Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » Replace my own brake pads?
| Replace my own brake pads? [message #108848] |
Sat, 18 December 2010 14:05  |
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MangoMushroom
Messages: 67
Registered: August 2008
Location: Emeryville, CA
Karma: 0
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I have worn out brake pads, in particular front right wheel, on my Birchaven at the moment... I have become accustomed to wrenching on the rig myself, but have never done brake pad replacement.
Is this something I should tackle on my own? I assume standard tools would suffice... Any tips would be greatly appreciated...
Thanks everyone!
****MangoMushroom
`76 GMC Birchaven named "Harvey"
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| Re: [GMCnet] Replace my own brake pads? [message #108858 is a reply to message #108848] |
Sat, 18 December 2010 14:42  |
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USAussie
Messages: 15912
Registered: July 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Karma: 6
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Andre,
I am not trying to be a smart ass or give you a hard time but I would
suggest that you go to the Maintenance Manual and read the section that
provides instruction on how to change the brake pads. After doing so you
would what tools it required and would know far better than any of us if it
was within your capabilities.
Regards,
Rob M.
USAussie - Downunder
-----Original Message-----
From: gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org
[mailto:gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org] On Behalf Of Andre Mandel
Sent: Sunday, December 19, 2010 7:05 AM
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Subject: [GMCnet] Replace my own brake pads?
I have worn out brake pads, in particular front right wheel, on my Birchaven
at the moment... I have become accustomed to wrenching on the rig myself,
but have never done brake pad replacement.
Is this something I should tackle on my own? I assume standard tools would
suffice... Any tips would be greatly appreciated...
Thanks everyone!
--
****MangoMushroom
`76 GMC Birchaven
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Regards,
Rob M. (USAussie)
The Pedantic Mechanic
Sydney, Australia
'75 Avion - AUS - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
'75 Avion - USA - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
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| Re: Replace my own brake pads? [message #108886 is a reply to message #108848] |
Sat, 18 December 2010 19:04 |
C Boyd
Messages: 2629
Registered: April 2006
Karma: 18
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| MangoMushroom wrote on Sat, 18 December 2010 15:05 |
I have worn out brake pads, in particular front right wheel, on my Birchaven at the moment... I have become accustomed to wrenching on the rig myself, but have never done brake pad replacement.
Is this something I should tackle on my own? I assume standard tools would suffice... Any tips would be greatly appreciated...
Thanks everyone!
|
Sir: replacing front brakes are fairly simple. What bothers me is the "in particular front right wheel" part. If one is worn more than the other it might mean that that side is working more than the other or that side is not releasing properly and is dragging. The rubber lines to the calipers can close up on the inside with age and cause a restriction. Sometimes the calipers are stuck or will drag upon releasing. If the hoses look to be old and hard I would replace them along with the calipers. Both are fairly inexpensive. 76 Toronado parts is what we got. I would also recommend using carbon metallic front pads. Well worth the xtra $ to do it just once.
C. Boyd
76 Crestmont
East Tennessee
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| Re: [GMCnet] Replace my own brake pads? [message #108887 is a reply to message #108886] |
Sat, 18 December 2010 19:08 |
jimk
Messages: 6734
Registered: July 2006
Location: Belmont, CA
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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Andre,
You can swing byand do it here Sunday, but you'll need to leave by 5:00pm
On Sat, Dec 18, 2010 at 5:04 PM, Charles Boyd <covered-wagon@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>
> MangoMushroom wrote on Sat, 18 December 2010 15:05
>> I have worn out brake pads, in particular front right wheel, on my Birchaven at the moment... I have become accustomed to wrenching on the rig myself, but have never done brake pad replacement.
>>
>> Is this something I should tackle on my own? I assume standard tools would suffice... Any tips would be greatly appreciated...
>>
>> Thanks everyone!
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Sir: replacing front brakes are fairly simple. What bothers me is the "in particular front right wheel" part. If one is worn more than the other it might mean that that side is working more than the other or that side is not releasing properly and is dragging. The rubber lines to the calipers can close up on the inside with age and cause a restriction. Sometimes the calipers are stuck or will drag upon releasing. If the hoses look to be old and hard I would replace them along with the calipers. Both are fairly inexpensive. 76 Toronado parts is what we got. I would also recommend using carbon metallic front pads. Well worth the xtra $ to do it just once.
