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[Dan Hope]

Hi all

I need to change my front pads due to the anti rattle spring vanishing on the passenger side and the noise driving me nuts.

I've changed pads on other Vauxhalls before, Cavaliers, Calibras etc, but i've heard that on Omega's, if you force the caliper piston back to take the pads out and allow the new thicker pads to go on, you can effectively flip the seals on the master cylinder when you push the fluid back through the system giving you spongy brakes.

Any idea if this is true or how to avoid it? Got the pads ready to go.

Also, i noticed that the brake pad check wire had been snapped off and stuffed into the loop of the rubber bleed nipple cover. It obviously hasn't had any negative effect so far, so should i replace the wire or leave it off?

Thanks for any advice you guys have.

Cheers
Dan

[Andy B]

Hi all

I need to change my front pads due to the anti rattle spring vanishing on the passenger side and the noise driving me nuts.

I've changed pads on other Vauxhalls before, Cavaliers, Calibras etc, but i've heard that on Omega's, if you force the caliper piston back to take the pads out and allow the new thicker pads to go on, you can effectively flip the seals on the master cylinder when you push the fluid back through the system giving you spongy brakes.

Any idea if this is true or how to avoid it? Got the pads ready to go.

Also, i noticed that the brake pad check wire had been snapped off and stuffed into the loop of the rubber bleed nipple cover. It obviously hasn't had any negative effect so far, so should i replace the wire or leave it off?

Thanks for any advice you guys have.

Cheers
Dan

Just go easy & gently squeeze the piston back. Alternatively, if you slacken the bleed nipple, it allows the fluid in the caliper to be squeezed out & there's no risk to seals at all.
Sensor. Later cars only have one, so it's entirely up to you, leave as is or replace. 

[Dan Hope]

Hi Andy,

Never mucked about with the nipples before (smirk smirk). will i need to bleed the system if i slacken off the nipples or top up the fluid??

Sorry for the questions, just keen not to screw this up

[Welung666]

I use a large G clamp and go sloooooow. Never had a problem yet

[Andy B]

Hi Andy,

Never mucked about with the nipples before (smirk smirk). will i need to bleed the system if i slacken off the nipples or top up the fluid??

Sorry for the questions, just keen not to screw this up

If your nipples are loose  & you push the piston back in, you're only pressurising the small amount of fluid in the caliper, so unless you press the brake pedal & allow it to release, you've no problem re allowing air into the system

[Andy B]

I use a large G clamp and go sloooooow. Never had a problem yet

or big screw drivers agianstt he old pads/disc/caliper 

[Welung666]

I use a large G clamp and go sloooooow. Never had a problem yet

or big screw drivers agianstt he old pads/disc/caliper 

I stopped doing that years ago after I did it on a corsa and ended up knocking the piston off square and jamming it. I ended up replacing the caliper FOC, used my G clamp ever since. Good for siezed pistons to

[Dan Hope]

right, im going for it, already pleased with myself for changing the droplinks without any problems so hopefully this will all be quite painless too

thanks for the help, as always, much appreciated!!

[Dan Hope]

ok so the pads were easy enough. i noticed however that the pad that had the spring missing has a notch worn out of it by the disc.

on the other side of the disc, the worn ridge was right at the lip of the disc, on the side with the wobbly pad, the disc was worn about 5mm into the surface of the disc to match the notch on the pad.

not sure if this was caused by the spring coming off and allowing the pad to move about. im guessing the new pad will have a notch worn into it as well rather than wear the disc down evenly.

i'm gonna have to change the damn disc aren't i

[Mikes1670]

Doesn't sound good To be on the safe side I'd go for a new set of discs.

[Dan Hope]

bugga, knew it had all gone too smoothly. sooner rather than later n all i spose so i don't knacker the new pads

[Mikes1670]

That's right plus the brake discs have a minimum thickness tolerance and I suspect that 5mm of wear will take them below that limit.

[bigtow]

how do you know if you have flipped the seals ?[

[Dan Hope]

oh, no not 5mm into the pad material, imagine a strip worn into the pad material, 1mm deep along the top 5mm edge of the pad. sorry, bit hard to explain. tried to take a piccy of the old pad but doesn't really come out very clearly.

basically, the usual ridge you get on the actual disc after some wear, the one on the side with the dodgy pad is the same height as the ridge on the other side, but just worn further down the disc, almost like a smaller pad had been on that side cutting a smaller track into the disc.

now the new pad is riding on top of that ridge so that'll also have the odd ridge worn into it eventually

[Proz]

If you can do the pads then discs are easy as well .... its only a couple more bolts and the caliper is off then the little hex bolt on the disc if even fitted and the disc is off .... clean up the hub and new disc on .... job done  .... i was really panicy leading up to doing mine in case something went wrong ... now i wouldnt even think twice about it