I bought my X Type after it had been sitting for around a year. Consequently the rotors and calipers are in a state. So I've decided on new slotted rotors and clean and paint the calipers. It sounds like an 'all weekend' job. Anyway I found a great YouTube video a guy made where he did just that on an S Type.
My question is.... are the X Type brakes as straight forward as the S Type? Just three bolts, lift the caliper off, give the rotor a thump and off it comes?

 

Yes, my x-type brakes were fairly easy. I don't recall if it was 2 or 3 bolts though to remove the caliper.

Good luck and have fun.

What color are you painting the calipers?

 

They're easy but you'll need the "special tool" to help with pushing the caliper piston back in on the rear brakes.

On the passenger side (US) you can probably get away with using a large clamp of some kind that will turn the piston while pushing it back down.

However, the other side (US driver side) does not follow the traditional righty-tighty, lefty-loosey we've all been taught so you really need the special tool to push the thing in while you turn in in what will seem to be the wrong direction.

I was able to find the tool at a nearby Autozone for around $10 (I think).

By the way, if you haven't ordered your rotors yet, the brakemotive kit on eBay is a fantastic deal. You get ceramic pads and drilled/slotted rotors for all 4 wheels for ~$180 shipped. I've had them on for about three months now and they're fantastic. Others on here have had them on even longer

 

As mentioned above, overall the job is very easy and standard but you'll need the brake kit to push the rear calipers back in (fronts can use a standard c-clamp).

I'd recommend doing a brake fluid flush while you're at it since you're going to bleed the calipers anyway. A can of ATE Super Blue is more than enough to do the job.

This is the kit I own and recommended by a couple of members here and elsewhere:

18 Piece Disc Brake Pad and Caliper Service Tool Kit

 

I found that the tool supplied with my angle grinder for replacing the grinding disk fitted perfectly.

All you need is something to turn the piston and screw it back into the caliper.

My UK X Type has two bolts holding each of the calipers to the strut.

If the disks are badly worn you might need to prize the pads apart slightly to get them past the high edge on the disk.

 

flyrr100, yes, the brake job is as easy as you are thinking. 2 bolts and the calipers can be unmounted from the support. If you are going to paint the caliper, 2 things: 1) make sure to use high temp paint else the paint is just going to peel off in no time, making things look like hell, and 2) save yourself a lot of heart ache and just remove the caliper from the car (cap the end of the brake line) and then mask off what you don't want painted (do not forget to then bleed the brake system to remove any air).

I have done exactly what you are talking about. I would also recommend pulling the e-brake lever off the rear calipers and then removing the rubber boot that is under the lever. From there, apply some high temp grease there to ensure you don't have a sticky e-brake lever issue. I fight this problem on my car and have gone as far as dismantling the calipers to rebuild them to make them operate like silk. Actually very simple to rebuild the caliper, just requires 1 special tool (14mm pentasocket).

If you need to know anything about the brake system, let me know. I second the Brakemotive kit. For the price, can not beat it.

 

Did you mean this tool?

 

Nardo, that is not the tool that I think he is referring to. Take a look at this ( ). This tool you put on the end of a 3/8" ratchet and you can then spin the piston in the necessary direction (driver's side goes one way, passenger side the opposite way). Also keep in mind that you will also need to open the caliper vent to make it possible to push the piston back into the caliper. Supposedly you can do it without opening the vent, but the amount of force necessary to do that is very high. Make it easy on yourself.

There are more expensive kits out there that make the process easier, but they are also more expensive. The big thing is making sure that the kit has the ability to push the piston in when turning both directions. OTherwise the kit will only work on 1 side of the car.

 

Thanks for all the advise. I have a crowded garage so It'll be fronts on weekend and the rears a few weeks later. I didn't realize the rear pistons needed screwing in. I've always just used a wrench and pushed the pistons in.

The car is black so I'm painting them black. Maybe with red Jag lettering. I've found a few suppliers that sell the Jaguar decals for the calipers.

I've seen these on ebay. Seems like a good price.

I totally agree. In fact I'm doing that this weekend because the fluid is a little dark and the brakes are definitely soft.

Again, thanks.
BTW, here's my beast....

 

I find a pair of long nose pilers work well on the rear calipers. open the beed nipple first.

 

Thermo many thanks for your reply.

Do we need the "special tool" to push the front calipers pistons or a screwdriver + elbow grease should make it?

 

Actually yes, that's the only thing I could find to get the job done at the last second. It worked, I just kept turning the piston with pliers and then cranking that device a little to push it in some. I'm sure there's a better tool out there but it got the job done. Had I known in advance I would need this, I would have researched it and bought that tool thermo linked to.

Also I didn't open the vent when doing it, which made it more difficult but not impossible.

If I recall correctly the front ones don't require and special tool and can just be pushed in without turning

 

If it's no too late, simply taking a sanding disk to the rotor to remove the surface rust is all that's required.

 

Nardo, when I do the front calipers, I use 6" c clamps. I can not say that I have attempted the screw driver trick. THe C clamp is really easy and well worth the money ($10) for picking up a C clamp big enough to do what you are after.

 

Have a very stupid question.
Replaced the front rotors and pads yesterday. And once the brakes are pumped - the pistons hold the wheels so tight that you cant rotate them. Tried to take it for a drive - it's only getting worse. The brakes are overheating after 5 min. I checked everything and re-did each step 3 times. I also tried to put the old pads to check if the new ones are too thick for some reason. But got the same result.
It's also weird because after a while (an hour or so) the pistons release the pressure but it comes back after a few hundreds yards.

So, my question - what the hell is happening to my brakes?! Or what the hell am I doing wrong?
I bled the brakes a week ago and I have not seen any sings of air in the system during this week.

Thank you everyone in advance

 

Front or rear if rear prob you have ajusted the caliper out to much. Was the caliper tight to put back on the car.

 

The front ones. And they act totally alike. So I guess it's not a calipers malfunction. Maybe it's air in the system. I'm puzzled!

 

Nardo, when doing the front pads, did you take a wire brush to the surface where the pad touches the caliper (ie, where the tips of the pads touch the caliper and it is a tight fit there)? I have found that if you put new pads on, there are raised edges on the pads and they can stick some, especially if you don't clean the half moon slot that the pads ride in. After that, hard to say what happened. I can not say that I have ever experienced something like that.

 

Sounds like the relief port on the M/C piston is blocked and not allowing the fluid to return after pedal release. It's possible that during the bleeding procedure that the master cylinder was damaged by 'overstroking' the pedal.

 

Thank you all for your input.

Looks like for some reason the brake booster is doing this madness. If you disconnect the vacuum line from the booster (when the engine is not running) it releases the pressure and the brakes. And btw it turned out that all 4 wheels are affected by this (tried to jack rear wheels and rotate them).

I found threads that some other guys had had the same problems. But nobody really posted what the solution was. So, I'm really really confused.
Any thoughts why the booster acts like that after the pads replacement? Or what else it could be?
Where to move next? Get a used booster and replace it? How hard is that?