Brake Job

[mcarvis]

I'm going to do a brake job on my 2001 LS V8. Is thier anything special I need to know about changing the pads , front and rear. I've done brakes before , but never on a ls.

[Quik_LS]

it no different than any other modern 4-wheel disc car.

you'll need a speical 'rear piston' rewind took to 'screw' the rear piston back into the caliper. the rear pads have some 'bumps' on them that need to line up with the slots in the piston head.

[Sean Halloran]

Yes, some retailers will let you borrow their caliper tool. On another note…How do you get the front rotors off? Is it free floating or is it held on with rust!!! Please help me get it unstuck. Thanks!

Sean

[Sean Halloran]

Uncle...I can not get the old front rotors off. I'm stuck, I tried tapping them off but nothing. Is there something holding them on? I was told they're free floating but they can not be. Any help out there?

[ttbit]

Originally Posted by Sean Halloran

Uncle...I can not get the old front rotors off. I'm stuck, I tried tapping them off but nothing. Is there something holding them on? I was told they're free floating but they can not be. Any help out there?

It must be rust. When I did my ball joints, I had one rotor that was really tough. When you do the ball joints, you actually remove the spindle that the rotor is on. I had to use quite a bit of force and was worried about doing damage, but it finally came off. Spray a bunch of liquid wrench around the center of the rotor and let it sit over night. That will probably really help.

[CGGorman]

They're free floating. You replacing rotors? If so, take a five pound engineer hammer and give tham a good smack (don't be shy) or five. The rust must be pounded into submission. If you are re-using the old ones, pound on the edges instead of the faces. One way or the other, you can't use rubber/plastic mallets. You need the metal/metal shock. Heat may also help. Take a torch and heat up the hub/stud area.

Important note... There will likely be built up remnants that will need removed before you install new rotors or even re-install the old ones. If you don't sand/grind/file that rust flat, you could have runout problems that turn into shudder and squealing.