Fitting new front brake discs

[Lewy]

Fitting new front discs - is it straightforward - any tips or pitfalls? How is the disc held on to the wheel? I've got the pads helpsheet and I've done pads before but not discs so any help or tips would be most welcome.

Thanks...

[Dabs]

Fitting new front discs - is it straightforward - any tips or pitfalls? How is the disc held on to the wheel? I've got the pads helpsheet and I've done pads before but not discs so any help or tips would be most welcome.

Thanks...

Not being funny or obvious here..........but if you dont know what you are doing 100% get a qualified person to do it.........remember two tonnes of Bongo rely on brakes to stop!

If in doubt go the professional route!IMHO

Dabs

[Lewy]

I know what you mean but I think pads and discs are within the range of most competent DIYers. As I've said I've done the pads before front and rear - fairly straightforward job. The thing I'm unsure of is how the disc is attached to the wheel - I just want to make sure that before I start the job I've got the right tools. So someone who has done it might be able to advise.

Thanks for the input though and with a cold snap coming in a garage option sounds pretty good.

[brorabongo]

Just done mine, Two 19mm bolts holds the brake calipers ( theres two 17mm nuts for doing the pads)
They were V.tight, but I got myself a 12v impact wrench some time ago ( £20 from machine mart), it did a great job of getting the bolts loosened. My diiscs were not screwed to the hub but needed a bit of persuasion to come off. For easier access to the bolts have the steering on full lock..... for drivers side turn steering wheel anticlockwise. I did the job with both wheels off the ground so I could swing the hub round to suit.

First time I've ever done this job.

[Lewy]

Ok so I've done this job today and thought I'd post up a few tips for anyone thinking of doing the same. I have to say I found it quite challenging considering it only involves 4 bolts on each side and it took much longer than I thought it would. Mainly it was tricky because of tight bolts and not having a G clamp? to press in the pistons.


Some tips in no particaulr order:

1: It'll take you longer than you think - took me bloody ages about 3 1/2 hours and was quite hard work.
2: Defo have both wheels off the ground so you can swing the hub from lock to lock to get to the bolts, chock and axle stands.
3: the 19mm bolts - there are 2 will be tight - I had to use an extra lever bar on one.
4: Once you've got the wheels off, I'd check you can slack all the bolts off on both sides before you start swapping the discs.
5: Get a wire coat hanger, cut it in half and make two hooks to hang the assembly from the suspension coil - they are heavy and need supporting.
6: Buy a clamp to push back the pistons or be prepared to improvise and swear with levers, mole grips etc. Make sure you push the pistons ALL the way back or you wont het the assembly over the new disc.
7: Don't spend 20 minutes panicng because the disc won't mesh up to the hub, you've got it the wrong way round!
8: Open all the packaging and check the discs and pads first before you do anything, then you won't find the spare clips in one of the boxes after you've done the first wheel.
9: Dont forget a smear of copper grease on the BACK of the pad and on the callipers.
10: Lots of clips on You tube to help generic disc or 'rotor' change - also members fact sheet really useful for the pads bit.
11: Make sure you totally clean off the hub from all traces of rust - wet and dry and WD40 - to avoid developing brake judder and uneven run-off apparently.

Anyway - took it for a test drive all seems fine.

[mikeonb4c]

Ok so I've done this job today and thought I'd post up a few tips for anyone thinking of doing the same. I have to say I found it quite challenging considering it only involves 4 bolts on each side and it took much longer than I thought it would. Mainly it was tricky because of tight bolts and not having a G clamp? to press in the pistons.