> --
> C. Boyd
> 76 Crestmont by Midas
> East Tennessee
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> List Information and Subscription Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
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--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Fremont,CA
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
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Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
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| Re: [GMCnet] Replace my own brake pads? [message #109764 is a reply to message #108938] |
Sat, 25 December 2010 17:07 |
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MangoMushroom
Messages: 67
Registered: August 2008
Location: Emeryville, CA
Karma: 0
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Thank you for your feedback, everyone, and for offering your lift and shop on Sunday, Jim K!!! It will be another month before I get around to replacing the pads, as I am on the East Coast with family for the Holidays...
Merry Christmas, Everyone, and Good Health to you and your brake pads in 2011!
****MangoMushroom
`76 GMC Birchaven named "Harvey"
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| Re: [GMCnet] Replace my own brake pads? [message #109791 is a reply to message #109788] |
Sun, 26 December 2010 08:27 |
Ken Henderson
Messages: 8726
Registered: March 2004
Location: Americus, GA
Karma: 9
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On Sun, Dec 26, 2010 at 9:15 AM, Hardie Johnson <hardie.j@gmail.com> wrote:
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> MangoMushroom wrote on Sat, 18 December 2010 15:05
>> I have worn out brake pads, in particular front right wheel<>Thanks everyone!
>
> ...You might replace the calipers at the same time; loaded calipers are not expensive. > ...you may decide to replace rotors at the same time.
> ...Now you will be looking at doing the front bearings
>... and that is the occasion to install the million mile zerk fittings,
>... and what about the CV joints . . .?
>... One possibility is to upgrade to the 80mm piston caliper
>... When you do that you will need to upgrade the hoses, too.
>... "why not do the shocks while the rotors are out of the way?"
> --
The big ol' axle nut will have to come back off to change out the
axles, so might as well do them now...
And since you're already greasy, might as well do the rear bearings.
The drums will already be off so it makes sense to change the brake cylinders.
And the springs.
And the shoes.
Why not upgrade to disk brakes since it's all apart back there?
Maybe the suspension pins should be replaced..
...
...
...
The story of my life since 30 April '98!
Ken H.
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Ken Henderson
Americus, GA
www.gmcwipersetc.com
Large Wiring Diagrams
76 X-Birchaven
76 X-Palm Beach
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| Re: [GMCnet] Replace my own brake pads? [message #109792 is a reply to message #109791] |
Sun, 26 December 2010 08:34 |
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USAussie
Messages: 15912
Registered: July 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Karma: 6
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Senior Member |
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Ken,
Jim B said something to me once about GMC's which was "Knowing where to
start on a GMC isn't a problem; knowing when to stop is!"
Regards,
Rob M.
USAussie - Downunder
-----Original Message-----
From: gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org
[mailto:gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org] On Behalf Of Ken Henderson
Sent: Monday, December 27, 2010 1:28 AM
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Replace my own brake pads?
The big ol' axle nut will have to come back off to change out the
axles, so might as well do them now...
And since you're already greasy, might as well do the rear bearings.
The drums will already be off so it makes sense to change the brake
cylinders.
And the springs.
And the shoes.
Why not upgrade to disk brakes since it's all apart back there?
Maybe the suspension pins should be replaced..
...
...
...
The story of my life since 30 April '98!
Ken H.
