OK guys, I'll be doing a complete rotor and pad swap on my 05 3.0 Sport this Saturday. I've got a caliper cube and C-clamps as well as an 18pc caliper comp/rotator kit if I need it. I'm guessing a quart of Dot4 fluid is enough to purge the entire system. I've got some anti-squeak paste and 2 cans of brake cleaner and have use of my friends lift all afternoon. I even bought a grease needle to try the driveshaft bearing lube while it's up.

Any advice to make things go easier or things to look for while under an X with about 55k on the clock? I'll tackle all the other fluids in the spring.

Thanks in advance for any helpful pointers or choice curse phrases to have on tap.

 

Getting the rotors off may be a task, mine seem rusted on pretty solid. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

Good point Tony, as this should remind us all to make sure we use neversieze (antisieze) in the right places. for sure the hub (hole in the middle of the disc. and the wheel studs as a minimum.

I also recommend that you spend time cleaning dirt/rust from the flat surface of the hub behind the old disc, before putting the new one. If that surface is not perfectly clean, the brakes will shake.

 

C5, seems like you have the list pretty well made up. As for the rotors, if you are wanting to be nice to the old rotors, then get your hands on a big rubber mallet. If you are tossing the old rotors out, then a BFH. The only problem I can see with using a metal hammer is if you have issues and the rotor decides it doesn't want to come off, now you have a damaged rotor. But, this normally is not a problem unless you live in an area where they love to salt the roads.

The other tidbit to keep in mind is to make sure to clean up the metal sleeves between the brake pads and the calipers really good. That will help ensure maximum life out of your new pads.

 

Anti-seize, check
Clean surface for new discs, check

Rubber mallet, check (I've got a few)
BFH, check (a favorite tool for sure)

Yes, they salt and use brine a lot around here. Penetrating oil is also on list. I'm sure something is getting BFHed just as a mental health aid. The tricky part is knowing there's no turning back at that point.

What metal sleeves are you referring to, is there a reusable shim or something? I didn't unpack the new pads to see if it came with any extra plates etc.

Keep the pointers coming, this is good stuff. If nothing else, each warning should help hold off the colorful language a little longer since I'll already be aware of potential problems.

 

Oh, you will swear turning in the rear pistons. There is no other way, the cube tool is OK, and inexpensive too... but you WILL swear doing it. haha

 

You're forgetting 2 things. Get yourself some fluid for bleeding and some caliper paint so they look good for a year or two. Fluid should be changed every 2 years anyway and now is a good time to bleed and do a fluid change since it will make it a bit easier to turn your rears in without pressure.

 

C5Pilot, the metal shims that I am talking about, they slide between the indentions where the pad sit and the pads themselves. They are designed to minimize the friction the pad has to see when being pressed against the rotor (prevents the pad from wearing at an angle). As you can imagine, they will be caked with dust and this can cause the pad to hang on one side if not removed. When you remove the pads, you will see them sitting on the inside of the caliper. They are small pieces about 3/8" x 3/8" x 4" long, bent into a U. You should have 2 of them per caliper (one on each end of the caliper).

 

One other thing since you have an 05. Before you get to the point of pita return in the rear match up your real pads. My 05 even though it was made mid 05 has the earlier style rear calipers on it. I realized after I had bfh the old rotors off. Luckly the supplier overnighted me the right pads with saturday delivery!

 

I think it's all pretty much been covered, but I thought I'd link you to an old thread of mine that has some decent pics.. thought they might help!

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ead.php?t=2751

 

I already have a Qt of fluid on hand (friend probably has some too), hoping that's enough. As for paint, it's way too cold for that. I have to get these brakes on for inspection due this month so I can't hold off. On the other hand, my car is quartz so the calipers match as is.

The problem is, I've been looking for my next daily driver for over 2 years so this job has just gotten away from me. Couldn't have scheduled it any worse but I know the rotors won't pass inspection. I won't be surprised if I find a car I like right after doing this and all the fluid flushing.

Thanks, I'll make sure they're spotless.

Mine was built Jan 05 so I ordered the newer style kit. When looking at them, is there a dead give-away to know if I have the correct ones? What's different, the pads, rotors, or both? I'll be sure to match them up before disassembling everything.

BTW, can you usually get away using all the old bolts again or is something inevitably too corroded to use over again?

 

Nice job, thanks for the post. The only thing about painting the calipers is once they get knicked or dirty, they don't look so hot anymore. I don't always have time to do my own work so it's just another thing to get scratched when it goes into the shop. Bare metal always matches.

 

Pads are different. No way to tell untill you pull the caliper out. good luck!

 

I want to thank everyone for their help in this thread as well as all the archived posts on brake pad replacement. With everyones help I felt prepared and everything went very well.

There were no shims or plates between the caliper and pads that weren't already on the new set of pads. Maybe some brake pads don't come with the plates, I don't know. However, I am starting to have second thoughts about using the anti-squeak on the rear pads. I'm wondering if it might interfere with the rotation of the caliper as they wear. Guess I'll find out. Also, there is no need to disconnect the parking brake cables. Just unhook the springs and the cable will have enough play to remove the caliper.

I was able to get by using just the caliper cube and c-clamp to wind in the rear calipers. I didn't need the caliper winding tool kit at all for this job. The trick to using the caliper cube is to have an extra pair of hands, a large c-clamp, a screwdriver, and a 13mm(?) socket. There's a nut on the back of the caliper directly in line with the caliper piston that the c-clamp will grab. Place the socket on the nut so the c-clamp doesn't damage the nut or slip off. Align the cube onto the caliper piston and tighten the c-clamp onto the cube and socket. Turn the cube with a screwdriver inserted through a side opening while your helper tightens the c-clamp. With 2 people, this worked out very nicely.

Sorry the pictures aren't clearer, I took them using my phone. The first picture shows the c-clamp on the cube. The second picture shows the screwdriver inserted into the cube.

On an unrelated topic, my driveshaft center bearing does not have the notches described in the X-Type FAQs to inject grease into the bearing. There's no way to grease it.

 

wow! That is such a good idea for rewinding the caliper. I would have never thought of that. Thank you for the pics.

 

I can't take the credit for the idea. I read it somewhere but wanted to get a picture to make it easier for others to visualize. The caliper cube easily turned the piston but you can't get enough pressure to push it in. The c-clamp takes care of that but you need an extra pair of hands to hold it all together while turning. That being said, if someone's doing the job alone they'll need the proper tool.

 

Oh well, regardless thanks for the pictures.

 

C5pilot,

I think the two rear calipers are wound back in different directions. if that's true you might want to describe that.

Also, on other cars I have found that opening the bleed valve makes the job a lot easier. What did you do?

 

Correct, the driver side is retracted by rotating it CCW and the passenger side CW. We didn't need to open the bleeder at all for removal. We just took fluid out of the resevoir so it wouldn't overflow during the process. We did a complete flush after we were done. The car brakes better than it ever did before and the pads aren't even broken in. I have to say, having a nice shop to work in, with plenty of tools and a great friend to hang out with really makes it enjoyable.

 

Oh, it just dawned on me what you're talking about. You mean the pad "clips". We actually almost lost one that popped off. Would be nice if they included a few in the kit just in case. I imagine they are dealer items. Any chance the clips are a standard size/shape for every car and available at PepBoys or AutoZone etc?