Fitted my front pads - pics!
Discussion
Hi all,
Following on from my brake pad questions I thought I’d share my fitting experiences with you.
Credit to this post on MX5nutz which helped me with the process of fitting my new pads:
http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5...
Before I get started, heed the warnings on the thread linked to above! If you’re not confident doing this, don’t.
Anyway, first off the equipment I used today:
- New genuine Mazda front pads and fittings (from MX5 Parts)
- Trolley jack
- Ramps
- Pieces of wood & bricks
- Socket set
- Lump hammer (every job needs a hammer
)
- G clamp
- Locking wheel nut!
- The car parked on a flat, even surface. I left mine in gear too.
All in all I spent around 90 minutes on this, a lot of which was spent worrying about jacking the car up.
Anyway: a picture of most of the tools i used:
So, firstly slacken the nuts on the wheel a little. If you don’t do this you’ll just end up spinning the wheel when you try to do it whilst it’s in the air.
Now you can chock the rear wheels and jack the car up. I started to do this but as the weight transferred from the wheel to the jack the jack point on the sill started to bend under the weight. I spent a while worrying about this and my eventual solution was to do this:
The weight is mostly borne by the jack, but there’s some weight going through the wood, sat on top of the ramp. This I found to be the best solution for me. People may disagree with this method but it worked for me.
Now undo the wheel nuts and place them and the wheel somewhere safe. You can now see the brake system:
The first job is to undo the lower carrier pin. This can be seen on the lower part of the back of the carrier:
This, it turned out was done up extremely tightly, and in the end I used these to undo the thing:
Yes, it was what it looks like. But it worked
. Now with the carrier pin removed, you can lift up the caliper:
And slide the upper carrier pin out to bring away the caliper:
This is where the bricks come in. To keep the caliper from dangling and damaging the brake line, you need to support it whilst you work on the pads. You can rest it on the wishbone, but i was worried about flexing the pipe that much, so stacked up some bricks and rested it on them instead:
Now you can remove the springs from the pads, and the pads themselves. They should just lift away, with some wriggling. You’ll also want to remove the clips that hold the pads to the carrier.
My new pads came with the clips and shims, but not springs. According to MX5parts Mazda don’t provide them anymore, saying they are not required. There’s still the holes in the new pads for them though! I chose to refit the old springs, and the new clips and shims, although the old ones would probably be ok to use.
The clips were a little fiddly – make sure they’re seated on the carrier correctly, and on the lower part of the inner pad, fit the smaller clip before installing the pad, and then the smaller clip ‘clips’ around the lower, larger clip. Hopefully these pictures explain:
Smaller clip on lower part of inner pad:
And here it’s clipped around the lower, larger clip:
The pads should now be snugly in place, and shouldn’t rattle around. It’s time to replace the caliper. On the caliper you will need to push in the piston, as over time it’s moved out with the wear of the old pads. The easiest way to push it in is to use a G clamp. I rested an old pad on the piston to evenly push the piston in:
Push it in far enough so that the caliper will now fit around the pads. Then, replace the upper carrier pin to start reinstalling the caliper. You may wish to re-grease the carrier pins:
Once in, lower the caliper so you can replace the lower carrier pin. Be careful to not snag the rubber around the lower pin hole, you can use a finger to push the rubber in a bit and hold it in until the caliper is in place. Not a great picture but hopefully you get the idea:
Tighten up the lower carrier pin and the new pad installation is complete:
Replace the wheels, tightening them as much as you can before the wheel starts spinning. Lower the car and tighten them completely. Remove the chocks. Once you're all done on both sides, pump the brake pedal until it's hard (giggedy) to push the pistons back against the pads.
Job jobbed
A few points:
- Whilst you’re doing this, you should be watching for other components that have worn or been damaged. Rubber seals, the caliper etc need to be replaced if they are damaged or faulty.
- I’m definitely not a professional mechanic and I offer the above as an explanation of my experience. I can’t be held liable for any damage, loss, injury or sudden attacks of retardedness from following the above. (It's a bit sad that I feel the need to mention this)
- I’ve not mentioned torque settings, as I didn't bother to use a torque wrench. I don’t necessarily endorse this though! I believe the post i refer to on MX5nuts has torque settings.
- As previously mentioned, credit to this thread on MX5nutz for the explanation of this procedure: http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5...
Cheers,
Simon
Following on from my brake pad questions I thought I’d share my fitting experiences with you.
Credit to this post on MX5nutz which helped me with the process of fitting my new pads:
http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5...
Before I get started, heed the warnings on the thread linked to above! If you’re not confident doing this, don’t.
Anyway, first off the equipment I used today:
- New genuine Mazda front pads and fittings (from MX5 Parts)
- Trolley jack
- Ramps
- Pieces of wood & bricks
- Socket set
- Lump hammer (every job needs a hammer
)- G clamp
- Locking wheel nut!
