Just Did the Front Brakes.....Must Praise the SS
 

At 40k the squeel-tab finally started making noise on my front left. I already had a set of pads since people seem to only get 20-30k and decided to throw them on. Easiest brake job I've EVER done. 10 minutes a side max. No funky star/allen sockets required (like many recent GM's), just a 14mm wrench. Bolts weren't hard to break loose and the caliper pistons returned quite easily. I was very relieved to finish a job I had expected to spend a couple hours on in less than 30 minutes:thumb:

This was a non-Brembo SS and since I drive gingerly I just used a set of Adaptive One (ADO) pads from NAPA. They are a composite ceramic. Probably not as performance oriented as Hawk....but I prefer them greatly over the stock ones. I've used them on a couple other vehicles and have gotten great braking and wear.

It takes a little longer when your out-of-work drunk neighbor wants to help.

I got about 18K out of my pads, and the ones I put on have about 22k and still look and feel good.

LOL.....been there. In fact, I can't recall the last time I had help working on a car that was an actual benefit....LOL

Only 18k on your first set.....what brand did you change to?

When pressing back the caliper puck, did you squeeze off the brake hose & open the bleeder, to purge the dirty brake fluid into a 1/2 filled container ? Then later top the master off..

That process helps keep dirty fluid outta the ABS.

That is a good tip Sleeper! :thumb: I hadn't thought about doing it that way. I'l defintely do that when I replace pads from now on. :smile:

the first set were the stock pads, and I found it really strange that they went that quickly. I went with EBC ceramics and they are about half through at 22-23K the backs are still good at 43K. I will do em both at 50k.

Thanks Carl-

The key is to "gently" squeeze off the brake hose. They have special C-clamps for this, but a small regular one would do the same..

The other part is to add a piece of tubing/hose to the bleeder nipple & submerge the other end in the 1/2 filled brake fluid container, before you open bleeder & compress the puck.. Avoids possible air entry in the brake system.

Once you see how dirty the fluid is coming out.. You'll be glad you did it..
Then after you start it up & pump the brakes a few times, you will need to top-off the master cylinder with FRESH brake fluid.

I only buy the smallest bottles of DOT 3, so I always have a fresh & un-opened bottle to add with..
Since the DOT 3 is hygroscopic, it attracts moisture..

Hmm....replacing the disc brake pads without turning the rotors? :eek:

And the brake fluid is not 'dirty' but contaminated with moisture. If it looks dark at the caliper the whole system needs flushed,:thumb:

So let me try to understand you correctly. You flush the whole system every time you do front pads ?

Sleeper, it's not a bad idea. If you were speak to a design engineer he might tell you to replace the caliper everytime you replace the brake pads. It has to do with the contaminents that settle to the lowest part of the brake's hydralic system, which is right behind the calipers piston that you are gently pushing back in over the crap that settled there so that you can install the newer, thicker pads. That's why calipers have a tendency to hang up once new pads have been installed and prior to that they worked just fine.