Technical Help with Brakes

[mattjsmith]

Hi, this is my first post so please be gentle, and I appologise in advance if this is in the wrong area or something!

I've been replacing the front brake pads with my mate on his panda (2010 model, 1.2L) and I've ran into a couple of problems.

Firstly, I cannot get one of the guide pins (FL) to come undone, and have broken two allen keys trying. am I OK to squirt a bit of WD40 in there (brakes+lubricants not always a good idea) Or does anyone have any tips on getting them loose?

Secondly, when unscrewing the guide pin I damaged (now unusable) the two rubber seals that sit either side of the pin. Is this a serious problem (setting myself up for asking a stupid question perhaps?) and also, can anyone tell me the best place to buy replacements.

Looking back now it was probably not a good idea to attempt this ourselves, but I had a "How hard can it be?" moment and now I'd feel stupid taking it to a garage saying I've done half a job and failed


Thank you in advance

Matt

 

[Bri]

Anything to do with brakes should be undertaken with a professional engineer or a competant DIY. Playing with brakes can kill people if your unsure get a mechanic to do the job its not too expensive.....

 

[DavePanda100]

Not sure if they are the same but on my 100hp I undid the two bolts on the back of the calliper and popped them off that way

10mm IIRC

The rear pads, now they caused me grief

 

[jrkitching]

Hi, this is my first post so please be gentle, and I appologise in advance if this is in the wrong area or something!

I've been replacing the front brake pads with my mate on his panda (2010 model, 1.2L) and I've ran into a couple of problems.

Firstly, I cannot get one of the guide pins (FL) to come undone, and have broken two allen keys trying. am I OK to squirt a bit of WD40 in there (brakes+lubricants not always a good idea) Or does anyone have any tips on getting them loose?

Secondly, when unscrewing the guide pin I damaged (now unusable) the two rubber seals that sit either side of the pin. Is this a serious problem (setting myself up for asking a stupid question perhaps?) and also, can anyone tell me the best place to buy replacements.

Looking back now it was probably not a good idea to attempt this ourselves, but I had a "How hard can it be?" moment and now I'd feel stupid taking it to a garage saying I've done half a job and failed


Thank you in advance

Matt

Matt, get youself a decent allen key socket & you should be able to get those guide pins out.

 

[trackdayqueen]

The trouble is matt, if you've damaged the seals, they could be prone to seizing up in the future.

So you'll need to replace those as they are there to keep the brake dust out which is quite corrosive.

Squirting a bit of WD40 in there if you need to is fine, just clean up the disc afterwards.

 

[Bri]

Ive been called out dozens of times with these DIY motorists that try and save a few bob ,but where the problem lies are seized calipers/wrong pads/or inferior pads,even caliper damage due to ham fisted DIYers.""If in doubt leave it out"" Especially anything to do with brakes...Sorry but ive been out to "RTAs" where people have died due to brakes etc being wrongly fitted or other problems that DIYers have done.....I remember looking at some pads that had copper grease smeared "To the pad face" because somebody had told them to stop a squeal they should put copper grease on the pad .(Backing of the pad)not the front...Dangerous

 

[David Bliss]

You should have asked for advice before starting. The pins you were trying to remove should not be touched, they are Loctited in for a good reason! There is a small pin, held in by a hairgrip-type clip at the bottom of the caliper. When you remove the clip and pin the calipers hinge upwards (on the pin you tried to remove). The pads can now be slid out. When reassembling use copper grease on the pressure parts where the pads slide against the calipers (not on the front of the pads!!). Keep any oil or grease away from the dust boots as it will attack the rubber.

I have seen some dreadful DIY attempts to work on brakes, you must know what you are doing before you start. You will now need to have a complete kit fitted (the kits are available from main dealers and probably cost about £20).