Photoguide how to swap rear discs/pads

stu chacks · Post by **stu chacks** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 3:16 pm

Here's a step by step photoguide on swapping your rear discs and/or pads. This is meant as a guide only, and I take no responsibilty for injury or damage caused. Work carried out at owners risk! E&OE

Tools you'll need are:
New pads
News discs (and disc retaining screws - Volvo Part No. 3121650*2)
Jack & Axle stands
Allen Key set
Screwdriver set
Hammer
WD40/Grease

Start by slackening off the rear wheel nuts, jacking the car up and supporting it securely on axlestands. I used the rear suspension beam as shown: (ps - if anyone has a spare mudflap I'm missing plse PM me!)

Once supported securely, remove the rear wheels. 1st job is to take off the brakepad retaining springs, this can be done easily with a flathead screwdriver as shown:

If you are swapping the discs (this is advised if they are badly corroded, worn. This can normally been told if you hear a light grinding noise while braking.) apply the handbrake and remove the disc retaining screw as shown. This is where the WD40 can come in handy! As Shown:

If the screw is very difficult to remove, ie the screwdriver keeps slipping, use a pair of stilsons or molegrips as shown:

Now release the handbrake and work around the back of the brake caliper (the brakepad holder). Firstly using a flathead screwdriver remove the 2 plastic dustcovers for the caliper retaining bolts as shown:

Then using an allenkey remove the metal dustcover for the caliperself adjuster. Once again WD40 and a slight tap with the hammer can work wonders here. Once these are all removed you will see you have access to 2*large caliper allenbolts (see top and bottom of below) and 1 small adjuster allenbolt (see middle of below) as shown:

Now push one of the removed wheels under the caliper ready to support it on when removed. Unscrew the 2 large allenkey bolts until loose, then unscrew the middle smaller adjuster allenbolt just enough for you to be able to push back the pads clear of the disc. DO NOT OVER SLACKEN IT THOUGH! Once this is done the caliper including the pads can be pulled away from the disc and rested on the wheel as shown:

Remove the old pads and replace. And you can now remove the disc from the hub also as shown:

While you have the chance give everything a good wirebrush and WD40 (ensuring the pads aren't affected) as shown:

Now replace the disc (ensuring the new disc surfaces are degreased), and secure using the new retaining screw as shown:

With the new pads installed, carefully replace the caliper over the new disc, you may find you have to slacken the smaller adjuster allenbolt again if there's not enough clearance onto the disc. Using a hammer, tap the caliper fully into place as shown:

Your on the home straight now! Replace the 2 large top and bottom caliper retaining allenbolts, tighten and replace their plastic dustcaps. Replace the pad retaining spring (you might have to use pliers and slight tap with a hammer) as shown.

And lastly, you must set the self adjuster (smaller middle allenbolt). This is quite simple - when the disc is revolving freely (make sure the handbrake is still off!) slowly tighten the allenbolt until you can't spin the disc freely, then just slacken off enough again so you can spin the disc. Pump the brake pedal/use handbrake a couple of times and re-adjust if necessary. Grease the metal dustcap and replace.

Replace the wheels and before lowering check the operation of the handbrake - if not operating correctly you will need to adjust it (see Haynes) 1st.

Lower the car, tighten all wheel nuts, remove jack and axle stands. Test drive slowly ensuring all brakes are fully working before taking on the road.

Stu.

Milosz_480 · Post by **Milosz_480** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 4:48 pm

Almost as good as your friday jokes

Well done Stu!
I propose to make all guides sticky. To have good access to them. I spent last weekend almost 15 min searching for Pol's powersteering fluid change guide.

stu chacks · Post by **stu chacks** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 5:27 pm

Thanks Misosz, I just thought Haynes is too general sometimes (and refers to the 440/460 alot without saying) and the b&w pics can be a bit poor, especially when you've got oily fingermarks all over those porous pages!

Also as a few people have mentioned, a lot of instructions are ott too - examples being: telling you to remove whole caliper assembly to replace discs when you only need to remove pad carrier - another good one tells you when swapping the bulb for the autobox selector backlight, to remove the whole centre console, when you can actaully just reach it by feeling under the plastic trim without removing anything but the sidewall carpet!

Steering fluid change! lol, remember trawling the section for that last year too. What a difference it made too my ES, used to be noisey as hell before.

FAQ or Sticky for guides gets my vote too!

Stu.

chris1roll · Post by **chris1roll** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 7:24 pm

cool.

