96 626 brake & rotors - need advice

Have a 96 626 w/ 98K miles & the rotors have been warped (I'm
assuming- shudders significantly when braking) for a good while -
probably 10K or so. Also - when braking hard, a bit of grinding is
evident too, and I figured that can't be a good thing. So I'm
going to attempt replacing rotors & pads.

Needless to say, I'm a bit of a rookie, so if my questions seem
elementary, go easy on me.

Anyway - had some questions. First - does anyone out there know
about removing the rotor from the hub once I get the brake assembly out
of the way? The Chiltons manual said there on "most" models there
will be two small threaded screws holding the rotor on, and a mechanic
in the past told me that I would "probably" just knock them off
with a hammer. I want a little more certainty of what I'll need to
do before I get in there. Are these statements accurate or am I going
to need some special tool to get these puppies off?

In what order should I do this - first the rotors, then work my way
back out, replacing the pads, etc.? Or go ahead and do the pads with
the caliper still attached, and then move the caliper out of the way,
then the rotor.

When replacing the pads & rotors like this, am I going to need to do
any bleeding? If so, I'm going to need a better how-to than Chiltons
- slightly confusing for a new guy. I'll look around on the web,
but if anyone knows of a good site for this, post it.

One more - how often do the rear brakes need replacing? I've had
the car since for 60K miles and haven't taken a look at them.

wrote:
>
> Have a 96 626 w/ 98K miles & the rotors have been warped (I'm
> assuming- shudders significantly when braking) for a good while -
> probably 10K or so. Also - when braking hard, a bit of grinding is
> evident too, and I figured that can't be a good thing. So I'm
> going to attempt replacing rotors & pads.
>
> Needless to say, I'm a bit of a rookie, so if my questions seem
> elementary, go easy on me.
>
> Anyway - had some questions. First - does anyone out there know
> about removing the rotor from the hub once I get the brake assembly out
> of the way? The Chiltons manual said there on "most" models there
> will be two small threaded screws holding the rotor on, and a mechanic
> in the past told me that I would "probably" just knock them off
> with a hammer. I want a little more certainty of what I'll need to
> do before I get in there. Are these statements accurate or am I going
> to need some special tool to get these puppies off?

You need to get a manual that is specific to your car, or take the wheel off and look at the rotor. Best case is the rotor is held on only by the wheel and it will come right off after the wheel and caliper are removed. Worst case is the rotor will not separate from the hub. and the rotor and hub assembly must be replace.

> In what order should I do this - first the rotors, then work my way
> back out, replacing the pads, etc.? Or go ahead and do the pads with
> the caliper still attached, and then move the caliper out of the way,
> then the rotor.

Remove the caliper, use a wire coat hanger to tie it up to something to prevent damage to the bake line. Then remove the rotor. Install the new rotor, then put new pads in the caliper and reinstall it.

> When replacing the pads & rotors like this, am I going to need to do
> any bleeding?

No

> If so, I'm going to need a better how-to than Chiltons
> - slightly confusing for a new guy. I'll look around on the web,
> but if anyone knows of a good site for this, post it.

Brake jobs are fairly simple, but if you are in doubt you should either have someone show you how to do it or thoroughly read up on the subject before doing it. Remember that brakes (and suspension) are critical for safety and you don't want any surprises because something was incorrectly installed.
You will need something to press the piston into the caliper. I use a 6 inch clamp.

> One more - how often do the rear brakes need replacing? I've had
> the car since for 60K miles and haven't taken a look at them.

Rear brakes usually last 2 or 3 times as long as the front, but you should check the rear for premature wear when you do the front. If the rear brakes are drums don't take both sides apart at the sare time. If you are not sure how the hardware goes on one side you can refer to the other side.

--

Mike Walsh
West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.A.

