How to Install Carbon Kevlar Brake Pads (Front), on a 1993 MR2 Turbo
From: "Marc L. Summers-SysAdmin" marcs@tdd.hbo.nec.com
Subject: Detailed Instructions for front brakes
To: uunet!validgh.com!mr2-interest@uunet.uu.net
Date: Sun, 27 Aug 1995 13:03:04 PDT
Detailed Instructions on how to
Install Carbon Kevlar Brake Pads
(Front), on a 1993 MR2 Turbo
SEE ALSO:
Installing Carbon Kevlar Brake Pads (Rear), on a 1993 MR2 Turbo
HISTORY:
8/30/95 - Added section on proper bleeding sequence.
DISCLAMER: Note, as always, what you do to your car, is what you do
to your car.
In other words you do it, and your responsible, no one else.
NOTE: Any time you are working on a system as important as your brakes
please make sure that you double check yourself, or if you have
them available, have someone else look over your work, and make
sure that you have not left something off, or have a bolt missing
or did not tighten something. It is just common sense to check
your work. I try to use as much of it as I can.
TOOLS USED:
8mm openend boxend wrench
14mm openend boxend wrench
17mm openend boxend wrench
14mm socket 3/8 drive
3/8 drive torque wrench that goes to at least 25 ft lbs.
(Mine goes to 76 ft lbs.)
If you need, seperate torque wrench that goes to at least
76 ft lbs to retighten your wheel lug nuts.
13/16 socket 1/2 drive for wheel lug nuts.
1/2 drive breaker bar
3/8 -> 1/2 drive adapter (for my torque wrench).
hand drill
.0625 drill bit (1/16)
Common Sense, (use liberally)
OTHER PARTS PURCHASED:
18 inch piece of 7/32 rubber hose used on bleeder valve
4 pints of DOT 4 brake fluid $2.59/pt.
Orange anti squeal silicone RTV sealant
Wesleys Black Magic (for the little rubber bleeder caps.)
RaceBrite car polish (used on the wheels)
DISCLAIMER: This is not a product endorsement, it is not meant
as an advertisement, this is simply my observations of
this product, so that others may be able to make an
intelligent informed decision.
Carbon Kevlar brake pads
(Purchased from broderij@tcplink.nrel.gov
John Broderick, Mr.2 Performance Products)
Cost $125 + $8 S&H (set of 4 pads).
NOTE: please make sure that you read these instructions all the way
through at least once before proceeding.
NOTE: It is assumed that you already have your own set of shop manuals.
These are almost a must if you plan on doing any work on your car.
I got mine through my dealer at a cost of $40 (US) each for the
two books. Please, if you plan on doing most of the work on your
car, as I do, then the shop manuals are a must buy.
PROCEEDURES:
NOTE: I do not have a lift or do I have access to one, so this proceedure
is done using the stock sissor jack that comes with the car.
I started on the passenger side front wheel, you can start there if you
wish. Using the stock jack, jack up the passenger side front at the
proper jacking point. (note: bring it up only part way, so that you can
break loose the wheel lug nuts first.)
Using the 13/16 socket 1/2 drive, and 1/2 drive breaker bar, break loose
the 5 lug nuts on the wheel and remove them and the wheel and set them
aside. Then take two of the lug nuts and screw them down onto opposite
studs to keep the brake rotor in place.
Now locate the two sliding pins and there you will see a top bolt and then
the sliding nut itself. Using both the 14mm openend and 17mm openend
/boxend wrenches, with the 17mm wrench on the sliding pin nut, hold it
in place (ie. don't let it move), and then at the same time with the
14mm wrench on the top bolt, break loose the top bolt.
SPECIFICS: the way I do this which makes it easier for me is to just
offset the 14mm wrench, in this case to the left of the 17mm wrench such
that it is just about a hand grip width apart. I then grip both wrenches
with my right hand, (I have a very strong grip), and squeeze them, and
the top bolt will loosen.
After you loosen both bolts, remove the top bolts and set them aside.
NOTE: try not to move the 17mm sliding pin nut.
NOTE: for those that find the above method a bit much then an alternate
method would be to use a 3/8 drive breaker bar, with a 14mm
socket and position the breaker bar to the left and at the same
time holding the sliding pin nut with the 17mm wrench, pull up
on the breaker bar to loosen the top 14mm bolt.
Now before removing anything, look at the facing break pad, and the
anti squeal springs, and get a good mental picture of where they are and
how they are positioned. This will help you in putting things back
together.
First we will remove the two anti squeal springs, they are the thin loop
looking wires on the outside of the brake pads that are inserted in to
small holes drilled into the edge of the pads. Set them aside for now.
Now at the outer edge of the brake pad toward the center, grasp the pad
and pull it up just like opening a small door, it will pivit on the
pad support plates as it swings out to the right. When it is almost
90 degrees around, you will be able to pull it off the pad supports.
This assembly includes the pad itself, the anti squeal shim, (this is the
outer plate), and the inner anti squeal shim.
Look at the pad and note how the shims fit on the pad before you remove
them. I then removed the shims from the pad, and cleaned them with
regular dishwashing liquid, they will need to be clean and dry so that
the anti-squeal sealant will stick to them properly.
