How to replace front disk brakes

One again I was confronted with spending money, The asking price this time was over AU$500.00 and this was just to replace both front Disk rotors and replace the brake pads.

The parts were going to cost around AU$150.00 for each disk and AU$90.00 for the pads then there was the labour….eeek!!, being a tight fisted git I decided to once again sally forth and see what I could find.

After a couple of phone calls I got the Disks and Pads for about AU$237.00, This was much better and I began to smile again, Then I thought ‘well I could just do it myself’, I found a much broader grin now spreading across my face.

You will need a 7mm hex driver (Allen key), not a socket as described in the Haynes manual.

You will also need some rags and Finally the most important a face mask to protect against any brake dust.

I used the cheapest parts I could find, now if your very particular you can use genuine Volvo parts, I'll keep you informed if the cheap parts are any good after several hundred kms.

When replacing the Rotors its important to change your pads at the same time, as the bedding in process will be adversely affected with old pads.

Firstly find a flat well ventilated area with plenty of light, as you'll be working with brake dust and Methylated spirits.

Open the Bonnet and remove the top of the Brake fluid reservoir, If its really full then you may need to take some out because when you push the Brake pistons back into the calliper the fluid level rises (use a Turkey baster or something similar). Place some rags around the reservoir in case you do manage to make it overflow.

Turn the steering wheel to the side your working on to make access easier and take off the wheel and place it flat on the floor by the front you so you can sit on it while you work.

Give the area a wipe with the rags, Remove the spring using pliers to stop it flying around.

Put it somewhere safe, a good idea would be to use an old plastic bowl to keep track of the easily lost bits.

If your replacing disk rotors you don't need to worry about scratching/damaging the rotor face so you can lever the inboard pad away from the rotor this will push the piston back into the cylinder, You should keep your eye on the brake fluid reservoir at this point.

Look around the back and locate the plastic calliper guide pin covers, prise them off there rubber mounts, put them somewhere safe and this will leave the rubber tube still covering the guide pins 7mm hex socket.

Undo the guide pins using the 7mm Allen key, they should be relatively easy to remove, and place them somewhere safe.

Get your wire coat hanger and bend it into an S shape, you might want to check to see if the wife's watching first!, This is an old trick to hang your calliper on to stop you putting strain on the brake lines.

Start wriggling the calliper and it should come off, you may need to give it a helping hand as it may be stiff.

Notice the coat hanger hung over the coil spring, the calliper has a rather handy hole on its front to use with the Coat hanger, Now place the calliper on the coat hanger.

Remove the locating lug from the disk rotor using the 10mm spanner, and put it some where safe.

The old outboard pad should just come away from the disk with little or no effort, the inboard one has a clip which extends into the calliper piston, just pull it off!.

You can see where the calliper acts on the pads by the marks on the pads metal plate backs.

This is where you place the anti squeal compound, just follow the directions on your bottle.

I did noticed that the Lucas pads I had also had a 'plastic like' covering for the pads where the compound went, I suppose this is a Anti squeal device too, but your pads may not have this, I used the compound on top of this as I thought it couldn't hurt.

Then get your socket set ready, locate the two bolts holding the calliper bracket to the hub and undo them.

In this picture I tried to use the normal ratchet, but the nuts were a bit tough to move, so I used the torque wrench to shift them, the Nuts are torqued to around 100-110Nm and the Haynes manual states replacing the bolts when doing this job... I didn't - but you should make your own mind up regarding the suitability of reusing the bolts.

The bracket should now fall off and the disk should come away, If the disk is seized on tight, recheck that the locating lug has been removed, then use some force, lightly tap the inboard side of the calliper with a hammer, rotate the disk a quarter turn and tap again, repeat with more force if necessary, until the disk come free.

Thoroughly clean the hub face of any rust or debris, use a wire brush or emery paper to get a good clean mating surface.

Remove the new rotor from the pack and clean with methylated spirits and rags to remove the oil that protects it during shipping.

Place the new rotor on the hub and align the locating lug hole with one in the rotor, screw in the locating lug to hold the new rotor on.

Replace the caliper bracket and torque the nuts up to 100Nm, I used Locktite blue to stop the bolts shaking loose, though its strictly not necessary

Put the outboard pad in the bracket, and click the inboard pad into the caliper piston.

Try to put the caliper over the pad on the rotor, if you push the piston back far enough it should slip on with a wriggly or two, you may need to push the piston back further to accommodate the new pads.

Once the caliper is on grease the guide pins with silicon grease, and replace, torque to 30Nm and replace the guide pin covers.

The last bit was the most tricky as far as I was concerned, the spring was a bit of a bugger to get back in till I found out how to do it.

If you took my advice in 'fig 1 Remove spring' you'll know what I'm talking about.

Replace your wheel.... Move steering wheel to the other side and do the other rotor.

It was easy, just drive sensibly till your pads are bedded in, and go enjoy the money you saved.

Thanks again to John for this terrific page !

If you have any experiences, facts, hints comments or data that you think might be useful on the site, please

and I will post it, with an acknowledgement of your contribution (if you so wish).