Need help with the brakes

[tdiman]

hey guys, I'm new here and I've got some work to do on my solara. I've done some searching but I can't find exactly what I need, so here it goes.

I've got a 2000 Solara I4 and the brakes are making an awful grinding. The shop says it'll cost me $1k for front calipers, pads(front) and rotors(front) so I'm going to tackle this myself. I just have a few questions:

I've replaced pads, and rotors in the past but never on this car (I've had German cars in the past). Are there any special tricks I should look for (i.e. a screw holding the rotor on?).

I've never done calipers before, so I've been looking for a specific tutorial, possibly replacing the brake line, or something detailing the removal of the brake line from the caliper and bleeding of the brakes. Anyone have any tips, or tutorials you could point me to?

Any suggestions on parts locations would be helpful too. I found new calipers from Advanautoparts.com for about $90 which is $275 cheaper than what the dealer is charging, any thoughts on these?

Advance auto part number: L46828M & L46829M

Thanks

[Solarafreek]

Are you sure you need calipers? Noise might be just your pads.

[tdiman]

Are you sure you need calipers? Noise might be just your pads.

The dealer said one of the calipers was hung up and needed to be replaced. What I'm thinking is maybe just do the rotors and pads and see if it goes away. When I'm in there I should be able to tell if the caliper is bad.

How is the piston retracted in the caliper? Will a C-clamp work, or do I need a special tool?

[Jai_Jai_Binks]

If you have done brakes..you have done brakes. Its simple if you know what your doing. Sounds like you need new pads and rotors to me. that $1K job pretty much entailed 600 in labor i presume. Do yourself a favor and befriend someone who has worked on them to look over your shoulder if you are unsure.

[Solarafreek]

How is the piston retracted in the caliper? Will a C-clamp work, or do I need a special tool?

C-clamp will work.

[bassthrive]

why calipers? are they siezing on you? i would just do pads first, maybe rotors. do rotors if they are scored, warped or otherwise damaged. rotors are held on by the pads and wheel lug nuts, no special bolts.

pads are cheap and easy, here's how you do it on our cars...

tools...
jack and jackstands
tire iron
torque wrench
disc brake cleaner
new brake pads (duh)
high temp grease
anti-sieze or disc brake quiet
c-clamp
coat hanger, wire or bungee


- jack the car up on jackstands, take the wheel off (put this wheel under the frame rail for another layer of safety)
- remove two caliper bolts (aka sliding pins)
- slide out the caliper and hang it up and out of the way
- remove the anti-squeal springs if you have them (I4), shims and old pads *
- using an old pad or a piece of scrap wood, push the piston back into the caliper with the c-clamp to make room for your new pads (suggest you open the brake fluid reservior and check that it doesnt overflow when you do this if your old pads were really worn)
- clean the sliding pins, shims, new pads and brake rotor with brakleen
- clip the shims into the new pads with layers of anti-sieze or anti-squeal disc brake quiet sandwiched between them (do not use on braking surface of course)
- lube the sliding pins with high temp grease, replace the pads and slide the caliper back onto the torque plate
- install the pins and torque to 25 ft-lbs
- replace the wheel

i highly recommend investing in a repair manual. the haynes manual is decent.

to remove the caliper, simply undo the banjo bolt and thats it. plug it up with a rubber stopper or section of hose to keep the fluid from leaking all over your floor.

* for the brake rotor, after you remove the caliper, undo the two larger bolts holding the brake caliper torque plate on. you may need to beat on the rotor with a sledge to loosen it. wash the new rotor in brakleen, pop it on the wheel studs and reinstall the torque plate at 79 ft-lbs.

[tdiman]

why calipers? are they siezing on you? i would just do pads first, maybe rotors. do rotors if they are scored, warped or otherwise damaged. rotors are held on by the pads and wheel lug nuts, no special bolts.

pads are cheap and easy.

tools...
jack and jackstands
tire iron
torque wrench
disc brake cleaner
new brake pads (duh)
high temp grease
anti-sieze or disc brake quiet
c-clamp
coat hanger, wire or bungee


- jack the car up on jackstands, take the wheel off (put this wheel under the frame rail for another layer of safety)
- remove two caliper bolts (aka sliding pins)
- slide out the caliper and hang it up and out of the way
- remove the anti-squeal springs if you have them (I4), shims and old pads
- using an old pad or a piece of scrap wood, push the piston back into the caliper with the c-clamp to make room for your new pads (suggest you open the brake fluid reservior and check that it doesnt overflow when you do this if your old pads were really worn)
- clean the sliding pins, shims, new pads and brake rotor with brakleen
- clip the shims into the new pads with layers of anti-sieze or anti-squeal disc brake quiet sandwiched between them (do not use on braking surface of course)
- lube the sliding pins with high temp grease, replace the pads and slide the caliper back onto the torque plate
- install the pins and torque to 25 ft-lbs
- replace the wheel

I highly recommend investing in a repair manual. The Haynes manual is decent.

yeah, rotors are scored, and the dealer says the calipers are seized. I'll pick up a haynes manual and go from there. Thanks.

[tdiman]

so... my only concern now is that if I get in there and a caliper is hung up, how do I replace the caliper and properly bleed the system?

Anyone know if the Haynes manual details this?

Is advanceauto an ok place to buy parts?

[bassthrive]

I'll pick up a haynes manual and go from there. Thanks.

That and a torque wrench are most important tools any fan of DIY should have. Good luck with the project, give us a shout if you need any advice.

[tdiman]

I've seen a few guys post now about the calipers.... so.... How would I determine if the caliper is actually bad? Is it rusted solid, does the piston not move? Is this a real obvious thing to determine?

[DaTwUnKrAziEpInOy]

I think if your caliper is bad you won't be able to push the piston back into the caliper.

[anttarz]

i am not sure how much a new caliper is, but i would look into getting one from the junkyard

[siennasc98]

How is the piston retracted in the caliper? Will a C-clamp work, or do I need a special tool?

C-clamp will work.

Get a 3" C-clamp, use the old pad and place it in the caliper with the pad material in front of the piston. Tighten the C-clamp bolt to push the piston.