E30 Zone

Anyone got a link to some info or care to inform me of how to do this?

Nothing in the wiki and searching was awkward as usual comming up with nothing.

I know its a novice question and I'll probably figure it out when I remove the wheels, but is there a trick to it or is it simples?

Brakes have just started touching metal on metal so need to be done tomorrow! fun, fun, fun.



TIA

Get yourself a haynes manual mate, it's well covered.
It's really straightforward.

Fair enough. I plan to get a haynes manual, but not on enough pennies atm to afford one...

I know brake pads have like 2 clips usually on either side. Is it just a case of unclipping-reclipping? Does the caliper need to come off or can it be done in situ?

take the whole caliper off, pads are easy to remove, pinch the spring.

I can't remember the exact process, only done one set, but it will be very obviously what to do when you take the wheel off. I saw it and double checked with Zaust off here if I was right about what to do, as it looked so simple lol. Genuinely the easiest car I have ever changed pads on.

Sounds good. I find it funny how I've rebuilt cylinder head and installed it on my car, yet I'm asking how to do this!

OK to do your front pads you will need....
Jack
Axle stands
13/14/15mm spanners
G clamp or brake calliper wind back tool
Copper grease
Wire brush
17mm socket and bar/impact gun....

Jack the front end up and put it on axle stands.

Front wheels off.

Cap slackened on the brake fluid bottle.

Turn the wheel so the Calliper you are working on is outwards (so you can get to the back of it ).

Now you need the spanners, 13mm and either 14 or 15mm, you will see two bolts holding the calliper to it's carrier with a slightly larger nut that needs holding still. You can just remove the lower bolt and swing the calliper up and tie it there with some string, or do as I do and remove them both, then tie the calliper to the coil spring so it is NOT hanging by the brake hose.

The pads should now be sat in the carrier and be easy to remove.

Now clean the carrier where the pads sit with a wire brush, I usually remove the carrier for this.

If you have the correct replacement pads then smear copper grease on the ends where they sit in the carrier, and on the back where they touch the calliper.. Don't get any on the pad itself, just the steel backing plate

Now it's time for pressing the calliper piston back in, using an old pad over the end of the piston press it back in nice and square using a G clamp, it should slide back smoothly.

Now re fit the calliper with the 13mm bolts, a dab of thread lock can be used and do them up nice and tight.

Now do it all again on the other side and don't forget to pump the brakes up before you drive it and check your brake fluid level and tighten the cap.

Take it a bit steady for at least the first 50 miles to bed the new pads in.

That's a fairly basic write-up but it should be helpful

buggers.. I could have just took some pics for you.. I just went out and done the ones on the front of my sport changed the pads, discs and fitted braided flexes. 15 minutes a side it took me.

not bleed them up yet but still to do the rear and will be changing the brake fluid aswell

I'm fitting EBC yellows tomorrow if pics are required...

Calliper sliding pins should be cleaned and greased while it's all apart.
Before you fit new pads to your old discs, measure the thickness of them. Minimum thickness for a vented disc is 20mm, and a pair of new Pagid discs from ECP aren't exactly expensive. As a rough rule, the life of a disc is two sets of pads.
Discs under minimum thickness do and will crack, as well as the worn surface taking much longer to bed in, and shortening the life of the new pads.

Thanks guys!

I'll be looking at this soon if my local has some pads in stock.

It's very similar to changing them on an E34 (search that) - apart from you can keep the calliper holder in place on an E34 or is it the other way round

fingerman wrote:It's very similar to changing them on an E34 (search that) - apart from you can keep the calliper holder in place on an E34 or is it the other way round

If your changing the discs the carrier needs to come off as it will be in the way

Easier on an E34 then

Right, cheers guys but it was pretty simple in the end. Around an hour and a bit and I was all done dusted and cleared up!

Although, my pads wore on the drivers side considerably faster than the passenger side, maybe by up to 5mm more pad on the p/s. Also, I have the pads that contain those sensor leads, yet only the p/s had this warning wire. Is this the usual or are both sides supposed to have it? The hole where the wire goes back into the engine bay is only on the p/s and no-existant on the d/s so there was no signs of one side being removed....

Pad sensors are only on front left and rear right.

Nay wrote:Right, cheers guys but it was pretty simple in the end. Around an hour and a bit and I was all done dusted and cleared up!

Although, my pads wore on the drivers side considerably faster than the passenger side, maybe by up to 5mm more pad on the p/s.

Could be that the n/s caliper is sticking a bit,did the piston look nice and shiney before you pushed it back?
Did it slide back easily?
Were/do the brakes pull the car to the right?

Actually, they pull the car to left ever so slightly and on te odd occasion. Which baffles me as to why that side wore down less. The pistons looked fine, but there was a lot of brake pad dust everywhere so nothing was 'shiney'.

I'll look into re-servicing some calipers when I do my bearings, which I think may be my next job to attempt.

Sticking calliper will make one pad wear faster than the other on the same hub.
The pads wore faster on the right probably because the disc surface is poor on that side. This not only wears the pads faster, but also makes the brake less effective than the left hand one, resulting in a pull to the left.