I've tried to get help from two other well known people here in the UMW who do/did a lot of work on S2000s, and they either don't have time or have stopped working in other people's garages.

While I do have common sense to do most of the work myself, I've never done a brake job this in-depth myself. I need someone who knows what they're doing to help me out here and make sure I don't do something stupid. And I do NOT have a torque wrench.

I'd LIKE to have the car on the ground and running by Saturday April 4th. Saturday and Sunday are pretty much the only days of the week I am able to work on this.

The details of the job: Brake lines, calipers, pads, rotors- all four corners; complete fluid flush. The furthest I've ever done is pads and rotors.

If nobody is able to help out (I realize it's really short notice) then I'll have to make the meet on the 18th a tech-day.


If anybody is able/willing to help me out please let me know!!!


Thanks,

Paul

 

Mountain-man,

I cannot help you with the time directly, but I think you might be making a bigger deal out of this job than it really is.

If you've done pads & rotors before, you've really done almost all the same things you'd need to do for what you describe (I am assuming when you say brake lines, you're just replacing the rubber lines and not all the metal hard lines throughout the car).

The only things more than what you've done before is:

1. a few more bolts to remove the caliper brackets. (are you just replacing w/stock calipers, or is is this a brake kit?)

2. The brake line fittings. Getting yourself a flare wrench set might make it a bit easier, but it's not necessary.

3. A second person to sit in the driver seat and push the brake pedal down 30 times for the fluid flush. A wife or girlfriend works in a pinch, though be prepared for impatience and repercussions. There are good DIY's on brake bleeding/flushing.

Though there are plenty of people on the boards who are so anal about torque specs, they'd use a torque wrench while putting together their kids' Christmas toys, there's nothing about what you describe that is so sensitive it requires a torque wrench (other than putting you wheels back on, for which I always prefer a torque wrench).

Just be careful of a couple of things:

1. Take appropriate care & time when you loosen and tighten the flare-nut that connects the hard line to the rubber hoses at the corner. If you round those, then you've created some trouble for yourself (replacing hardlines is a bitch).

2. Don't over-tighten the bleed screws. You want them appropriately tight that they seal and hold pressure, but if you strip or destroy those (or worse the threads of the caliper), you're in a bit of a pickle.

Otherwise, it's not that giant a job. You can do it (with a second person to pump the pedal).

 

Installing Spoon calipers in the front, stock rears, and stainless lines all around (not hard-lines) My car does not have ANY calipers on it at the moment. I've got rubber corks blocking the open lines.

Perhapse I am making a bigger deal out of this than it really is.

But this IS a safety critical part of the car, and I'd rather not take a chance at screwing that up because I became impatient or frustrated with my own work/running into snags/ect. And because I've never done the other steps before (ever) I would just feel more comfortable with someone who knows what they're doing, standing there being a baby-sitter.

I understand where you're coming from, but do you see my point?

 

You are trying to make a point, but I think to many people put to much emphasis on brakes being this big safety thing. Trust me they are, but you take off your rims and put them back on? Tires are a pretty big safety thing and if one was to fall off on the highway I would not want to see the outcome of that in moderate traffic going 65 mph.

If you can turn a screw and pump a pedal you can install this. For the caliper and line installs you will need two people. This is VERY important. DO NOT let the reservoir run out of brake fluid. This is the crucial part because if you get air in the mc you will have to take it off to bench bleed it. Install the lines and calipers making sure that there is always fluid in the mc. Then use your friend to help bleed them.

This person you need to help does not have to have any knowledge as long as they can push the brake pedal down.

Test it after and make sure the pedal is as stiff as it was before started or better. I mean by stiff is not mushy.

Also start from the farthest line from the MC. Passenger side back first.

 

this is critical. good luck with install . i say just tackle it. I do have a torque wrench i wouldnt have a problem with letting you borrow, but i will be out of town this weekend

good luck, oh and there may be a DIY posted in the under the hood stickies

goodluck

 

I just did my rotors and will be changing the brake fluid. It's really not that hard, like many have said.

