Hey Guys,
I need fairly quick turn-around on this if possible... I purchased new rotors, and was going to install them with the help of a friend but due to scheduling its not started yet, and I'm likely taking the White Witch into the shop to get the power steering pump fixed tomorrow morning. Should I try to replace the rotors on my own tonight, wait until it comes back, or have the shop put them on at a premium?

Scot

Scot,
If you feel like you can do the rotors yourself, go ahead and do them. If you feel you will have big problems, maybe you had better have the shop do them. Also how much will they charge? I think if you have any mechanical knowledge at all, you can do it. Some things can be trickey though.
By the way, do you trust this shop? They won't gouge you big time, will they? Sometimes you got to watch those guys...


|QUOTE|Paragon75Ray said: Hey Guys,
I need fairly quick turn-around on this if possible... I purchased new rotors, and was going to install them with the help of a friend but due to scheduling its not started yet, and I'm likely taking the White Witch into the shop to get the power steering pump fixed tomorrow morning. Should I try to replace the rotors on my own tonight, wait until it comes back, or have the shop put them on at a premium?

Scot|/QUOTE|

Rotors are pretty easy to swap out. The biggest chore will be getting the calipers off. I'm assuming you're putting in new pads as well so remember to take the top off the master cylinder and siphon some brake fluid. That way you can easily push the caliper pistons in to clear the new pads. When you're done reinstsalling the calipers, replace as much of the fluid as you can, put the top back on the master cylinder, pump the brakes some, and then recheck the fluid level.

Grab a Haynes manual or something and figure out how to bleed the brake system while you're at it too. Never hurts to get any little bit of air or anything out of there. Your local parts store should sell a single-person brake bleeder that comes in real handy... don't need to run from your wheel to inside the car to pump the pedal :)

Have fun! Do it yourself, how else will you learn? And if you mess you, we're all here to help guide you back!

Imran
74 Convt - Been "Guided Back" too many times

Not replacing the calipers, the shop is a porche,merc,bmw,vette,ferrari shop in the area that my friend who just sold one of his vettes(the 65) for 65k$ has always had his maintinence done at, so i think they'll do a good job, and they've been quoting what is inline with the repair manual for hours....and 60$/hr isn't terrible. Like I may have said they're looking at the power-steering pump tomorrow and then parts and all kinds of crap, but they seem almost to want me to find my own parts, so they're probably not out to suck me dry. I figured out back-up lights tonight and asap I'll get those put in, the rotors I didn't attepmt tonight, but next time I have the vehicle around I think I'll do them myself. Wish me Luck Ladies and Gents.

Scot

You may have missed my point - in order to get the rotors off you need to pull the calipers off first. You shouldn't need to disconnect the brake lines, but be careful not to bend or crimp any of the metal lines leading to the calipers.

Pulling the top off the master cylinder and removing some brake fluid lets you easily push in the pistons in the calipers to allow more room for reinstalling the calipers after you have put in the new brake pads (new rotors have always meant new brake pads whenever I've done that job).

Good luck!


Jim O.

Jim is correct. Also make sure you never replace an odd number of calipers or rotors. If you need the front right replaced, do both front. Same with the back. Always replace either 2 or 4 at a time.

so i should not only replace the rotors, but put new brake pads on while I'm in there? where is the master cylinder and what exactly does that entail?

Scot

I'm with everyone else on this one. You do need to put new pads on while you are replacing the rotors. If you dont know where the mastercylinder is I think I would have someone else do the job. It should be a fairly easy job if you are mechanically inclined though.

Scot,

Replacing the rotors without replacing the pads is like changing the oil without changing the oil filter.

The master brake cylinder is mounted on the left (driver's) side of the firewall. Look in Chapter 9 of either Chilton's or Haynes repair manuals for drawings and/or pictures. Both have good instructions for any of the brake work you have in front of you at the moment.


Jim O.

|UPDATED|6/20/2002 10:31:53 PM|/UPDATED|