- The car parked on a flat, even surface. I left mine in gear too.
All in all I spent around 90 minutes on this, a lot of which was spent worrying about jacking the car up.
Anyway: a picture of most of the tools i used:
So, firstly slacken the nuts on the wheel a little. If you don’t do this you’ll just end up spinning the wheel when you try to do it whilst it’s in the air.
Now you can chock the rear wheels and jack the car up. I started to do this but as the weight transferred from the wheel to the jack the jack point on the sill started to bend under the weight. I spent a while worrying about this and my eventual solution was to do this:
The weight is mostly borne by the jack, but there’s some weight going through the wood, sat on top of the ramp. This I found to be the best solution for me. People may disagree with this method but it worked for me.
Now undo the wheel nuts and place them and the wheel somewhere safe. You can now see the brake system:
The first job is to undo the lower carrier pin. This can be seen on the lower part of the back of the carrier:
This, it turned out was done up extremely tightly, and in the end I used these to undo the thing:
Yes, it was what it looks like. But it worked
. Now with the carrier pin removed, you can lift up the caliper:And slide the upper carrier pin out to bring away the caliper:
This is where the bricks come in. To keep the caliper from dangling and damaging the brake line, you need to support it whilst you work on the pads. You can rest it on the wishbone, but i was worried about flexing the pipe that much, so stacked up some bricks and rested it on them instead:
Now you can remove the springs from the pads, and the pads themselves. They should just lift away, with some wriggling. You’ll also want to remove the clips that hold the pads to the carrier.
My new pads came with the clips and shims, but not springs. According to MX5parts Mazda don’t provide them anymore, saying they are not required. There’s still the holes in the new pads for them though! I chose to refit the old springs, and the new clips and shims, although the old ones would probably be ok to use.
The clips were a little fiddly – make sure they’re seated on the carrier correctly, and on the lower part of the inner pad, fit the smaller clip before installing the pad, and then the smaller clip ‘clips’ around the lower, larger clip. Hopefully these pictures explain:
Smaller clip on lower part of inner pad:
And here it’s clipped around the lower, larger clip:
The pads should now be snugly in place, and shouldn’t rattle around. It’s time to replace the caliper. On the caliper you will need to push in the piston, as over time it’s moved out with the wear of the old pads. The easiest way to push it in is to use a G clamp. I rested an old pad on the piston to evenly push the piston in:
Push it in far enough so that the caliper will now fit around the pads. Then, replace the upper carrier pin to start reinstalling the caliper. You may wish to re-grease the carrier pins:
Once in, lower the caliper so you can replace the lower carrier pin. Be careful to not snag the rubber around the lower pin hole, you can use a finger to push the rubber in a bit and hold it in until the caliper is in place. Not a great picture but hopefully you get the idea:
Tighten up the lower carrier pin and the new pad installation is complete:
Replace the wheels, tightening them as much as you can before the wheel starts spinning. Lower the car and tighten them completely. Remove the chocks. Once you're all done on both sides, pump the brake pedal until it's hard (giggedy) to push the pistons back against the pads.
Job jobbed
A few points:
- Whilst you’re doing this, you should be watching for other components that have worn or been damaged. Rubber seals, the caliper etc need to be replaced if they are damaged or faulty.
- I’m definitely not a professional mechanic and I offer the above as an explanation of my experience. I can’t be held liable for any damage, loss, injury or sudden attacks of retardedness from following the above. (It's a bit sad that I feel the need to mention this)
- I’ve not mentioned torque settings, as I didn't bother to use a torque wrench. I don’t necessarily endorse this though! I believe the post i refer to on MX5nuts has torque settings.
- As previously mentioned, credit to this thread on MX5nutz for the explanation of this procedure: http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5...
Cheers,
Simon
Mate, this is an awesome guide. We need more of these on PH! It does look fiddly but knowing a normal bloke (respect intended) can do it, I'm sure I could!
EDIT: I did a guide thing here on how to change your gear shift boots. Maybe we should vote for a sticky on these handy threads?
EDIT: I did a guide thing here on how to change your gear shift boots. Maybe we should vote for a sticky on these handy threads?
Edited by JFReturns on Saturday 28th May 22:01
A note to anyone not familiar with the process is that changing the rear pads is a bit more complicated (still easy to DIY), there's a concealed Allen bolt on the back of the caliper that you need to access and wind the piston back in (don't use the G Clamp or you'll bugger the piston up!) and then back out again once the caliper is being refitted.
Another handy hint is that instead of resting the caliper on something where it can get knocked over, I usually cable tie it up to the spring where its secured well out of the way.
Also, if regreasing the slider pins make sure you use something like red rubber grease that won't destroy the rubber seals like some greases will.
Another handy hint is that instead of resting the caliper on something where it can get knocked over, I usually cable tie it up to the spring where its secured well out of the way.
