Technical Front brake service

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Technical Front brake service

Joined
Jul 22, 2014
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Panda lounge 2012 37K miles

Hi
Sorting the bits to service my front brakes.
When I come to push back the piston for new pad clearence, do I
need a wind in/out tool or is it just a push like my old Seicento brake calipers?

Thanks
Phil
 
Hi.
Just standard calipers, not the wind in type like in some VW cars. Nice easy brakes to service. Make sure the slides are free, clean off any corrosion and use copper grease on the moving parts. The discs could be at the wear limit at that mileage, good aftermarket discs are better than the OE Fiat ones.
 
Hi.
Just standard calipers, not the wind in type like in some VW cars. Nice easy brakes to service. Make sure the slides are free, clean off any corrosion and use copper grease on the moving parts. The discs could be at the wear limit at that mileage, good aftermarket discs are better than the OE Fiat ones.
As Murphy says, nice and easy to do, caliper pistons just push back. You can use a joiner's "C" clamp or other device to save money.

There is an argument to be made for clamping off the flex hose on the caliper you are working on and opening the bleed nipple before retracting the piston. This will expel the fluid in the caliper (so a brake bleeding tube and container is a good idea) and stop it being forced back into the main reservoir and maybe some going through the ABS module. The reasoning is that any foreign bodies lurking in the caliper will not get into, and potentially block, the ABS module. Personally I do try to do it but if the nipple is badly corroded and feels as if it's going to snap off I just push the piston back anyway! So far never had a problem. A few years ago I asked around a number of people I know who work in garages and I don't think one of them bothered with the bleed nipple slackening! Of course if you do go the bleed nipple slackening route, remember to top up the reservoir before you finish won't you?

There seems to be a similar grey and foggy area around the use of anti seize greases containing ground metal (Copa slip, Alum slip and the like) It is now recommended that ceramic based products are better. For many many years I automatically reached for the Copa slip (Just one manufacturer's name for copper based anti seize grease) when assembling brakes and it served me well. The problem seems to have arisen with the introduction of ABS brakes. These earlier designs had a segmented "reluctor", ring often mounted on the CV joint, with an exposed pickup sensor positioned on the hub so that it's end was in close proximity to the reluctor ring. It worked on magnetic induction principles so if a bit of copper grease were to find it's way onto the sensor or ring it would interfere with the sensor output and throw up a DTC and dashboard light. Using a ceramic based, non electrically conducting grease banishes this possibility. Modern designs now incorporate the reluctor in the wheel bearing - so you have to be very careful when renewing a wheel bearing as it has to be done just right. I have to say that I continued, in ignorance, to use the copper based product for years after ABS was introduced and never knowingly had a problem. However I have been using Mintex's CeraTec (other brands available) for quite a few years now "just in case" and there is a very interesting bit all about it on the Mintex website - Copper slip Vs Ceratec: Facts for the modern mechanic. - if you want to avail yourself.

As a last thought. Buy yourself a spray can of brake cleaner. DON'T INHALE THE DUST. The days of asbestos brake and clutch lining materials is supposed to be behind us now - but who knows what might be in some of these counterfeit items we hear of? But even if there's no asbestos in it the dust is still evil stuff. Wet it down and clear it away with the spray. I have a bag of large rags (torn up old sheets etc) so I lay out one of these under the caliper (brake back plate if it's a drum), with a bit of cardboard underneath to avoid marking my sandstone colored driveway slabs and use the spray and an old paint brush to wash the caliper clean, the dirt being caught by the rag as it drips down.

So I hope all goes smoothly for you and nothing unexpected causes you any problems.
Kind regards
Jock
 
Thanks for the helpful responses gents...
Trying to get stuff done whilst the weather is behaving.
The brakes are just over half worn so it's about that time.
Will be changing discs and pads.
Just got to nip and get some torx ends for my 1/2" bar to shift the caliper frame bolts.

Onwards and upwards (y)

Phil
 
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