Great guide and pictures, Had new discs and pads all round on my 2002 t4 2.5tdi one year ago but the n/s rear disc is looking rusty even after a run out. Might this suggest the sliders are siezed ? Are the sliders part of the 13mm bolt ?
Wavestarved, I noticed in your pad changing thread picture 4 shows your arrows pointing to the caliper carrying bolts to be removed to change pads, as an alternative method , in the AA service centres and the Main Dealers we would generally be removing the slider pins in the rubber sleeve with plastic cover caps leaving the caliper carrier in situ, this would enable easier reassembly of the components. Only my opinion, cheers
Yes you are right. You would only need to remove the carrier if you are replacing the disc. This guide really needs updating with this information as the guide makes an easy job harder (well unless you need to replace the disc)
Oh and for those people looking for a cheap right hand wind back tool (looks identical to the one in Halfords for £30) you can get one here for £5.79
Yes you are right. You would only need to remove the carrier if you are replacing the disc. This guide really needs updating with this information as the guide makes an easy job harder (well unless you need to replace the disc)
Oh and for those people looking for a cheap right hand wind back tool (looks identical to the one in Halfords for £30) you can get one here for £5.79
As I have hit a couple of glitches & solutions I thought I would share my thoughts.
Undoing tight caliper carrier bolts- Due to the lack of space & not having a length of scaffold tube (as previously mentioned) WELL SUPPORTED van not just on the jack- I used a long un-ratcheted handle on my socket, slipped a jack under the handle & jacked up. This gave a smooth, gradual force which 'cracked' the bolt. It was then easy to undo the rest of the way. Obviously the usual releasing fluids, heat etc. will all help.
Seized sliders- After a few taps on the spanner with a mallet & a long socket handle I thought mine was gradually turning but it was actually the slider pin slowly twisting & bending. Had I removed the carrier first I might have taken a different approach & used ealier & saved the caliper. As no used parts are available at the moment I will give these a go. Caliper carrier
As I have hit a couple of glitches & solutions I thought I would share my thoughts.
Spend a few quid on a wind back tool! It's really not worth faffing with clamps for the sake of £7 (less than you spent on pads)
Undoing tight caliper carrier bolts- Due to the lack of space & not having a length of scaffold tube (as previously mentioned) WELL SUPPORTED van not just on the jack- I used a long un-ratcheted handle on my socket, slipped a jack under the handle & jacked up. This gave a smooth, gradual force which 'cracked' the bolt. It was then easy to undo the rest of the way. Obviously the usual releasing fluids, heat etc. will all help.
Seized sliders- After a few taps on the spanner with a mallet & a long socket handle I thought mine was gradually turning but it was actually the slider pin slowly twisting & bending. Had I removed the carrier first I might have taken a different approach & used ealier & saved the caliper. As no used parts are available at the moment I will give these a go. Caliper carrier
great info, done one of my rear calipers today, wound it back in with clap and big grips to turn it in, was easy and no damage, i.d buy a tool if your planning ahead but i already had van in bits when i came to the forum for info, my sliders had seazed on so needed to get in there,
1st of all, brilliant information and photos, thanks to the original Poster A:
I have a 2.5 88 BHP T4 with 210K+ miles, and just looking to buy all I need to replace the rear suspension and brakes
I'm looking to buy new calipers, carriers etc, so all will be nice and new, but there seems to be 2 choices for the brake caliper slider guide Pins, 75x8mm BCF1346B & 60x8mm BCF1301G
Any idea how I know which to order without getting the wheels off
Wavestarved system is WAY too complicated if you just want to change pads.
All you need is a screwdriver and a 7mm Allen head (long) key.
Took less than an hour to do both front pads. (and 10 mins of that was trying to find the missing wheel bolt, which "some moron" had put in his back pocket instead of next to the wheel! :*)
Didn't find it until I sat down and got a "pain up the a$$"
1. The best tip for breaking the bolts (not the head of the bolt!): use a gas torch (a lot of videos about it on youtube). Heat area where bolts are siting, NOT the bolt! With heat, metal will expand and it will make the job much easier and safer for the really seized bolts which you can literally brake. Try to avoid heating the bolt, because it will make it expand too. The heating works much better than any anti-rust spray. You should heat for about 5 minutes the whole area around (or at least where you can reach, because are of the bolt located behind the brake disc).
2. If you don't have a long enough breaker bar (or usually there is not enough space) then you can use a jack under the wrench (try to avoid using socket wrench because you can brake the springs (or whatever is inside). The jack will not help on the left rear side, because there is not enough space from the other side and you will lift the whole wheel with suspension. Always be sure that you are going to move the bolt anticlockwise. With the rear left side, you can use a ratchet strap: connect one side to the part under the rear bumper (NOT to something fixed near the car, because you will move the whole car from your jack/stands!!!) and the other side to the wrench. Be careful with your face and hands, if it will slip somehow, it can hit you!
I had a super seized bolt and I put a lot of anti-rust spray on the bolt for 2 days and then broke one 1/2" - 3/8" socket adapter with the ratchet strap method, and only after that I heated the caliper carrier bolt area and that bolt came out like freshly screwed!
3. If your seized bolt moved a bit but doesn't go any further, then try to move it there and back, eventually, it will go more and more.
4. Try to avoid using 12 point wrench, use 6 point socket. 12 point is the way to round your bolt head.
5. If you change brake pads, make a full inspection of caliper pins and change grease (clean old) with new silicon grease (not copper, because it's bad for rubber sleeves!). Also check all sleeves and other rubber things, if there are any holes, better to change it, otherwise you will have problems soon. Caliper pins are very important parts of the brakes and if they don't work, then your new brake pads will not make any difference!
6. With rear calipers also check that handbrake mechanism works fine and easy. If it sticks or moving very difficult (you should be able to move it with one hand), then probably it's time to clean and change rubber parts (then you have to remove it and make full rebuild with a repair kit).
Am sure use of a proper wind back tool makes the job a lot easier but if not available it is possible to improvise.
From garage junk box I found a short piece of three quarter inch iron pipe with a one inch BSP bush screwed on the end.(Ex a replaced gas boiler)The bush dia was virtually the same as the brake pistonn. The end of the bush was therefore filed to just leave two small projections which fitted into the recesses of the brake pistons. Rotation was by mole wrench.
Might have been crude but it did the job in the absence of a very rarely used special tool.
Alleygater
Right I've had a good search through the forum and couldn't find a guide to replacing the front section of the Handbrake cable so I thought I'd create one. I'm not sure if all the vans are the same but mine is a 2001 1.9td.
After getting a quote of 65 pounds plus VAT from my local garage I...
One work - NIGHTMARE.
I'm well up for doing jobs on the van but this was a tricky one. My MOT is due soon and as I had an advisory last year for corrosion on the front to rear brake pipes I decided to do them.
No photos I'm afraid just the text. It was freezing cold and my hands were filthy...
I did the cables as part of a rear brake overhaul, I did the discs and pads first and the cables afterwards. Basically there's 2 metal U clips that retain the cable, one clip is at the rear end of the cable underneath the caliper and the second is on a bracket at the front of the trailing arm...
The ABS has a diagnosing unit when you plug it in to the vagcom probably worth a quick check for any error codes.
check out this movie on how to diagnose a ABS via the vag com.
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