changing front pads and rotors question

[81SPIDERMATT]

have had squeaky brakes for some time now ... started on the left front and then the right chimed in not much later... brakes work great but the squeak is driving me mad ... now starting to pull a little to the left when brakes are applied ..... got some unexpected cash and have ordered new rotors and pads for the front ( I pulled the front right wheel the other day and have quite the nice groove going on that rotor) ..time crunch did not allow further inspection but did help with the decision to purchase new stuff ...last night removed front left tire and grove on that rotor makes the right one seem small .. to date I have done all the work myself and the first go around I rebuilt calipers and new soft brake lines at all the corners .... as cheap as the rotors are I decided for new over trying to turn them as the groove , I am sure, is beyond repair.... and now to my question .... is there such a thing as a no bleed front pads replacement ???? ..capable of doing what ever is needed but hoping that pushing the calipers in and throwing on new pads without bleeding is an option .... long winded simple question ..but a question that I don't know the answer to none the less ... thanks for any advise .... Matt

[4uall]

Matt you should have no problems doing that

I have done it. http://wwwe.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopi ... lit=brakes

Here is a good article http://repautoir.blogspot.ca/2013/09/fi ... guide.html

[azruss]

yes, this can be done. use a c-clamp between the piston and the back of the caliper. you can usually put enough pressure on the piston to make it retract. this is probably forcing fluid to go the wrong way in the MC. I would recommend cracking the bleeder after you have a little clamp pressure and let the excess fluid out through the bleeder. As long as fluid is going out the bleeder, no air is coming in.

[majicwrench]

Fluid passes both ways thru mc anyway, just use C clamp, go slow, no need to open bleeder.

BUT if C clamp won't smoothly and easily push piston back, you have a problem in your caliper.
And before removing tires, jack up, see if one side drags. If so, tap on caliper, does that free it up?? Step on brakes a few times again, draggin again?? Houston, you have a problem.

[81SPIDERMATT]

good to hear .... will do as suggested ... and report failures and successes as they come up... waiting on parts... until then ... squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeking along

side note ... xtra cash came from billiards tournament .... if I do well second week of june ... I am going to vegas with travel, hotel, tourney entry fee paid and 1500 spending cash ... and a shot at 50 grand ... how cool is that

[RRoller123]

very cool!

[So Cal Mark]

what caused the groove? Pushing the pistons back without opening the bleeder can result in mc failure. You have to possibility of pushing debris back due to the volume of fluid you're moving. It doesn't happen often, but it can happen

[fiat50state]

Aloha ! I have done many brake jobs on all kinds of vehicles. The $40 brake jobs you see advertised at different places are just that. The shop uses the cheapest priced pads/shoes and they just push the caliper back in and no machine work what so ever. Also that means no bleeding and saves time. Now for some people...thats just the ticket. Keep the brakes working and the price tag at a minimum, But if you have ever pulled the piston out of a caliper ( after removing the dust cover/rubber boot ) youll usually find a kind of yellow gummy residue. thats from the old brake fluid and all the heat it absorbed. So now with your brake job. Take the time to look at the pads carefully and see what kind of wear they have .a stuck caliper can have the pads on one side worn prematurely or not at all compared to the other side. apon disassembly youll also notice that there isnt any kind of seal or O-ring. everything stays dry because of very close tolarences. A shop that has to be liable for such a critical service/repair has to do it right. or not at all...So the same should apply to the home mechanic.Do it right the first time and take a little more time and it will be so much more worth while in the end. Peace of mind can be priceless......BTW i have also worked in a automotive machine shop and have seen all kinds of drums and rotors...some are beyond turning.........Keep me posted