Another day, another question! :)

My brake rotors are warped and need to be replaced. The car brakes pretty well, but it shakes a lot.

I've done quite a bit of work to my car over the years but the brakes are something I've never worried about, letting the mechanic handle it, but I need to save money as much as possible these days so I'm thinking that it's time to learn that side of things and tackle the replacement of the rotors and pads. It does seem like it's easy enough for a DIYer.

Aside from the fact that I need to finally buy things to get my car off of the ground (doing the oil change recently without raising the car was a bit of a pain), do I actually need to buy anything else but the rotors and pads to do this job? What about clips and shims? Do those come with the pads, do they get reused, or do they need to be bought separately?

Thanks.

...the subject is often the stuff of myth. How much rotor run-out did your mechanic measure with his dial indicator?

THIS was posted on Turbobricks a few years ago, but could still be relevant.

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Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

I have no idea, but there is pronounced thumping and buckling of the car when pushing on the brakes to slow down, especially at low speed.

The language doesn't matter in my opinion, it just means the rotors are bad and need to be changed, called them warped or worn out.

http://home.lyse.net/brox/FrontBrakes.html

He did not show the bearing replacement here
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.lyse.net/brox/TonyPage4.html http://cleanflametrap.com/tony/

Hi LeChuck,

I recommend using 6 pt socket/combo wrench over 12 pt to remove the caliper bolts. 24" long steel tubing either round or square for cheap cheater's bar. You can slide it over a ratchet or combo wrench and that will give you better leverage.

Good luck.

The 84 240DL I had was equipped with SEPARATE rotors and hubs. I have photos to support this.

To do the brakes, you will need:
At least:
Jack, lug wrench, good box-end (preferably a socket), big C-clamp, caliper grease, and probably a bleeding setup.
At worst:
A torch, a flare wrench, a pair of vice grips (These are what I use to open tough bleeders, but use with caution), a drill, a tap, a new (possible oversized) bleeder screw, new brake lines, new caliper seals.

That's about all I can think of.

Typically, I can do my brakes carefully and with a bleed of the old fluid within 2-3 hours. When compressing the calipers, I open the bleeder and run a line to an old mason jar so that the fluid from the caliper piston space is not forced into the master cylinder.

It's fairly easy if everything goes well. It's fairly easy to become a nightmare if it doesn't. I changed all 4 sets of pads and front rotors easy as pie. I spent 4 hours and a HALF GALLON of Dot4 trying to bleed my system after I replaced my caliper seals.



Also, using ramps will make it very difficult to get the wheels off, IME. I am not a fan of ramps for several reasons.

Good Luck!

I'm not sure the '84 rotors come with the hub. I think it is a top hat design. The rotors on my '87 did not include the hub.

Greg

The rotors include the hub, which contains wheel bearings and a seal. You may be able to reuse the bearings if they are removed carefully. A long punch will be needed to remove the races. Get some wheel bearing grease, cotter pins for the center nut, and some diesel or parts cleaner to remove the old grease.

Go to http://www.k-jet.org or http://www.box.com/volvowiring#. Download the relevant factory green shop manuals and study the pictures.

Many recommend flushing the brake system about once a year to preserve the calipers and master cylinder. This is more than just breeding. If your mechanic has not been doing this you will need a quart of Dot 3 or 4 brake fluid and a plastic hose to fit the bleeder valves.

Thanks. Years ago, I did repack a front wheel bearing (on this car), under a professional's guidance, but I'll be darned if I remember the details of it. Just too long for something only done once. I'm the specialist of turning regular jobs into real big ones by adding stuff, so maybe I won't do it this time :)

One more thing on the list...but I can justify owning an old classic car only if I do a lot myself...

I have reused brake hardware (pins, springs, clips) and shims a hundred times; and every time I wish I had bought new. Sometimes the hardware comes with calipers, but rarely with pads, and never rotors. It depends on the brand.

Most pads will either be "shimless" or come with shims. Even the shimless variety can benefit from stainless/Teflon shims, but sometimes I wonder if having extra shims on top of a shimless pad doesn't make the brake feel soft. My brakes never squeal.

I say buy all the hardware you need, new shims, silicone grease, and do it right. Especially if you do not nomally do the brakes - never know what you might find. I have seen brake pads loose in the caliper because the spring clips were rusted through.