Remove the inner pad in the same manner and wash the anti-squeal shims.
NOTE: you do NOT need to remove the pad support plates as the shop manual
states.
NOTE: since the carbon kevlar backing plate is much wider than the stock
plate, the pad wear indicator will not fit onto the new pads.
Also the new pads do not have the indent in the edge where the
pad wear indicator tang seats.
I decided this is not a problem as I will be checking the pad wear
on a regular basis, and will not need to rely on a pad wear indicator
to tell me when the pads are getting just about used up.
The Carbon Kevlar "street pads" that I purchased from
Mr.2 Performance Products don't come with the anti squeal spring holes
drilled in them. Since I decided that I wanted to try the pads with the
anti squeal springs in place, then I decided to drill the holes myself.
This is a fairly simple process, depending on how steady your hands are.
I just drilled the holes holding the pad in my hand, you could if you have
it us a drill press and a vise, which might for some, make the job a
little easier. When you drill the holes just make sure that you don't
try to drill them too fast, and you might put just a tiny drop of oil
on the end of the drill bit from time to time, and extract the bit and
wipe off the shavings several times during the operation. This will help
keep the bit from binding, and breaking off, which is not a nice thing.
But, first lets put on the Orange anti squeal silicone RTV sealant. The
instructions say that it should set for about 10 minutes before assembly
and that will give you sufficient time to drill the 4 holes for the
anti squeal springs.
The instructions that came with the anti squeal silicone say to goop both
sides of the inner anti squeal shim, so what I did was to goop up the
side of the inner anti squeal shim that lays onto the outer anti squeal
shim plate. I then pressed those two pieces together, making sure that
they fit properly, and then I gooped up the other side of the inner anti
squeal shim. Don't over do it with the silicone stuff, remember this is
going to get squeezed. I then set the two shims asside. Do the same
to the other set, and set them aside.
Now we are ready to drill the four anti squeal shim holes on the edge of
the brake pads. Hold one of the old pads, and one of the new pads
together so that you can judge where the holes will be drilled.
You will see the two holes along the outer edge of the pad.
Then using the 1/16 inch bit, and your hand drill, carefully drill the
two holes in each pad. Make sure that you drill them deep enough so that
the anti squeal spring will fit and seat all the way down. You will also
have to judge what the proper angle is that the hole should be drilled.
After having drilled all four holes and checking that the spring ends fit
OK, then assemble the shims assembly onto the back of the brake pad.
Now slide the pad and shims assembly into the pad support plates and
push the pad into place, remember it swings just like a door on the pad
support plates, in this case the door swings to the left.
After you have both plates in place then insert the two anti squeal
springs noting that the loop on the top one loops down, and the loop on
the bottom one loops up, so that the loops point at each other in the
middle.
NOTE: I decided to use the anti squeal springs because they help retract
the pads from the rotor. This helps reduce drag on the rotor.
Now comes the fun part, you get to squeeze the caliper back onto the
new, much wider pads. The only practical way to do this is to do as the
shop manual suggests and crack open the bleeder plug and at the same time
press the caliper onto the pads. Use the 8mm wrench to loosen the
bleeder plug.
NOTE: I connected the 18 inch piece of 7/32 rubber hose to the end of
the bleeder plug and put the other end in either a jar, or an old empty
brake fluid bottle, so that you can catch the fluid that will spill out.
Don't worry, it isn't much fluid.
Pressing the caliper back on is a bit of a job if your hands are not
very strong, but it is doable.
After you have the caliper on make sure you close the bleeder plug.
Now line up the caliper with the two sliding pin holes and insert the
two bolts and hand tighten them. Now using the 17mm openend wrench and
the 14mm socket, and torque wrench combination, position the torque
wrench so that the handle of it points off to the left. Then holding the
sliding pin nut in place with the 17mm wrench, tighten the top bolt to
25 ft lbs. Make sure both bolts are tighten to the manual spec of 25 ft
lbs.
Since I have only the one jack, (I don't have my new jack stands yet),
then after having checked my work, I put the wheel back on and proceeded
to do the same thing to the drivers side (US), brakes.
Make sure that you again observe how things are arranged, and that you
have a good picture of how things will go back together.
Proceed to do the drivers side brake pads.
Now after having done the drivers side pads, and having checked your work
then you will need to top off the brake fluid in the reservoir. If you
don't then your little brake light will start blinking at you.
Now comes the fun part. We get to seat the new pads. This will require a
number of accelerations and stops from different speeds. You will need
to find a nice piece of road that is fairly free from traffic on which
you can accelerate and then stop with out worring about someone running
into you.
This is the set of accelerations and stops I did:
Apply sufficient force each time that the car stops
hard, but not hard enough to allow the ABS system (if you have it), to
engage.
10 stops from 20 mph
10 stops from 40 in sets of 3 stops, then a cooling period and then
another set of three stops.
10 stops from 50 mph again in sets of three stops, then a cooling period
this time make the cooling period at least twice as long as the previous
one.
