Quote:
Originally Posted by markopolo
I have OEM front brake pads on the way and just wondered if anyone has any tips for me re: installing them. I have shop manual instructions and it look pretty straightforward.
I went with OEM because I've had had no problems with the current brakes.
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Are the OEM for you van ceramic or semi-metallic? Our 07 had the ceramic, which have been a problem for some folks. We went to semi-metallic. If you are happy with what you have, no need to change.
There are a lot of opinions on how much, and what, is really needed at brake pad changes. I think I am a minimalist on some things and picky on a couple of others. As I see it.
Turning rotors: I never have the rotors turned unless they have very deep grooves in them or lots of the burnt hard spots, as long as they pass runout test.
Sanding the rotors to remove the grey material and give a good surface for break in: I think this is usually a very good idea. The only exception would be if the pads going in are the same type and quality and the grey transfer layer looks perfect and uniform. I just changed the pads on my old Buick (semi-metallic) and didn't sand because the rotors looked perfect and it worked fine. My guess is that ceramic would need the sanding more than the semi-metallic as they don't seem to transfer material as well.
Lubricating and freeing up the sliders: I think this is one of the most overlooked and important things to do regularly. I check ours once a year. There are lots of different styles, but the caliper slides have to be freely moving if you want the pads to wear evenly and not drag. Most will have some kind of pin and bushing setup with rubber seals. They stick regularly. Clean up or replace, with good high temp brake grease (just a little so it doesn't bleed out on the rotors) on them. Most will slide very easily by hand, limit to limit, when the pads are out and that is the time to check them. I did need to clean up the Buick ones, which were steel pins though a rubber seal and into aluminum bushings that were somewhat corroded.
Deglaze the pads: Most pads used to come to you right out of the molds or sheets and often had high resin content on the surface of them that could make for poor breakin. A quick sanding on a flat surface with 120 grit sandpaper takes off the excess resin and gives a good surface for breakin. A lot of the better pads now claim to be flame treated or already sanded, but I usually give them a quick sanding anyway as it take less than a minute.
Clean all the locating surfaces: The end of the piston, the shims if reused, the outside shoe locating spots, the caliper where the ends of the shoes hook and slide. All this will keep the pads from sticking and reduce squeal potential.
Check the pistons for leaks as you push them back with a C clamp: I often use a vise grip welding clamp that also works really well as it gets into tighter areas. I never rebuild or replace caliper pistons unless they are leaking or stuck.
Check all the flexible hoses for cracks: Having any cracks is very dangerous, so zero is the only acceptable number. Also any hoses over 10-15 years old should be replaced. All of this also applies to the very hard to get at and work on rear axle flex line, which most people forget is even there because it is hard to see.
Change all the brake fluid: Most overlooked maintenance item around, I think. We do ours every 3 years maximum and have not had a wet part failure since we started doing it. That is nearly 30 years without a problem and includes one car at 18.5 years and 210K and another at 15 years and 177K.
Break in per the instructions for the pads. Usually hard stops from progressively increasing speeds. At the end of the brake in, you will usually be able to smell a bit of hot brake pads, which is just right. The big thing is after all the stops in the breakin and at the end is to get moving again immediately so you don't imprint the pads on the rotors. A ten minute drive to cool them off when done is a good idea.
Chevy GMC brake pads, any tips
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