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Volvo 740 Brake Wear Indicator[ALL/1998] posted by Brett Lee on
Sunday, 14 September 1997, at 10:09 p.m.
I have a 1990 Volvo 740 GLE with about 55,000 miles on the odometer. The front disc brake pads seem to have a life which varies from 14,000 to 18,000 miles. Does anyone know how to visually check whether the pads are nearing their wear limit? The car has the Girling brake caliper which does not permit any direct view of the back of the pads. The Chilton manual does not have clear step-by-step diagrams which how to remove the calipers in order to expose or change the pads. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Re: Volvo 740 Brake Wear Indicator[ALL/1998] posted by Ray Hartle on
Friday, 19 September 1997, at 10:30 p.m.
Brett,
Not sure about your 1990, but my '87 has 2 large metric allen head bolts which hold the caliper to the spindle. I think it's 12mm. The allen wrench, a couple c-clamps, and some silicone anti-squeel brake compound (it goes on the plate side of the pad), are all you need to change pads.
They're a breeze to change, but I've only done it twice myself. About 50k ago I put Bendix lifetime semi-metalic pads all around. They are still good at 101k and the rotors are fine.
Once you take the wheel off, you should be able to see the pad clearly and measure it's thickness. If I remember correctly, the front pads have about 10mm of material while the back pads have about 6mm.
Good Luck,
Ray
Re: Volvo 740 Brake Wear Indicator[ALL/1998] posted by JB on
Monday, 22 September 1997, at 2:14 p.m.
My 90 740 turbo has girling abs calipers so I'll take a stob at it.
two ways...the stock pads are molded with a v in the center...this v is accessible from outside with a pin gauge...a wire paper clip will do. Best to try this with the wheel off and then you may be able to finesse it with the wheel on. If the wire gauge slips between the rotor and the bottom of the v, you have several thousand miles left...although if you're only getting 14-18 k you have other problems.
Another way, shown on the Chilton manual, is to use the depth gauge intrinsic to most vernier calipers to measure a defined distance from point A to B (sorry, have to see the picture) on the back of the caliper to determine pad wear.
I like this one especially if you write down the new A-B distance when the new pads are installed.