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GMCnet mailing list
List Information and Subscription Options:
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_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
List Information and Subscription Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
Regards,
Rob M. (USAussie)
The Pedantic Mechanic
Sydney, Australia
'75 Avion - AUS - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
'75 Avion - USA - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
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| Re: Replace my own brake pads? [message #109793 is a reply to message #108848] |
Sun, 26 December 2010 10:07 |
JohnL455
Messages: 4447
Registered: October 2006
Location: Woodstock, IL
Karma: 12
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Just throwing on a set of pads is just that. It will keep the metal backing plates off the rotors and provide new friction material. That might be OK or it might not. Often the new deeper position of the the pistons will cause them to stick or leak. Also are the rotors true and do they have a safe thickness remaining? Are the brake lines swelling or corroded? Are the sliding sleaves clean and properlly lubricated with synthetic? Is the brake fluid rancid and from the 70s?.... If you need to get from point A to B and are worn out of friction material, throw on pads to get you there, other than that, do a comprehensive proper brake job for safety's sake and peace of mind and lack of redo headaches.
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
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| Re: [GMCnet] Replace my own brake pads? [message #109795 is a reply to message #109793] |
Sun, 26 December 2010 10:52 |
James Hupy
Messages: 6806
Registered: May 2010
Karma: -62
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Senior Member |
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I have the following comments about brakes. They are a consumable item,
kinda like the beer in your fridge. When you drink it all, it is all gone,
and it is time to replenish your supply or stop drinking. If the front pads
are worn on one side of the caliper and not the other, or for that matter on
one side of the coach and not the other, that should serve as a LOUD warning
that more is wrong than just worn pads. More than likely the floating
calipers are no longer free to float and distribute the wear equally to both
pads. If the original flexible brake hoses that connect the calipers to the
hard lines are still there, don't give it a second thought. REPLACE THEM and
the ones in the rear at the same time with stainless steel teflon lined DOT
approved flex lines. Measure the rotors carefully and replace them with
either AMERICAN of CANADIAN built rotors if necessary. The Chinese rotors
that I have used have worn out much more quickly than the domestic ones due
to the much softer materials used in their manufacture. There might be some
good Chinese ones out there, but I haven't found them yet, and I am not
willing to risk safety against price, IF it has been 25000 miles since you
have looked at your CV boots and front bearings in the hubs and knuckles,
this is an excellent time to do these tasks also. Same goes for the rear
drum brakes. When you have the drums off to replace the brake hoses, replace
the wheel cylinders while you are in there as well as the springs. Pay
special attention to the star wheel self adjusters. If they are missing any
teeth or any are rounded off, replace them too. A word of caution on self
adjusters, they are different from the drivers side to the passengers side
of the coach. Make sure you don't swap them. That leaves the booster and
master cylinder. Are they original? Is there any rust or gunky stuff in the
brake fluid? It is kinda like food service."If in doubt, throw it out"
applies here. Nothing like having a brake pedal going clear to the floor in
heavy traffic to convince you that you shoulda replaced the MC too. Peace of
mind is worth a whole lot and safe reliable brakes depend on every component
in the system working like it was supposed to. I'll get off my soap box now.
Other people may have other opinions, this is just mine after a long career
of working on stuff like this.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Or
78 Royale 403
On Sun, Dec 26, 2010 at 8:07 AM, John R. Lebetski <gransport@aol.com> wrote:
>
>
> Just throwing on a set of pads is just that. It will keep the metal backing
> plates off the rotors and provide new friction material. That might be OK
> or it might not. Often the new deeper position of the the pistons will cause
> them to stick or leak. Also are the rotors true and do they have a safe
> thickness remaining? Are the brake lines swelling or corroded? Are the
> sliding sleaves clean and properlly lubricated with synthetic? Is the brake
> fluid rancid and from the 70s?.... If you need to get from point A to B and
> are worn out of friction material, throw on pads to get you there, other
> than that, do a comprehensive proper brake job for safety's sake and peace
> of mind and lack of redo headaches.
> --
> John Lebetski
> Chicago, IL
> 77 Eleganza II
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> List Information and Subscription Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
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| Re: [GMCnet] Replace my own brake pads? [message #109806 is a reply to message #109804] |
Sun, 26 December 2010 13:26 |
James Hupy
Messages: 6806
Registered: May 2010
Karma: -62
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Senior Member |
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J.A. , take Joe up on his offer. It will really help you gain confidence in
your mechanical abilities and 2 sets of eyes are better than one set that
doesn't know for sure where to look. There are some parts of this work that
is made much easier by having more than one person involved. Plus you get to
BS with another GMCer and learn at the same time. It don't get much better
than that.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Or
78 GMC Royale 403
On Sun, Dec 26, 2010 at 10:28 AM, J A Holland <acts238bishop@yahoo.com>wrote:
>
>
> MangoMushroom wrote on Sat, 18 December 2010 14:05
> > I have worn out brake pads,
> > in particular front right wheel, on my Birchaven at the moment...
