How to Re-do your Own Brakes
You can have someone re-do your brakes for about three hundred dollars. If you are ready to take on a new home skill though, you can do it yourself. It will cost you only about a hundred.
Here’s what you’ll need:
10 mm hex wrench for removing the calipers ($6.00)
11mm brake line/fuel line wrench for removing the brake lines ($9.00)
channel locks for pulling the cotter pin ($6.75)
Flat blade screwdriver
new cotter pin ( usually free, but up to 75 cents each)
new hub seal (about five bucks each)
new brake pads ( about $20 bucks per side )
new brake lines (about $19 bucks each)
2 quarts of brake fluid. (Buy the stuff from Ford. It’s supposed to be better)
tub of high pressure grease ($2.75)
a quart of diesel fuel ($.25)
a metal wash pan ( ? )
a roll of paper towels ($1.19)
A couple of empty Miracle Whip jars
A coat hanger to suspend the brake caliper
A Chilton’s manual to give you confidence.
Procedure:
Put the car on jack stands and remove the front tires.
Use the hex wrench to remove the brake caliper. Hang it on the coat hanger.
Remove the spindle dust cover and pull out the cotter pin.
Remove the retainer nut, cage, and slotted washer.
Pull off the spindle and remove the small outer bearing.
Use the flat blade screwdriver to lever out the inner bearing seal. Mangle that sucker so you won’t be tempted to re-use it.
Remove the larger inner bearing. Drop the bearings into a miracle whip jar and top them off with some diesel fuel. clean them good. Inspect them for any wear. (Spalling or discoloration of the rollers)
Clean out the inside of the spindle cavity of the rotor. Inspect the bearing races for any wear.(Spalling, pits, "scoop marks", or discoloration)
Bungee-cord your spindles to the back of your motorcycle really well and run them to a REPUTABLE shop!!
Note: Some shops will turn your rotors without regard to run-out. There is supposed to be a +/- 0.004 inch runout maximum. Some places will give you as much as +/- 0.010 runout!! That much runout will give you real brake shake. I know, I have to live with it on my rotors and it sucks. I’m down to the minimum thickness.
If you need bearings, buy them from the parts store and have them press in the new races for you while they are servicing your rotors.
While your rotors are out for service, run home and change those brake lines.
Brake lines:
Remove the caliper from the brake line. (10mm socket, I believe.) Use the metal drip pan to catch the excess brake fluid.
Using your brake line wrench, carefully loosen the metal brake line from the fitting. It should come off okay if you have the right wrench and you keep your fender wells halfway clean.
Use the pliers to pull off the spring retainer that holds the brake line onto the frame-mounted bracket.
Put the new brake line into the bracket and replace the spring retainer. Tap it into place. Tighten the metal brake line to the new fitting.
Put the caliper onto it’s mounting pad as if it was mounted. Temporarily bolt it in place. Fasten the brake line onto the caliper. Remember the copper spacers, one on top of the hollow bolt, and one under it.
Note: Sometimes the old copper spacers will stick to the caliper. Remove it before installing new spacers or your brakes will leak!
Tighten the bolt to the prescribed torque as described in your Chilton’s manual.
Same thing with the metal brake line fitting.
Go swish your bearings around in the diesel fuel some more to loosen the old grease.
Do the other brake line. Don’t just do one! These things collapse on the inside over time. They make look okay on the outside but they are nearly plugged on the inside from corrosion. I again speak from experience. :X
After you have done both your brake lines and have them hooked up properly, clean and re-pack your bearings. Knock loose the emulsified grease, and dry the bearings with compressed air, or beat them against paper towels. Let them dry for a while. Hit them with brake cleaner if you so desire.
Next comes the fun part! Take a glob of grease and place it in the palm of your left hand. Take your bearing into your right hand like you would grasp a jelly doughnut. Orient the bearing so that the thickest part of the roller cage faces your left palm. Next, scratch your left palm with that bearing. Scratch only the very edge of that glob of grease. Slowly, the grease will build up inside the bearing cage until it creeps out of the top. Keep scratching until clean grease peeks out the top. Rotate the bearing about thirty degrees and repeat the scratching. Eventually, you will have clean grease peeking out of all areas of the bearing. You’ll probably have to use a lot of paper towels on this part, and re-deposit your diminishing grease glob to your left hand several times. It’s real messy but you won’t have to worry about chapped hands for a while!
Do all of your bearings. Eventually, you’ll get the hang of it. If you are unsure you are doing it correctly, then go buy yourself a bearing grease tool for twenty bucks.
Now you have new brake lines, and re-packed bearings. You still need to pick up your rotors and bleed your brakes.
Get your rotors and put some grease inside the spindle cavity. You dont have to pack it solid, but you do want a moderate amount in there. It will keep the bearing grease that liquifies in the bearings from flinging out. Next, put the inner bearing in place. Get the new seal, and carefully tap it into place. I have a metal hockey puck that is the same diameter as the O.D. of the seal. I set it in top of the seal and then tap the puck with a hammer. It drives the seal in fairly straight. The best way is with an arbor press. Will your parts store do it for you?
Put your rotor onto the spindle. Insert the outer bearing. Insert the toothed washer. Screw on the retainer nut. Keep spinning the rotor, and tighten the nut. Tug on the rotor to see if you can feel any bearing slop. Assuming your bearing races have been inserted properly such that they are fully seated in the casting, you should have virtually no slop. If the rotor feels notchy when you turn it, it means you have overtightened the retainer nut.
Consult your Chilton’s book on proper tightening techniques for this nut. Too loose, and you’ll have shitty handling, and you’ll root out your bearings. Too tight, and you’ll burn up your bearings. Remember to check them after a couple days because sometimes the bearing races are not fully seated. This will make the rotor loosen up and it will have to be re-adjusted.
**Hot tip: Did you know that on a hot summer day, your bearings will be much tighter than on a cold winter day? If you snug your bearings in 15 degree weather, when it’s 110 degrees six months later, you might just bind your bearings! More experience talking here. :\
Once you have your rotors re-installed, get yourself the C-clamp. Take the clamp and an old brake pad, and use it to push the piston back into the housing of your brake caliper. You will need this extra room to install your newer (and thicker) pads.
Put your new pads in the caliper. Put the caliper over the rotor and bolt it in place. Viola! You are ready to bleed the brakes!
Written by Daniel Burk
