calipers to help prevent the rotor from turning while trying to break loose the bolts. A little MacGyver-ish but it worked well and made things easier later.

7. Remove the chrome cap from the end of the hub. I used an oil filter wrench as I couldn’t undo it by hand.

8. Remove the C-clip retainer – carefully! – these are very springy and will vanish if you allow it to fly.

9. Remove the thin flat washer.

10. Undo and remove the 8mm Allan bolts and remove the locking hub assembly.

11. Undo and remove the Phillips head screws and the retainer ring – they are not very tight and are quite delicate so be careful not to strip the heads.

12. Undo the second retaining clip – this one is threaded on to the driveshaft housing and should spin off fairly easily by using 2 screwdrivers (in holes on opposite sides of the clip).

13. CAREFULLY remove the rotor/hub assembly from the shaft. It helps to try to get the outer bearing out first by pushing the rotor/hub back into place to gently pop out the bearing. It’s a drag to have the grease covered bearing hit the ground and pick up all sorts of grit which will have to be thoroughly cleaned before reinstalling.

Also be careful of the bearing seal on the back side of the hub – if you damage it in any way it should be replaced prior to reinstall.

14. On your work bench, (if you haven’t already done this) remove the nuts and bolts holding the rotor and hub together.

15. CAREFULLY remove the rear bearing seal (2 parts – clip and seal) and the rear bearing from the assembly.

16. To separate the hub and rotor, I had to stand 2 scrap 2x6’s on edge under the rotor with a thick rag underneath to catch the hub when I hammered it out (back side up). I used a scrap piece of 2x4 on the hub which took the hit from the hammer so not to damage the hub.

17. Clean all dirt, rust and debris from the hub so the new rotor will sit flush when installed. I gently used a fine sand paper to clean the area where the 2 meet.

18. Install the new rotor and bolt together with the hub – make sure the rotor is facing the right way!

19. I suggest cleaning and re-packing the bearings (with bearing grease) if they are in good shape or replace them if they are not.

20. Install the rear bearing and bearing seal – not the front bearing yet tho.

21. Install the rotor/hub assembly GENTLY back on the shaft and carefully push the front bearing into place.

22. Reinstall the threaded bearing retainer ring and over-tighten to press the bearing firmly into place. Loosen the retainer ring again and tighten it only so it fits snugly against the bearing and the hub spins without feeling forced.

23. Reinstall the outer retainer ring and Phillips head screws.

24. Reinstall the locking hub assembly, washer, C-clip and chrome cap in reverse order to above.

25. IMPORTANT – use brake cleaner to clean the rotor surface that the pads contact – clean all the oil and grease that was on them from the manufacturer to prevent them from rusting while packaged. Have rags or paper towels underneath to catch the drips and protect your shop floor or driveway and our environment.

26. Undo the brake lines from the old calipers – 2 bolts hold the bracket on and one brake line fitting (nipple) at the end of the brake line where it joins the caliper. Brake fluid will come out so have something handy to catch it.

27. Attach the new calipers to the brake line – be very careful not to cross-thread the nipple as this will cause you much grief.

28. Install the new pads into the calipers – keep greasy fingers off the braking surface!

29. Reinstall the caliper assembly onto the rotors and bolt in place.
Don’t put your wheel back on yet!!!

30. Repeat above for the other side.

31. Bleed the brake lines – you will need a helper! Ensure there is sufficient brake fluid in the reservoir (it’s to the right of you steering wheel on the side of the dash).

32. Put your wheels back on, lower back to the ground, tighten lug nuts.

I had troubles reinstalling the hub caps over the clips and wound up breaking the plastic clips. I’ve discarded them for now.

33. FASTEN YOUR SEATBELT FOR STRONG BRAKING POWER!!!

Note that the brakes will smell hot for the first while during the seating process – this is normal.

I think I covered it all… if anyone notes anything missing I will be happy to edit.

Cheers!
Ian

[thelazybrownfox]

Mechanic wannabe's
If the front rotors are warped the reason can often be found in the rear brakes. Yes, it's that simple!!
Once you replace the front rotors you must balance the brakes otherwise your rotors will warp again. Here is a guide to follow and You may not have to replace the calipers.

1-Replace the rotors and top up the brake fluid.
2-Reset the rear brakes by pumping the rear brakes while driving in reverse in a straight line.
note: rear brakes will reset unevenly if not set in a straight line. Your delica will pull to one side when braking. Very scary on gravel roads!!
3- The brake pedal should top up. If your van doesn't pull to one side when braking you have done well.
4- Test your front brakes after replacing and resetting the warped rotors. Drive down a steep hill on a quiet street and listen. Roll down both your front windows, you should hear no squealing of either side and equal brake sounds from both sides.
5-Any brake sounds should quieten when you remove your heavy foot from the brake pedal.

Pump and reset the brakes in reverse on a frequent basis.

Don't replace the calipers unless brake noise continues after the quiet test. Bleed and replace you brake fluid if you haven't already. Have fun and don't repair more than you have to.

Wayne

[jaggedfish]

I agree with Wayne in principle in that one doesn't have to fix more than necessary. There does need to be a qualifying note to that tho...

In the case of my repair, it was a very obvious problem of partially seized calipers that made it necessary to replace them. This was noted to me as a very typical problem to Delicas by those who know them well. Rather than risk warping another set of rotors by taking the chance the calipers weren't seized (they were) it was recommended to do the whole job which is not expensive anyway.

If your pads have uneven wear to the 2 sides of each caliper then the caliper is not putting equal pressure to both sides of the rotor - this would likely indicate the caliper is partially seized (one side seized, the other not) even tho it is still providing some braking power.

If you do discover an imbalance between front and back, I agree this needs to be addressed but don't ignore a seized caliper as a result.

Cheers!
Ian