Any DIY weekends coming up?
 

Backstory: I've had my 964 since July and I've put about 7,000 miles on it since, even though I work about eight miles away from my house. The car is just too damn fun to drive straight to work in the am and straight back in the pm, but then again everybody on this message forum obviously knows that already...

Even beyond "just" driving it (which, of course, is kinda like "just" sleeping with a supermodel), I've also been using the car to learn a little more about the mechanics of how it all works and to build my DIY skills a little bit. And I do mean "a little," particularly since I'm starting from basically nowhere. Never took shop in school, never did much work on any of my previous cars, etc. I had a dirt bike as a kid from which I learned the bare minimum about the stages of a four-stroke engine and such but it was so bone simple it was both easy to learn from and light-years less complicated than my fancy "new" Porsche. So, after a couple failed attempts to change my own brake pads [:bang:], I figure it's time to get some input from those who have been there and done that.

My problem, in short, is that I can't seem to reckon how to get the old pads out. Using the right rear wheel as an example: I can get the retaining pins and the spring out of the caliper easy enough, and as far as I can tell I'm at the point where I should be able to just pull the old pads up out of the top of the caliper, but I think each of those little anti-squeal mushroom-shaped gadgets are getting stuck so tight between the back of each pad and the piston that I just can't get either one of the damn things to even budge.

I'm also not at all sure I'm getting the piston pushed back into the caliper far enough to be able to lift the pads out, but having never done it before, I really don't know what I'm doing. (So true in so many ways...) Meaning, I'm not really even sure that's actually the problem.

So - anybody doing a brake pad swap this weekend (or any other weekend coming up) and willing to let a newbie watch and learn? I'll bring beer? :D

Compressing the pistons is likely the key in your case. I use a Craftsman bar clamp (like this: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...word=bar+clamp ) to help press the pad/piston back. This clamp is gentler to the caliper than a big channel-lock plier, but also works easier on some calipers versus others.

Remember that fluid needs to go somewhere when re-inserting the piston in the caliper. Make sure the main reservoir doesn't overflow (depending on how you've topped off fluid). Or alternatively (and I find this makes moving the piston easier) attach a bleeder tube/bottle to the caliper's bleed nipple. Then loosen the nipple, and you should see fluid flow out as you compress the piston. I also recommend having the bleeder hose go higher than the caliper for at least a couple of inches, so that when you stop compressing, air doesn't work its way back into the caliper before you re-tighten the nipple.

964 calipers are the easiest of them all. Just pop the clip open, then pull the pads out.

The pads will be pressed up against the rotor, so you'll need to force them back a bit, pushing the caliper piston back in. A pliers or screw driver can easily do this. Prying against the cast iron rotor is OK. Prying against the caliper pistons is a big no-no - you risk damaging the rubber boots and also scratching the anodizing off the aluminum piston, causing it to quickly corrode.

pull old pads out, drop new pads in, push the retaining clip back down and you're done.

Don't forget to pump the brake pedal a few times when you're done BEFORE you release the handbrake.

Straightforward change, nothing tricky...........George said it perfectly

x2. Ask me how I know...

the electrical connection for the brake wear indicators can be a little tricky, but just go slowly and they'll come out. Needle-nose pliers seem to work well in doing this.

BTDT x2. And my driveway is STEEP. And I was going backward. :shock::bang:

I swapped the pads on the 964 last year. I thought it would be a quick 10 minute operation per tire, but I ran into a bit of a snag. The PO, or previous shop had put anti squeal inserts onto the pads. A star like spring that compressed into the piston hole. So I couldn't just lift them out! :grrr: :grrr:

I could see what was going on and just shoved a thin, long, flat headed screw driver down in between the pad and the squeal device. It broke away the glue connecting them. I popped the pads out and then worked the springy backing plate out without issues at that point.

I doubt it was stock, but did look specific to the stock pagid black pads that were on the car. So that may be something to look out for if you're having issues lifting out the old pad.

Joe (and others),

This goes more with the title of your thread, rather than the meat of the posts above. Sorry if it's OT.

Please check out this post about a DIY day, of sorts: http://dorkiphus.net/porsche/showthr...161#post293161