Oh, and picky people might tell you there is no "warp" to a rotor, but "runout." Terminology doesn't matter, results do. And I replaced my rotors twice with Brembo brand only to have the garbage rotors develop runout and shudder within months. Replaced with ATE rotors last time, and they have been smooth for several years.

Hehe, well, as an amateur woodworker dealing with runout on spinning things such as drill presses and routers, I'm not sure I would call what happens with the brake rotors runout...oh well...

So the Brembo rotors are no good? Before reading your post, from what I gathered on the net, they were the ones to buy. Thanks for making this more complicated!

Looking for the parts at FCP is a bit of a pain. They sell kits with pins and springs/clips but they are for front solid brakes, while I thought most were vented...

What about PBR for the pads?

I like Volvo OEM pads as they seem to last the longest and don't have any problems other than dust. I had PBR's on my 240. They are okay but not as good as OEM - IMHO.

I agree regarding the Brembo's. Go with ATE, Zimmerman or OEM for best quality.

Definitely go with new hardware. Get shims if required. Use brake grease. And finally, when installing don't over torque your new rotors...:)

Just remembered this website, the link might be helpful.


http://www.r1concepts.com/blog/the-importance-of-brake-pad-and-rotor-break-in-procedure/

Thanks for the advice. I'll also get a decent torque wrench. Part of the money savings is also to allow me to get a few tools that will be useful on more jobs.

It's interesting about the rotors and I'll keep that in mind when I decide to do this. For the pads I can't buy OEM though, because I really don't want the dust. I just worked on my wheels, scrubbed, repainted them silver (used the silver high temp grill/bbq paint from Home Depot, worked great), shined the chromes, and already in just a few short weeks, the black brake dust is accumulating. I can't be out washing the car every weekend, and I know how much scrubbing is needed when left unchecked...

How different is the hardware (bolts, springs, clips) between front and rear brakes? I've found some interesting videos, but I think mostly for the front wheels.

I can't really tell the brand of calipers I have on the car but as expected the front discs are vented while the rear are not (from touch).

Get used to the dust. I bought ceramic pads once that were reputed not to dust, and I believe I wound up with more dust as they ate away my rotors. I used OE Volvo pads last time and haven't noticed much more dust than I had with my regular PBR Semi-metallics. But I also have black wheels with stainless hubcaps - harder to see brake dust, perhaps.

No!

:)

Are you doing the fronts or rears? I assumed the fronts. The rear calipers for your year are all ATE. If you're doing the rears it's much easier as you simply need to replace pads, hardware and rotors. Don't need to touch the wheel bearings.

Think, but not sure, all front calipers are Girling.

I was planning to do both...

You did not realize it but this is a loaded question. I will answer your specific question first:

The only extra to tool you may need to do JUST THE PADS and ROTORS on your car is either a large C-Clamp or large pair od channel lock type pliers to push the pistons back in the bore to make room for the thick rotors and pads.

FYI, you can do rotors and pads with the factory jack safely but slowly. Park on a level spot, block a front wheel if you are lifting either rear corner, use the diagram on the jack cover to locate the jacking points, break the lug nuts loose, jack up the car, remove the lug nuts and wheel. At this point put the wheel you removed under the frame. in such a way that if the jack gives way there is a secondary stop...NEVER go under the car with this limited level of support. Now you can work on those brakes.

this is loaded question because we do not know what has been done by your mechanic for brake maint nor do we know why the exist rotors warped. There may be more involved that you hoped.

Oh, I would never get under a car that is raised with the factory jack. I don't use that for any other reason than changing a tire. I'm a belt and suspenders kinda guy when it comes to this stuff. I am planning to buy a set of Rhino ramps, a floor jack, and a couple jack stands, to facilitate things in general. Really tired of crawling around trying to insert myself under there and reach things, all with the Arizona sun beating down on me.

My mechanic did replace brake pads in the past but it's been a while. He has already seen the car and said the rotors are warped, but right now I'm into doing whatever I can do myself for budget reasons, and letting him handle the rest.

The brakes are part of those things I just never bothered with. I once replaced the water pump in a V6 760, that was a huge pain for me, but I've never bothered doing an oil change until 10 days ago. Go figure...