Is doing brake pads an easy DIY on these cars?

[Dillzio]

Hi all,

I've change brake pads previously on my old LX Torana, my VB and my VQ without too many hassles (once i got my hands on a big enough G clamp to push the pistons down with)

Are there any unforseen pitfalls i should know about when it comes to doing them on my WH? I'm guessing the only difference is that i need a small block or something to push both pistons down evenly with?

Cheers,

-Dylan

[DaveHAT]

Dylan,

Easiest way I've found to push the twin front pistons in is to crack the bleed nipple and use one of the old brake pads and a proper brake piston depressor.

G-clamp works fine as well.

Other than that ... the brakes on your WH should be essentially the same as all others so if you've done them yourself on others cars previously it should be a piece of piss for you.

good luck with it. :cheers:

[Drewie]

Don't know if it applies to the later cars, but when I had my VN SS into a brake specialist for new pads etc several years ago they changed the caliper lock bolts as they said they had a special locking compound on them and were a once only use, gave me back the 4 old bolts, they had a sort of lock tight or similiar on the bolts. Haven't needed to do the brakes on the VX SS yet so not sure if the later cars are the same or not.

[PBoB]

Don't know if it applies to the later cars, but when I had my VN SS into a brake specialist for new pads etc several years ago they changed the caliper lock bolts as they said they had a special locking compound on them and were a once only use, gave me back the 4 old bolts, they had a sort of lock tight or similiar on the bolts. Haven't needed to do the brakes on the VX SS yet so not sure if the later cars are the same or not.

If they had a blue or red substance on them then yes they would have had Loctite applied to them but I've never heard of them being one use only. You can put some sort of solvent on them like metho or something to get rid of the loctite, then I would assume you could use them again.

[VTR8Clubby]

I replaced the pads in my VT on the weekend and they came supplied with new bolts as they are a one use only bolt due to having a locking compound on the thread. I assume you could just use loctite if you don't get new ones though. They also came with fitting instructions in the boxes which surprised me.
It was quite n easy job aprt from on wheel being stuck to the hub, but that's another story.

[kingwalker]

Hi all,

I've change brake pads previously on my old LX Torana, my VB and my VQ without too many hassles (once i got my hands on a big enough G clamp to push the pistons down with)

Are there any unforseen pitfalls i should know about when it comes to doing them on my WH? I'm guessing the only difference is that i need a small block or something to push both pistons down evenly with?

Cheers,

-Dylanundo your bleed nipple a bit before you press your pistons back ,pushing your fluid back has been known to cause problems with your abs unit some times, it only takes a couple off minutes to bleed your brakes

[Dillzio]

if anyone has been following this thread check out Australian LS1 and Holden Forums (http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=93420)

[Mungrel]

If they had a blue or red substance on them then yes they would have had Loctite applied to them but I've never heard of them being one use only. You can put some sort of solvent on them like metho or something to get rid of the loctite, then I would assume you could use them again.

The reason you gotta replace them is not because of the loctite compound, but because you stretch the bolt when you tighten them up.
Torque to yield i think its called.

Essentially, you tighten the bolt to 90nm of torque, then a further 45 degrees (from memory)
What this does in addition to the loctite compound, is stretches the bolt preventing it from vibrating loose..
Any bolt that has a measurement in degrees after the torque rating is a stretch bolt.
A few more examples are your strut to knuckle bolts in the front suspension, LS1 head bolts and the 2 rear k frame bolts u need to undo to change the rear bushes.



http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/trek/4wd/nuts2.htm
As a nut is tightened onto a bolt, the bolt begins to stretch and grow longer. If you stretch it only a little bit, the bolt will return to its original length when you loosen the nut. Your bolt is still in the "elastic zone". In fact, steel is more elastic than rubber (try dropping a steel ball onto a steel plate). But eventually, as you keep stretching the bolt, you reach a point when the bolt doesn't return to its original length. You have passed the "elastic limit" and have now entered the "yield zone". Stretch the bolt now, and it yields - it stays stretched. Stretch it a little bit more, and go deeper into the "yield zone", and soon you will break the bolt.

Nuts like to loosen and come undone, especially when you apply heat, high-frequency vibration, and heavy loads (like in your 4WD). By a long process of trial and error, it has been found that they tend NOT to come undone when you stretch the bolt (fastener) to 50-60% of its "elastic limit". There is just the right amount of tension in the bolt/nut system, to give just the right friction between the threads of the nut and the bolt, so they don't come undone. But things are different in the land of biomechanics.