Technical New front pads and discs

[G Pywell]

Hi Guys,

Having just bled the brakes on my 57 plate Panda I noticed that the nearside front disc was scored. The scoring wasn't very deep and the pads have not worn down too much (considering the car's covered 31k). I'm tempted to change the pads and discs in the not too distant future. With this in mind I've read the posts on this site and I'm fairly confident of doing the task but I would like to see pictures of the process and so I was wondering if using an Haynes Manual for a Punto would suffice?
Also, is there anything I should be weary of when changing the discs & brakes?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Regards
Graham

 

[Thunderbug]

I think you should change your pads n disc's as soon as possible just to be sure & your piece of mind. Buy a set of "Mintex" ones off Ebay for pennies.

 

[KozmoNaut]

I'm tempted to change the pads and discs in the not too distant future. With this in mind I've read the posts on this site and I'm fairly confident of doing the task but I would like to see pictures of the process and so I was wondering if using an Haynes Manual for a Punto would suffice?
Also, is there anything I should be weary of when changing the discs & brakes?

I just did the brakes on my MJ and it's actually pretty easy.

When you pull the wheels off (remember to use axle stands/jackstands to support the car!), you have plenty of space to work around the brakes. Now, mine's an MJ, so it has slightly larger ventilated front discs, but the basic process should be the same, assuming the calipers are similar.

Looking at the caliper, you should be able to see that it's made up of two parts: the frame, which holds the pads, and the piston housing, which sits inside the frame.

The piston housing is attached to the frame with two bolts on the rear of the caliper. Remove those (they're the only two 13mm bolts in that entire area of the car) and you should be able to remove the piston housing by pulling it towards the front of the car.

Now you have access to the pads. The mounting system is pretty easy to figure out, they're held in by two clips each and can be pulled out by hand with a bit of wiggling. Slot in the new pads, I found it easiest to slot them into the bottom clip and sort of angle them in.

Push the piston all the way back into the housing. You should be able to do this by hand, but you may have to use a clamp and a piece of scrap wood. Fit the housing back over the new pads and screw the caliper back together.

Make sure to pump the brake pedal a few times before you go for a ride! Otherwise, you're not going to get much stopping power the first couple of tries

Oh yeah, one more thing. Remember to put the pads in the right way round. My friend is never going to live that down Thankfully, all that happened was that the backing plate on one of the pads got a little mangled and we had to do some extra work. Put them in the right way round and it's all good.

Regarding your discs, unless they're scored enough to catch a fingernail, I wouldn't worry. As long as the lip at the edge of the disc isn't deeper than 1-1½mm, they can easily last another set of pads and with only 31K miles on your car, I can almost guarantee that they're still good.

Mine's still on the original discs with 70K km on them.

 

[jrkitching]

Hi Guys,

Having just bled the brakes on my 57 plate Panda I noticed that the nearside front disc was scored. The scoring wasn't very deep and the pads have not worn down too much (considering the car's covered 31k). I'm tempted to change the pads and discs in the not too distant future. With this in mind I've read the posts on this site and I'm fairly confident of doing the task but I would like to see pictures of the process and so I was wondering if using an Haynes Manual for a Punto would suffice?
Also, is there anything I should be weary of when changing the discs & brakes?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Regards
Graham

It's a simple and straightforward job, new discs can be had for less than £20 a pair so you may just as well change them now if you in any doubt as to their condition.

You might have a read of this - although it's from the 500 section, the brakes are identical except for the Panda having no wear indicator.

https://www.fiatforum.com/500/281466-500-disc-brakes-problems-solutions.html

 

[babbo_umbro]

Two comments. It's got to be one of the easiest maintenance tasks and is really a matter of common sense. But - it's also a life-or-death matter so if you're in any doubt at all, get it done by a competent workshop.

 

[G Pywell]

Many thanks for those helpful responses. It's good to know there's folks out there willing to offer their advice.

 

[lamlash]

Easy job but if in doubt ask someone to check it over when you're done.

A couple of tips:

• Genuine Fiat pads are only £13 from shop4parts.Discs are £18.
• Clean any protective grease from the new discs with methylated spirit (or similar)
• Give the hub a really good clean up (e.g. using wire wool) and put a thin smear of copper grease on it before fitting the new disc
• If you have to push the caliper pistons back in to fit new pads (which will be fatter than the old worn ones) do this very slowly and gently with a flat lever and keep an eye on the brake fluid level in the reservoir as you do it.

When I did mine after only 25K miles I needed to replace the pins as well as they were badly corroded and quite rough. Its a very expenisve "kit" from Fiat which includes the pins, split pins, anti rattle springs, etc. (something crazy like £25 and had to be ordered in).

 

[jrkitching]

• If you have to push the caliper pistons back in to fit new pads (which will be fatter than the old worn ones) do this very slowly and gently with a flat lever and keep an eye on the brake fluid level in the reservoir as you do it.

You'll almost certainly need to do this if you're fitting new pads. A suitably-sized G clamp allows the pistons to be compressed easily with complete control.

Best practice is to first clamp the appropriate brake line, then attach a bleeding tube to the nipple & slacken it off, thus allowing the fluid displaced when you compress the piston to drain into a suitable container.

The most contaminated brake fluid is the stuff inside the caliper, and you don't want to force contaminated fluid back up the lines as this could cause damage to the ABS modulator.

Check brake fluid levels after you've finished, and consider this could be a good time to change the fluid unless you're sure it's been done in the past year.

 

[trackdayqueen]

I'm all for doing things properly, but if you're worried about pushing contaminated fluid being pushed back up your brake line, then you probably need to change your fluid. Besides I think fluid tends to circulate anyway.

I've never found it necessary to clamp a brake line (which isn't great for the line), just take the top off the fluid when you push the piston back in, job done.

 

[jrkitching]

I'm all for doing things properly, but if you're worried about pushing contaminated fluid being pushed back up your brake line, then you probably need to change your fluid.

Changing the fluid when you change the pads is well worth doing. I've often noticed the grubbiest fluid is the bit that comes through first - which is why just testing a sample from the reservoir could mislead you into thinking the fluid's still OK.

I've never found it necessary to clamp a brake line (which isn't great for the line), just take the top off the fluid when you push the piston back in, job done.

Shouldn't be a problem with plain rubber hoses if you use proper clamps & don't overtighten, but I can see where you're coming from if you've fitted braided lines. In any case, I'd rather replace a brake hose than the ABS modulator. It may only be a small risk, but the consequences could be very expensive if a few rust particles end up in the wrong place - modulator clearances are very tight.

 

[KozmoNaut]

• Genuine Fiat pads are only £13 from shop4parts.Discs are £18.

Almost half of one of the old pads I took off my car literally crumbled when I removed it. Not very comforting, considering it was an OEM (Bosch) pad.

I'm sticking with SBS, EBC, TRW Lucas and Brembo from now on, thank you very much