 

I've done rotors before on the S2k. Once on each of my other two cars (I've owned three), so I know full well about getting those dumb rotor retaining screws out. I didn't know what I was doing the first time, and learned from that for the second and bought a impact driver.

I've also got some universal brake piston socket that I've used on several cars already.

I don't have a clue what a flare-nut wrench is though.

Currently, all four calipers are OFF the car with the rubber lines just hanging off of the main hard-lines. The holes ARE corked with stoppers so there havn't been any fluid leaks. There is plenty of fluid in the MC yet as well.

Thanks for the pointers.

I'll try to give it a go this weekend.

 

As we've all said, be confident and you can do it.

I understand your hesitation as brakes are indeed a major part of the safety system, but do remember what you're doing here (if you screw up) will not manifest itself in an 'oh shit it doesn't work' but rather just a lousy result and you'll have to re-do some of it.

On the don't let the reservoir go empty, this part is easy. Just top it off after you bleed each corner. Since you have no calipers right now, they and the lines will be filled with air and you'll push a lot of fluid right away, so check the MC twice during each corner.

w/regards to those stupid screws for the rotors.

1. usually the way to 'break' them best is to have the philips socket (I don't car if it's impact or not) but don't use the impact gun first, put it into place and give it several good whacks with a heavy hammer. You will usually find the screw will be loose after that. Do not do this with a normal screwdriver, the plastic handle will absorb the hammer blow and it won't work.

2. if that doesn't work and you end up destroying your screw. Get a small metal chisel, and make a notch on the very outer edge of the circumference of the screw. Then use that chisel to hit it in the direction that will loosen the screw. You may end up trying this several times (notches), but it will eventually work. Again, it must be a chisel, not a screwdriver.

Lastly, don't put those stupid screws back in afterward. They have no value to the car and rotors in practice. Their only purpose is for the assembly line, so that the rotors don't fall off while the car moves down the line before the wheels are put into place.

In reality, it's the lug nuts and wheels that hold the rotor tight and flat, not those stupid screws. Throw them away.

 

Hahaha! Yeah, there was a big discussion about this when people were doing rotors at Keith's Tech day. - which is also where I first heard that. My other two cars, I've always put them back in. But I didn't know they served no purpose after the car was actually put together.

As far as getting them out . . . I've had the bad experience of trying to get them out before. Wound up drilling the screws out and using an extractor to get the remaining bits out. Made my day an absolute nightmare. Then I made some goofy contraption to get them loose.

Then I went and bought an impact driver (hand/hammer powered) for the next round. That made life sooooo much easier.

Checked out the DIY sections for hose replacement procedure and brake bleed procedure (guy in there recommends a "gravity bleed" rather than pedal pumping, and a different bleed order.)




Anything I need to know about installing virgin calipers? (these are brand new Spoon 4pots) and my rears have been emptied of fluid so I could paint them in the basement.

Guess I'll be buying a torque wrench this weekend too. I could use one anyway.


Thanks!

 

Yeah, I've been there. Spent an hour drilling before my Uncle (25+ year Journeyman Acura mechanic) gave me the 'chisel trick'. 10 minutes later I was putting on new rotors.

At the risk of being a branded a heathen here, for what are you so hung up about a torque wrench?

I only ask because it affects, in my opinion, whether you buy an el-cheapo Harbor Freight one or a higher quality, calibrated torque wrench.

When it comes to the overall brake job, there is nothing that requires a torque wrench EXCEPT the tightening of your lug nuts when you put the wheels back on.

In the case of torquing the wheels, I'd buy a cheap torque wrench (I think you can get a cheap 'clicker' from HF for 13 bucks). The reason for this is that the actual amount of torque is [relatively] unimportant in that application, it is only important that they're all torqued to the same amount.

Now if we were talking engine building or something more sensitive, that'd be a different story.