I'm sure there must be variations in the thickness of replacement discs...or maybe the diameter of the hub spigot thing behind the disc the last lot we did they went in without taking the bracket off... but the set i did on mine I swear there was now way in hell they were ever going in without removing them...
So be prepared that you _may_ hae to, perhaps soak the bolts in WD 40 overnight for a few nights..

guitarcarfanatic · Post by **guitarcarfanatic** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 7:31 pm

We still havent got round to doing mine have we chris! I was ill all last week and i'm stuck on lates this week lol! Maybe if your free at the weekend or one night next week? If I get the time I will do the rears myself to save us work when i'm at yours but those front caliper bolts are bas**rds!

chris1roll · Post by **chris1roll** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 7:53 pm

Oh yeah.... lol

Ok, ummm, I've got next week off. maybe one night then.

guitarcarfanatic · Post by **guitarcarfanatic** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 8:09 pm

Cool. Will PM you at the weekend and we can sort a date out! Wil try and get the rears done this weekend to save on time but saying that when we did the fronts on the red one it took hardly anytime with your socket set/long arm bar/brute force!

martinholmesuk · Post by **martinholmesuk** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 9:50 pm

Good post Stu,

You should have painted your calipers to stop them getting any worse. I painted all of mine black.

Big Brother · Post by **Big Brother** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:47 am

Top guide Stu. Mine are next in line. Using the builders yard again to work on your car

stu chacks · Post by **stu chacks** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 12:01 pm

volvo-bigbrother wrote:Using the builders yard again to work on your car

Yep, whoever was the dork who built our workshop complete with pit, and didn't think about getting legal access to it wants shooting

How fustrating is that?

Give us a shout when you want yours doing - got my discs & pads direct from manafacturers - Brake Engineering Ltd on the Ind Estate.

They're sooooooo quiet & better now compared to before. V.happy

@Mart - was tempted, but I knew it would end up with a complete rear end rebuild, you know how it is once you get going!

Stu.

martinholmesuk · Post by **martinholmesuk** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 12:19 pm

@ Stu,

The rear bump on mine is going to come off so that should be fun! One of the stud has already snapped in one attempt to remove it!

I'm expecting to find a rusted rear bumper so might as well loss it.

Doing a MatBat

Website · Post by **coyote1980** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:20 pm

Excellent!

This really is top-material!

piper1st · Post by **piper1st** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 11:02 am

stu ... this is fantastic ... now i would feel confident to do this myself!! many thanks!

guitarcarfanatic · Post by **guitarcarfanatic** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 11:30 am

Just like to say I will be doing this on Saturday. I'm sure if I get stuck I will refer back to this! I changed my rear pads ok last time though. I think the brakes on my Es are okish but gonna put new front and rear pads and discs and change the brake fluid just so I know it's all ok. Parts only cost Â£60 so it's not worth taking any risks at that price!

Should stop even better than it does now as well once it's all bedded in

I was worried that the new turbo might need new braking components (as they are shockingly bad at stoipping the car) but they look almost new so i'm gonna just do the brake fluid and hope it cures it (cheers to MHUK and his dad for all the advice about this over MSN!!!!!)

guitarcarfanatic · Post by **guitarcarfanatic** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 3:36 pm

chris1roll wrote:cool.

I'm sure there must be variations in the thickness of replacement discs...or maybe the diameter of the hub spigot thing behind the disc the last lot we did they went in without taking the bracket off... but the set i did on mine I swear there was now way in hell they were ever going in without removing them...
So be prepared that you _may_ hae to, perhaps soak the bolts in WD 40 overnight for a few nights..

Right well it seems older cars have a longer lengh of guard round the disc. Couldn't get the rears out as it was in the way no matter which way you turned it. Mine are about a cm longer than the ones on stus car. Must just be an older deisign perhaps? I just changed the pads in the end as the discs seemed ok. Might get it done when I| do the fronts with chris perhaps if we have time. just a bit annoying! T40 torx screw got the dust covers out though a treat. Only had one bit though and it got stuck in the cap...took about 10 minutes of pullin on it with me pulling the bit with mole grips and my mate pulling the cap with another set of mole grips! It the end I got mad and hammered the cap un til it split with a lump hammer

prodjsxb · Post by **prodjsxb** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 7:27 pm

Good guide, going to give this a go tomorrow.

stig · Post by **stig** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:23 pm

Great stuff......thanks very much.......this guide helped S00000 much.

Cheers

stig

Paul240480 · Post by **Paul240480** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 12:28 pm

I'm sooooooooo pleased that this guide is here. My Frenchy Controle Technique (MOT) advised that the rear discs are nearly worn out, so will be using this guide soon.
MOT was a pass though, 145K & rising!

Thanks again for this.