Also, if regreasing the slider pins make sure you use something like red rubber grease that won't destroy the rubber seals like some greases will.
What you are calling the small clip is optional. It's the brake pad wear indicator. When the pads are very worn it comes into contact with the disc and makes a lot of noise. The pads should be changed long before they get that worn though.
I don't bother with a torque wrench either. After 25 years of working on cars & bikes I have a fair idea of how tight things should be without one. I do have one, had it for years and never used it!
I can do a set of front disc & pads in about 1/2 hour now and only a little longer for the rears
I don't bother with a torque wrench either. After 25 years of working on cars & bikes I have a fair idea of how tight things should be without one. I do have one, had it for years and never used it!
I can do a set of front disc & pads in about 1/2 hour now and only a little longer for the rears
Good guide. I've tried twice on two separate occasions to loosen the lower caliper bolt and failed 
EDIT :
Did you check the brake fluid reservoir level after the job - presume you left the cap off when pushing the pistons back.
The normal jacking point on the MX5 isn't designed for a trolley jack cup hence why it buckled I'd imagine. The supplied jack locates over the lip and applies its pressure to the floor above either side and not the lip.
EDIT :
Did you check the brake fluid reservoir level after the job - presume you left the cap off when pushing the pistons back.
The normal jacking point on the MX5 isn't designed for a trolley jack cup hence why it buckled I'd imagine. The supplied jack locates over the lip and applies its pressure to the floor above either side and not the lip.
Edited by PlayersNo6 on Sunday 29th May 11:42
MX-5 Lazza said:
What you are calling the small clip is optional. It's the brake pad wear indicator. When the pads are very worn it comes into contact with the disc and makes a lot of noise. The pads should be changed long before they get that worn though.
I don't bother with a torque wrench either. After 25 years of working on cars & bikes I have a fair idea of how tight things should be without one. I do have one, had it for years and never used it!
I can do a set of front disc & pads in about 1/2 hour now and only a little longer for the rears
Sorry i dont know how to just quote one bit?I don't bother with a torque wrench either. After 25 years of working on cars & bikes I have a fair idea of how tight things should be without one. I do have one, had it for years and never used it!
I can do a set of front disc & pads in about 1/2 hour now and only a little longer for the rears
Agreed Lazza after 20 odd years,you just know when to stop no matter what metal you are tightening up into, and it is hard to teach that to someone as i am trying to do at the min, i have just spent a fortune on torque wrenches ,all sizes and lengths to teach him, he will get to grips with it in the end.....i hope.
M-m
Edited by Mazdamender on Sunday 29th May 13:43
Thanks all for the replies and additional info!
I probably should invest in some axle stands. I wanted to get the job done yesterday though and couldn't be bothered with putting the kit away again and going out to find some.
I didn't bother with any grease myself, as there was plenty on the seals and pins. There was some pink-red grease supplied with the pads though (red rubber grease?).
I probably should invest in some axle stands. I wanted to get the job done yesterday though and couldn't be bothered with putting the kit away again and going out to find some.
I didn't bother with any grease myself, as there was plenty on the seals and pins. There was some pink-red grease supplied with the pads though (red rubber grease?).
yellowbentines is right, DO NOT use a g clamp to wind your pistons back in. There is a bolt on the back of the caliper that hides an allen key bolt (4mm I think) that retracts the caliper. You will damage your caliper if you don't do it correctly. I think there is a guide on one of the many mx5 websites, I think it was "red mx5" or something along those lines.
Correct. The rear brakes have the handbrake mechanism built in which makes the internals more complex. They have to be wound in using an allen-key. The fronts however can just be pushed in with a G-clamp or even better with the proper calliper tool (I have one that cost me about £15 from a motor factors).
I finally got round to doing my brake pads last week, Didnt want to spend loads so I went for Mintex extream pads on the front and some cheap Mintex ones on the back. Cost about £45 with postage 
Took me a little longer than ususal as my Calipers and disks were really rusty! so It seemed like a good idea to paint them with some old engine paint! So I now have a set of slightly chavy red brakes!
Took me a little longer than ususal as my Calipers and disks were really rusty! so It seemed like a good idea to paint them with some old engine paint! So I now have a set of slightly chavy red brakes!
PlayersNo6 said:
The normal jacking point on the MX5 isn't designed for a trolley jack cup hence why it buckled I'd imagine. The supplied jack locates over the lip and applies its pressure to the floor above either side and not the lip.
As every car I've worked on seems to have the same sort of jacking points, Why is it that trolly jacks dont come with some sort of adaptor to fit these!? I always say one day I'll get a old scissor jack and cut the top of and weld it to my trolly jack, but instead I'll spend ages looking for a nice bit of suspension or something to jack up on! Edited by PlayersNo6 on Sunday 29th May 11:42
Edited by grimfandango on Sunday 11th September 00:22
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