T5.1 Brake Rotor and Pad Replacement

[The_Hawk]

I have a little project over the weekend (I was hoping to get the bits and pieces before the long weekend here in Victoria but missed that by a couple of days).

I bought a set of DBA rotors and new pads from Brakes Direct, I have also picked up a wind back tool for the pistons in the rear.


These videos (and a bunch of other links I’ve read) leave me feeling pretty confident I know what I’m ding.
Front:
YouTube

Rear:
YouTube

Changing pads on a 2.5 TDi - VW T4 Forum - VW T5 Forum


I need to confirm I have all the tools I need, but I’m pretty sure I have a 21mm socket, 7mm hex and 10mm torx (although this looks like a triple square which I’m pretty sure I also have anyway) but they are all easy enough to pick up if I need them.

Note to me: Make sure the van isn’t blocking the Golf in when I start… just in case I need something

So the questions I have:

Copper anti seize between the hub and the rotor? Any brand suggestions (and places to get it)?
Grease for the slider pins. Any brand suggestions (and places to get it)?
That link above talks about putting copper slip on the back of the pads, I didn’t think this was necessary with modern brakes?

I’m 50/50 on bleeding the brakes myself or just leaving that to be done during it’s next service (which is next week anyway).

I’ll try and grab photos as I go an update this thread

[brad]

I use either black moly grease, copperkote or white lithium interchangeably on sliders, pads and disc/hub interface depending on what's in my shed. Any temperature resistant grease is better than no grease

I'm a firm believer in lubricating anywhere metal touches metal. The trick is to use as little as possible. At most a pea sized piece per caliper.

[LogicprObe]

A few cans of brake cleaner makes things easier to reassemble.
I didn't put anything between the hub and the disc but I sanded both to an almost mirror finish!
The next time I changed them, it came off easier than the first time.
Hardly had to whack it at all.
I used copper anti seize, just a smear on the metal to metal and also on the sliders since I had no brake grease on hand.
Seemed to work well so I have continued using it without any sign of rubber rot.

[Sunny43.5]

You don,t need to bleed them, just remove the brake reservoir cap and allow the extra to flow back into the reservoir as you wind back the pistons .If your removing the calipers you will need a long breaker bar those bolts holding those suckers are as tight as ducks nuts to undo . I used a long extension but still found it hard to crack the bolts so I put the bar in a horizontal position and then used a separate bottle jack to jack up the bar using the weight of the van as leverage works everytime [some rattle guns wont cut it unless you have something real powerful like the guy in the video has ]

[The_Hawk]

I suppose I’m going to find out soon enough. In order to change the rotors it doesn’t look like you get much of a choice than to remove those bolts and the caliper. I do have both a Ryobi Cordless rattle gun (which isn’t high powered by any stretch of the imagination) as well as an air powered one, although again it’s not high end so probably not really strong… I have a big floor jack and can pull out the widow maker for extra leverage if needed.

Am looking forward to getting my hand dirty

[Transporter]

Don’t put any grease or lubricant between the brake disc and the hub, just clean it so there’s no rust. Buy some Bendix Ceramic grease (melting point over 1500 deg.C) and lubricate back of the brake piston, calliper holder and calliper where it comes in contact with the metal backing of the pad as well and not just the slides like the guy in the video. Also, undo the wheel bolts in a diagonal opposite direction, so you don’t distort the flange of the hub (it’s a good practice and it will become second nature to you when removing and refiting the wheels). Use torque wrench to tighten the calliper holder bolts and the wheel bolts should be tensioned before they fully touch the ground (I hold the wheel with one hand, but you could also use the wheel chock). If you using the impact gun then you should use the impact sockets, they’re almost always black.

[The_Hawk]

I've got impact sockets for both the Van and the Golf's wheels nuts, although I usually crack the bolts by hand and only use the cordless gun to wind them out after that. Putting them back in is much the same, dive them in then tighten with the torgue wrench in a diagonal pattern.

I don't think I have one for the 21mm bolts just yet...

[LogicprObe]

I couldn't get the 21mm bolts off with the air gun anyway.
Used a 1 metre bar but you need to jack it up high to get movement.
Make sure you use stands.

[jets]

A few cans of brake cleaner makes things easier to reassemble.

Be careful using brake clean, avoid breathing in the vapour.
Tetrachloroethylene, a deadly danger in brake cleaner

[The_Hawk]

So I left the house to pick up the last few things at about 9:10 this mornign and have just finished showering now... So about 5 hours all up from couch to couch.

As expected the first (drivers front) took the longest as I learnt what to expect.

I only made a couple of mis steps, that first front rotor I forgot to reinstall the dust caps on the sliders or the retaining spring thing on the front before putting the wheel back on... easy enough to whip it off and back on with the Ryobi One rattle gun.

Speaking of rattle guns. Seems my GMC 2HP 30L compressor and GMC air gun are totally worthless. Could undo the lid of a tightly closed coke bottle. The Ryobi cordless job though performed like a champion, not only was it handy to get wheel bolts off and on it undid the claiper retaining bolts without too much fuss at all!

The front ones are pretty accessible to undo and then later torque up correctly, but the rears are a bit of a bastard. If it wasnt for the cordless rattle gun I may very wall have put the rears off for another day as it was getting hot and I was just about over it.


The new parts:




Pretty please to get to use my triple square bits again:



The rotors had a very small lip but looked like they would probably have survived another set of pads without any issues... maybe machine off the lip? But since I had all the parts the old ones are now in the boxes in the garage for later inspection.


Even the pads dont look that worn down to me:


But then that wear indicator thing is just about there (the new ones have a huge amount of pad above that!).



My eBay tool worked fine with a small block of wood to push the fronts pistons back in:





The rears thought presented a problem with the little pins needed to screw that piston back were *just* too close together, but a little gentle modification using my dremel trimmed them back enough to engage and work without problems.


Everything was in very good condition, not coroded or bound up at all, just very dusty. A quick spray of cleaner, a wire brush and quick hose and it was very easy to reassemble.


I was reminded that working on a gravel driveway sucks and that one day I need to build a shed with a hoist in it. Ive also inhaled more brake dust than a human should. I think it would be worth putting the can on the grass, jacking up each wheel and taking to it with the gurney before starting this sort of job again.

I got a bit hot and a just a little dusty:



Bottom line, job done. Id rate it a pretty straight forward job that anyone comfortable with a few tools could tackle at home.