> > I have become accustomed to wrenching on the rig myself,
> > but have never done brake pad replacement.
> >
> > Is this something I should tackle on my own?
> > I assume standard tools would suffice...
> > Any tips would be greatly appreciated...
> >
> > Thanks everyone!
>
>
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
> Just Bring It By My House & I'll Help ~
>
> ~ Joe ~
> --
> Joe & Lavelle
>
> '65 6cyl Cortez/'68 8cyl Cortez/
>
> '73 26' Canyonlands/
>
> http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056676&id=1266255830&l=7a962eb8eb
>
> '78 26'Eleganza II/
> http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2035030&id=1266255830&l=5536e612f6
>
> _______________________________________________
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| Re: Replace my own brake pads? [message #109853 is a reply to message #108848] |
Mon, 27 December 2010 00:01 |
Luvn737s
Messages: 1106
Registered: June 2007
Karma: 2
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Senior Member |
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If both pads wore to the metal warning strip at exactly the same time I would have you go buy me a lottery ticket! I bet if you take both sides off, you will find very similar wear patterns. And replacing the pads is not the area you might get in trouble, it's jacking it up. I would have 2 4 ton or better jack stands ready and a 4 ton Floor jack (Sears makes a good SUV jack) and jack from the center of the crossmember. Place the 2 jacks equidistant from the midpoint of the crossmember to the wheel. This will help prevent cracking the windshield.
Randy
1973 26' Painted Desert
Ahwatukee (Phoenix) AZ
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| Re: Replace my own brake pads? [message #109958 is a reply to message #108848] |
Mon, 27 December 2010 22:05 |
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I have a 3.5 ton professional service style jack, I replaced the stock funky jack with. it lifts either end of the coach with ease! the only problem is it weighs 100+ pounds so I gotta remember to bend at the knees when lifting it in or out of the coach. when I did my CV boots this weekend I just jacked it up from the center of the cross member. just remember to put calks behind the rear wheels, and inflate the airbags to their maximum height then put the level on hold. IMHO a professional service jack is absolutely necessary, I would never think of using the crazy and very dangerous looking stock bottle/chain style jack...
73 Canyon Lands, (a.k.a. The Yellow Submarine) West Los Angeles CA
[Updated on: Mon, 27 December 2010 22:06] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Replace my own brake pads? [message #109994 is a reply to message #108848] |
Tue, 28 December 2010 11:20 |
Keith V
Messages: 2337
Registered: March 2008
Location: Mounds View,MN
Karma: 0
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Just remember wearing the pads down to the backing plate destroys a very expensive and hard to replace rotor.
Hard to replace as in needing special tools and having to disassemble the front hubs.
New pads are easy...
Keith Vasilakes
Mounds View. MN
75 ex Royale GMC
ask me about MicroLevel
Cell, 763-732-3419
My427v8@hotmail.com
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| Re: Replace my own brake pads? [message #110651 is a reply to message #108848] |
Mon, 03 January 2011 09:58 |
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MangoMushroom
Messages: 67
Registered: August 2008
Location: Emeryville, CA
Karma: 0
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Member |
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Thanks again for all of your feedback, everyone.
I should've said: I THINK its my brakes... I read the following post and believe I have the exact same symptoms:
http://gmc.mybirdfeeder.net/GMCforum/index.php?rid=0&t=msg&th=11070
sounds like mice squeaking when I'm rolling down the street, and the squeaking goes away with just minor brake pressure applied. I feel no grinding when I brake.
Could it be anything else, or probably just the brake pad? Again, this is only on one side of the coach, front brake passenger side
Thanks again!!!
****MangoMushroom
`76 GMC Birchaven named "Harvey"
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