10 stops from 70 mph again in sets of three stops, then a cooling period
make the cooling period at least twice as long again as the 50 mph stops.
Make sure that your cooling off periods are sufficient that you do not
overheat the brakes.
I used a small piece of road, that is a connecting street between two
other roads. The traffic on a weekend is very light and the road is
about 3/4 mile long. Even for the 70 mph stops, this gave me sufficient
room to accelerate and stop.
After having seated the pads then go home and prepare to bleed out the
brake fluid. I pumped three full pints of fluid through my system.
WARNING: let the brakes cool off, before proceeding any further.
I let mine cool for two hours.
To bleed the brakes, bleed them in the following order:
Right rear, left rear, right front and then left front last.
Bleeding the brakes in this order avoids putting air into other parts of
the system.
Again since I have only the one stock jack, then I could only work on one
wheel at a time. I did have the assistance of my beautiful wife, who was
very patient in pressing the brake pedal down on Q.
This proceedure, to be done in this manner does require an assistant.
Jack the car up and remove the wheel and set the lug nuts and the wheel aside.
Remove the small rubber cup fitting on the bleeder and clean the outside
of the bleeder so as not to get any dirt in the brake line.
Connect the 18 inch 7/32 hose to the end of the bleeder screw and the
other end in either a jar or a partly empty used bottle of brake fluid.
Make sure that the other end of the hose is immersed in brake fluid.
Now with your beautiful assistant sitting in the drivers seat, and with
you having an 8mm openend wrench in hand, break open the bleeder screw
and turn it about a full turn or so, and at the same time tell your
assistant to press the brake pedal down, (AND HOLD IT). Now quickly
tighten the bleeder screw, and then tell your assistant to let go of
the brake pedal. This will be done at least 10 to 15 times on each wheel.
Make sure that your assistant does not let go of the brake pedal until
you have retightened the bleeder screw each time.
You will of course also need to make sure that the brake fluid reservoir
is kept full. One way to do that is to turn a full bottle of brake fluid
upside down and push the end of it into the reservoir.
Please don't do this the way I did, and get brake fluid all over the
inside of your trunk well. I am sure there is a much better way to do
this than what I did. I suspect that the next time I do this I will
put a small piece of ridged plastic or something over the bottle opening
and then lower the bottle towards the reservoir, and then when it is
almost in place, pull the plastic piece off the mouth of the bottle and
set it into the reservoir. If you are successful, this will allow a
gravity feed of the fluid from the bottle into the reservoir and keep it
full while you are bleeding the brakes. Or you could have another
assistant that keeps pouring new fluid into the reservoir. Either way
make sure it stays full or you will start getting air into the lines.
After you have gone around to each wheel and had your assistant pump the
brake pedal you should have gone through at least two to three pints of
fluid. That should be sufficient to change out the old fluid. You should
also check the old fluid as you pump it out, and listen that you don't
hear any sounds of air swishing by as the brake pedal is pressed.
If there is air in the system it is quite easy to hear it being pumped out
as the brake pedal is pressed.
Also as you finish each bleeding at each wheel, make sure that you
tighten the bleeder screw and place the little rubber cap back on it.
I put a little bit of silicone ie. (Wesleys Black Magic) on each rubber
cap before placing it back on the bleeder screw.
Also make sure that you retorque the wheel lug nuts in a cross pattern
and torque them to the proper 76 ft lbs of torque so as not to warp your
wheels.
Now test the brakes, make sure that you pump the pedal a little and that
it feels firm, not squishy. Take the car out for a driving test, careful
at first, making sure that the brakes feel good and solid.
Always do a final test of the brakes to make sure that they are in good
working order.
MY THOUGHTS: (IMHO)
First impressions are, these pads are nothing short of phenomenal.
If you want some fantastic stopping power, then these brake pads are
for you. When warmed up, you need to use a little caution if you are
not used to using this type of pad.
They are a little soft when cold, and appear to require two or three
mild stops to warm them. Although I would not call this softness when
cold detrimental to the overall performance of the pads. Let me assure
you there was plenty of stopping power there when the pads are cold.
When the pads are warmed up, it is another story. I have ABS, I was
easily able to kick in the ABS, when before with the stock semi metalic
pads, would have required at least twice as much force to activate it.
Note also that there is no squeal from the pads at all under any
condition. Several people had noted to me that other pads that they had
tried, would squeal at light to mild force stops, such is not the case
with these pads, I had no squeal under light to mild braking.
IMHO: I am very pleased with both the cold and hot performance of these
pads, and would recommend them to whom ever wants the ultimate in
stopping power.
The only down side I see is that they will very quickly turn your wheels
black with dust. Since I knew this already, I have used RaceBrite
polish on my wheels, and they require just a wipe down, or a spray off
which ever you prefer. The RaceBrite polish is a silicone base, and will
allow very easy clean up of your wheels so that the dust problem is not
such an issue.
--
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+ Marc L. Summers System Administrator +
+ 3100 N.E. Shute Road Hillsboro Oregon 97124 +
+ PH: 1-503-681-3338 FAX: 1-503-681-3304 +
+ Email: marcs@tdd.hbo.nec.com +
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