I'm tryin' to change my front brake pads.... got the left side all finished.... got to the right side, and there's only one side of the rotor, the front side. There's no silver shiny ring for the brake pad to hit on the back side, only the ridges. WTF?!?!?! I bought this car ('92 RS) in August of 2000 and never had a problem with the brakes until all of a sudden they started squeaking, then went out all together. What do I do?? do I need a new rotor? i guess the inner pad has been hitting just these ridges for I don't know how long.

also..... the caliper that you're supposed to push back with a c-clamp.... i can get the caliper all the way to the back but once I start loosening the clamp the caliper just keeps coming back out with it. It won't stay back. Do I need to "bleed" the brakes? if so how do I go about doin' that?

thanks in advance for any and all help... i can't afford a brake job especially if I need rotors and all.

- Mike

 

yes, you will need a rotor. when you push the piston in, is it hard as hell? if so loosen the bleeder screw and see if it gets easier. if so, you have a bad brake hose. (maybe what caused only one side of the brakes to wear quicker than the other) please make sure you get your brakes fixed, better to have a car stop than go. best of luck, Tom

 

mckenzie, excellent tip on the bleeder/brake hose deal. I appreciate that:hail:

 

yeah piston was a struggle......

i'm thinkin' about bringing up the missing rotor side with the dealership..... that just aint right is it?? I mean.... the inner brake pad has been gripping the ridges on the back of the outer rotor disc since September of 2000. unless somewhere along the line it disintegrated or somethin.


is it possible to change rotors myself? if so, any special tools I need?

 

You can do the rotor deal easy. Even Haynes or Chiltons can get you thru it and no special tools are required. Just a new rotor and some bearing grease (new wheel bearings optional) cause you'll be takin' the rotor off the spindle. Go for it.

 

hey mike92rs. my best guess (and i mean guess without looking at the car) the side with the bad caliper, has a bad brake rubber hose. the hose is collapsing internally and not allowing the brake fluid to return when you let off the brakes, thus hard as hell to push in the piston. if you loosen the bleeder screw and it gets easier, bad hose, the brake fluid now has a place to go. on the ground. if this is the case, the rotor is worn out because the piston is appling pressure to the pad and rotor all the time. best of luck, tom....i play a mechanic at a g.m. dealership so don't hold it against me.

 

mckenzie... yep.... more I look at it more it looks like the rotor's been simply worn away.... (I'm a rookie, thanx for not holdin' that against me. you could have easily said... "hey dip****, if the piston won't come out, it has NEVER been coming out..)

it's dark out now but i'ma check out the hose tomorrow...... there is absolutely NOTHING left of my inner brake pad..... would that still mean my hose is bad, or have I just waited too long to change brake pads?

i'm obviously gettin' a new rotor.... is it hard to change the hose?

 

no, its not hard to change the hose. what i usually do when changing the hose is completely remove the caliper from the hose. let the fluid drain in a pan. then i remove the other end of the hose and install the new hose. let gravity bleed, until fluid comes out the new hose. then install the other end to caliper (make sure you get 2 new copper washers for the hose that goes to the caliper... one on each side of the hose. the key is to get a $10 book. read each set several times. when you go to the parts store ask the parts man what all you need (brake clean, to get the anti-rust lube off the new rotor, grease seal, goes on after the inner bearing. etc. best of luck. if any more q's private email me. goodnite, tom

 

mckenzie, I know you mentioned "the hose is collapsing internally and not allowing the brake fluid to return when you let off the brakes", does the same thing happen when applying the brakes with a bad hose? In other words, does the brake line balloon instead of transfering pressure?

 

racereno, what usually happens when a brake hose collapses internally, when you push on the brake and the veh darts to the right, the left hose is bad...due to collapsed hose won't let fluid to the left caliper to apply brakes...the only working brake is the right...thats why the veh darts to the right when applying the brakes and straightens out when letting off the brake. now what mike92rs has is the same problem, just won't let the fluid release. i have seen some hoses balloon, caused by fluid getting past the cords of the hose (same as a balloon on the side wall of the tire, air getting past the cords of the sidewall.) best of luck, tom

 

Thanks mckenzie, guess thats why they have steel braided brake hoses. Sort of anti-balloon protection (among other things).

But I'm almost gonna miss that stuck caliper. Kinda got used to two rules:

left turn - hit brakes hard
right turn - steer right and yank emer. brake

cya

 

lol racereno. best of luck. tom