Some tips in no particaulr order:

1: It'll take you longer than you think - took me bloody ages about 3 1/2 hours and was quite hard work.
2: Defo have both wheels off the ground so you can swing the hub from lock to lock to get to the bolts, chock and axle stands.
3: the 19mm bolts - there are 2 will be tight - I had to use an extra lever bar on one.
4: Once you've got the wheels off, I'd check you can slack all the bolts off on both sides before you start swapping the discs.
5: Get a wire coat hanger, cut it in half and make two hooks to hang the assembly from the suspension coil - they are heavy and need supporting.
6: Buy a clamp to push back the pistons or be prepared to improvise and swear with levers, mole grips etc. Make sure you push the pistons ALL the way back or you wont het the assembly over the new disc.
7: Don't spend 20 minutes panicng because the disc won't mesh up to the hub, you've got it the wrong way round!
8: Open all the packaging and check the discs and pads first before you do anything, then you won't find the spare clips in one of the boxes after you've done the first wheel.
9: Dont forget a smear of copper grease on the BACK of the pad and on the callipers.
10: Lots of clips on You tube to help generic disc or 'rotor' change - also members fact sheet really useful for the pads bit.
11: Make sure you totally clean off the hub from all traces of rust - wet and dry and WD40 - to avoid developing brake judder and uneven run-off apparently.

Anyway - took it for a test drive all seems fine.

Cor - well done, and in this freezing weather too. Useful advice there

[dandywarhol]

Good write up - also helpful when folks start moaning about the cost of getting things done on 13 year old vehicles - the jobs are rarely straightforward and time = £££

[bobngo]

i did mine sometime ago, it was mentioned here that with the discs ready to come off, they sometimes need alittle help,

mine needed brute force by the bucketfull, using a large club hammer and gallons of wd40.

at one point i thought there must be something i,ve not undone, but no, just bash bash,

not good for my bongo,i cried for a week after ,despite the fact it was successful

[wormey]

Doing jobs like this is satisfying and you learn so much.

also save ££££'s to.

Daz

[dave_aber]

If you end up with a disk that just winn not come off the hub, and the lump hammer is just breaking bits off the edge of the disk - as I had on a Xantia once - then there is a trick you may need.

Get an angle grinder, metal gutting (or grinding) disk. Cut a slot in the outer face of the disk, the face the wheel is clamped to. The slot should be tangential to the sigot ring, but try not to actually take any material off the spigot ring itself (the odd wee nick won't matter). Cut all the way across the face from one side to the other, and to a depth where you are just about touching the hub flange. You don't really need to go all the way through, and again the odd wee nick in the flange isn't going to hurt. A combination of the release of the pressure and the heat generated will release the disk.

Obviously, on a Bongo you also have to look out for the wheel studs too. Most modern cars have bolts not studs.

Usual disclaimers apply.
Cheers
9 Fingered Dave.

[wonkanoby]

9 Fingered Dave.................related to the grinder???????????????????

[dave_aber]

Don't worry, all 10 digits are (mostly) intact. Surprisingly pain/blood free when you angle grind your fingers - But I can't recommend that you try it!

[mikeonb4c]

No idea if this is relevant to removing discs, but I chanced upon a mate of mine and his Dad many years back trying to get something like a starter motor ring off the flywheel of their racing Mini Cooper engine. Despite plenty of experience, they were getting nowhere. I suggeted gently application of heat to the ring from a blowlamp, and got a lecture on how that wouldn't work becuase it would heat ring and flywheel alike. I persuaded them to disregard the theory (which I appreciated though didn't necessarily agree with) and try it nonetheless. Such was their desperation that they abandoned their engineering prudishness and decided they'd give it a go. The ring then slipped off with nae bother.

[dave_aber]

Blowtorch will work with discs as well, but you have to bear in mind that there is a wheel bearing and CV joint right behind the disc - the heat from a blowtorch can melt the grease in both the bearing and joint, and cause it to run out.

[mikeonb4c]

Blowtorch will work with discs as well, but you have to bear in mind that there is a wheel bearing and CV joint right behind the disc - the heat from a blowtorch can melt the grease in both the bearing and joint, and cause it to run out.

Yup. I seem to recall that the trick in the old story I told above, was to heat decisively but not for long, so that by getting the ring (disc) to expand and thus knock off quickly afterwards there was not much chance of transferring the heat to the rest of the assembly. You get this kind of situation with soldering, where you need to tin a wire quickly before heats transfers down it and starts melting the plastic insulation. If you don't succeed quickly, you have to let it all cool down again before having another go. But if my 'flywheel experience' was anything to go by, if its going to work, it should work pretty much first time as long as you are ready to start thumping as soon as you've put the blowtorch down.