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Break Pads Help


fabdreams
03-31-2004, 07:54 AM
Hi, I need help with changing my break pads on my Cavalier. Once the wheel has been taken off I need to remove 2 pins but they will not budge. Does any one know how to get them off and then where I go from there. This is most probably a really basic question but I'm a girl, and girls aren't supposed to know any thing about cars!! Any help would be really appreciated.

supraslug007
05-21-2004, 12:04 PM
I don't own a cavalier, but most brake systems are the same... so here's the general information.
Are the pins top and bottom? If so, you should only have to remove the bottom one. There should be a bolt head on the back side (towards the engine) Loosen it up with some wd-40 and take it out. The caliper (clamp on the disk) will flip up on the top pin allowing access to the pads. There is still a lot more to to though. You have to find a c-clamp and compress the piston(put the pad on the piston and open the master cylinder cap under the hood. Tighten the clamp to compress the cylinder to make room for the new pads. You have to compress them. The new pads will be much thicker than the old ones, so the piston will get in the way. Repeat on both sides), which means your brakes have to be bled, and doing anything wrong here will get you killed in an accident. To bleed the brakes, you need two people, I recommend you find someone who knows how, so they can guide you through it and check your work. Remember to feel the front and back sides of the rotor too. (Round disk) Check for grooves or scratches. If there are any, you will have to have them re-machined or replaced, which can get kind of costly sometimes.
As far as the pins go, they're probably bolts. Unbolt them from the back with a wrench. (Try just the bottom one. If it is a flip up type and you do both, you can make yourself a lot of extra work.)

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