im just about to change the front brake Discs and pads on my xj8 1998 4.0L, anything unusual to this model I should be aware of ?

 

Pretty standard ATE/Girling ? stuff.
AFAIR, remove antisqueal spring wires, 8mm? hex key bolts at the back and pads come out. Push back piston with C clamp and reiinstall new pads. Use brake grease to lube back of pads.
I have used Mintex with good success. Might try TRW/Lucas pads next to match the back brakes.
Others like Akebono low dusting ceramic pads.

 

many thanks for the info Dan,seems straightforward enough.

 

It's a good idea to check out the calipers and make sure the piston boot seals are intact. It will save you a lot of hassle in the future. The telltale sign of a problem is when the piston struggles to go back into the caliper.

 

I'll be giving this a shot on the weekend as well. Just ordered replacement pads and rotors. Good to know that the effort is similar to what I've done on other vehicles.

Would be nice if there was a step-by-step somewhere, especially for the rear brakes...but, I'll tough out the front ones based on past experience.

Good luck to us all.

 

You might want to bleed the brake lines if it hasn't been done in awhile. I was advised to that when I changed mine last. Other than that it was easy. It has been 6 months or so but I think the hex bolt requires a 7mm hex - The set I had only went down to 8mm. I bought one at Sears - cheap.

Joe
98VDP

 

Last I checked they were 7mm allen bolts holding the calipers on the carriers and 22mm carrier bolts.

 

If you replace the disc you will need to remove the carrier. The bolts are difficult to get out. Make sure you have a good fiitting socket as you can round the nute very easily. I did!!

 

Replaced both the front and rear brakes on my 95xj6 and I had no problems. They were similar to those on an American car. Remove the wheel and you will see the caliper. On the inboard of the caliper you will see 2 rubber caps that cover the hex bolts that hold the caliper in place. Remove the caps and identify the proper size hex driver and remove the hex bolts. They may be a little hard to remove if the lubricant that is on it is old and dry. Once you get them out remove the spring clip that is on the outboard of the caliper. At that point lift the caliper up and away from the disk. Keep in mind not to twist or bend the brake fluid line any more than necessary and do not let the caliper hang by the line. Use a small c clamp to retract the caliper making room for the new brakes. When doing this take your time and do not put it into a bind. Apply even pressure on the cup. “Oh” I forgot make sure that your brake fluid does not overflow. (I know of people that will open and bleed the brake fluid at the caliper when retracting the caliper I would not recommend bleeding it this way) . They say it bleeds the old out allowing you to add new fluid. When you put it back together make sure that the hex bolt is clean and new grease is applied. As for the rear the process is the same with the one exception, you may find that the hose is in the way of you accessing the hex bolt. If that is the case get a longer hex tool for the bolt. Good Luck!

 

May I ask what the preferred methodology is for bleeding the brake fluid?

I will admit, although I have changed pads on 2 different Fords and 1 Infiniti (thus I am familiar with the process for pads and rotors), I have not previously bled the brakes. If there is a process (or link to another thread with the process detailed), I'm all ears.

 

Here is one.

http://www.jcna.com/library/tech/tech0004.html

I had my son man the brake pedal while I manned the bleeder screw.

Joe
98VDP

 

You will need two people one to push the brake pedal and the other to bleed at the caliper. I have purchased a vacuum bleeder to give it a try. I will not recommend until I try it, I can only say others found it to not work. Would like a little feedback on this.

 

well,I did the work on the front brakes,all went well thanks to everyone's good advice,didnt encounter any problems at all,very simple really,got to start ordering the parts for the rear now!

 

Safe to assume on extra parts? Did you bleed the brakes and how did you elect to do it?

 

I am also doing a brake job on my 2003 XJR. I bought tires(Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus), Disc Italia rotors(pic below) and Hawk HPS pads. I wavered on the stainless steel brake lines due to conflicting reports of whether it would increase my braking or not. I'll spray the calipers since I'm at it, black.

Basically its stage one of my upgrades. Starting from the bottom up.

In the pic, I am showing my new Disc Italia rotors that I sprayed the hub with black high temp paint to limit rusting.

 

On the topic of using a vacuum bleeder - I tried it on one wheel. It was a cheap one I bought at Harbor Freight. The vacuum tube supplied for connection to the bleeder screw did not form a real good vacuum. For me it was more trouble than it was worth. I had my son help me - seemed simpler. He wasn't doing anything but playing a video game anyway :-)

 

Good information.

 

Finally got the 99 XJ8 up on the Jack stands last night in an attempt to replace the front pads and rotors.

Had a buddy in my garage at the same time doing his Subaru.

Holy Crap. He finished in a couple of hours, at which point I had still not been able to remove a single bolt holding the caliper to the frame of the jag. I tried everything that I'm aware of:
- WD40 on the bolts,
- Box wrench (struck with rubber mallet)
- Socket wrench (struck with rubber mallet)
- Slight torque extension by slipping a piece of conduit over the end of a socket wrench (actually bent the body of the socket wrench...although in fairness I had to use the cheap socket set to fit within the piece of conduit).

Two hours...not a budge in anything. I finally got down there with a claw hammer and tried to hit the box wrench and socket wrench to get a bolt dislodged. No luck there either.

Short of putting it fully up on a hoist and hitting it with an air-impact wrench (neither of which I have BTW), am I stuck taking my parts to a shop?

My rotors actually look in decent shape...maybe I can get away with just pads this time around...but, if the body bolts are rusted in place, what's to say the Allen Wrench bolts aren't similarly screwed up.

Looking for advice on dislodging the body bolts...otherwise, I'll give the pads a shot later in the week.

 

This is a great product http://fcmason.thomasnet.com/item/lu...207?&forward=1 It is called PB Blaster a penetrating catalyst. I have used it for many years WD-40 is a mild lubricant with qualities to displace water, not what you need for this application. Most local auto stores have it.

 

Thanks Gus...I'll hunt it down and give it a shot!