On 16 Dec 2004 06:30:17 -0800, wrote:

>Have a 96 626 w/ 98K miles & the rotors have been warped (I'm
>assuming- shudders significantly when braking) for a good while -
>probably 10K or so. Also - when braking hard, a bit of grinding is
>evident too, and I figured that can't be a good thing. So I'm
>going to attempt replacing rotors & pads.
>
>Needless to say, I'm a bit of a rookie, so if my questions seem
>elementary, go easy on me.
>
>Anyway - had some questions. First - does anyone out there know
>about removing the rotor from the hub once I get the brake assembly out
>of the way? The Chiltons manual said there on "most" models there
>will be two small threaded screws holding the rotor on, and a mechanic
>in the past told me that I would "probably" just knock them off
>with a hammer. I want a little more certainty of what I'll need to
>do before I get in there. Are these statements accurate or am I going
>to need some special tool to get these puppies off?
>
>In what order should I do this - first the rotors, then work my way
>back out, replacing the pads, etc.? Or go ahead and do the pads with
>the caliper still attached, and then move the caliper out of the way,
>then the rotor.
>
>When replacing the pads & rotors like this, am I going to need to do
>any bleeding? If so, I'm going to need a better how-to than Chiltons
>- slightly confusing for a new guy. I'll look around on the web,
>but if anyone knows of a good site for this, post it.
>
>One more - how often do the rear brakes need replacing? I've had
>the car since for 60K miles and haven't taken a look at them.

I don't have a '96 626 but I do have a '98, which I recently did this
job on. I've also had an '88 and an '84 (in addition to two Mazda
trucks). These vehicles have all been very reliable but also hard to
work on. Simple jobs always turn into problems. I can guarantee you
that the rotors will not come right off. My '98 does (did) have
threaded holes that you can run a screw in to push the rotor off.
This works well. I replaced my rotors with NAPA rotors that do not
have threaded holes so I liberally coated the contact areas with
anti-sieze so I'll be able to get them off again. The rest of the job
is straightforward.
Rich Russell

Rich - where were the threaded holes? Just on the front face of the
rotor between the lug bolt holes? So then just find the right size
screw and screw them in towards the hub to push the rotor off?

> I don't have a '96 626 but I do have a '98, which I recently did this
> job on. I've also had an '88 and an '84 (in addition to two Mazda
> trucks). These vehicles have all been very reliable but also hard to
> work on. Simple jobs always turn into problems. I can guarantee you
> that the rotors will not come right off. My '98 does (did) have
> threaded holes that you can run a screw in to push the rotor off.
> This works well. I replaced my rotors with NAPA rotors that do not
> have threaded holes so I liberally coated the contact areas with
> anti-sieze so I'll be able to get them off again. The rest of the
job
> is straightforward.
> Rich Russell

Another question - what brand of rotors should I go with - I've seen
some complaints about the Autozone stuff, but this is just going on a
sedan that I drive back and forth to work - no serious racing. Other
stores/brands recommended out there? Any sites online that are
reputable to deal with?

wrote:
> Rich - where were the threaded holes? Just on the front face of the
> rotor between the lug bolt holes? So then just find the right size
> screw and screw them in towards the hub to push the rotor off?
>
> > I don't have a '96 626 but I do have a '98, which I recently did
this
> > job on. I've also had an '88 and an '84 (in addition to two Mazda
> > trucks). These vehicles have all been very reliable but also hard
to
> > work on. Simple jobs always turn into problems. I can guarantee
you
> > that the rotors will not come right off. My '98 does (did) have
> > threaded holes that you can run a screw in to push the rotor off.
> > This works well. I replaced my rotors with NAPA rotors that do not
> > have threaded holes so I liberally coated the contact areas with
> > anti-sieze so I'll be able to get them off again. The rest of the
> job
> > is straightforward.
> > Rich Russell

On 16 Dec 2004 11:20:18 -0800, wrote:

>Another question - what brand of rotors should I go with - I've seen
>some complaints about the Autozone stuff, but this is just going on a
>sedan that I drive back and forth to work - no serious racing. Other
>stores/brands recommended out there? Any sites online that are
>reputable to deal with?

In what state do you live Corey? States that use salt on the roads
tend to wreck brake rotors (and a lot of other things) a lot quicker
than, for instance, southern California.

All kinds of things can go wrong with rotors here in New England, or
in other salt states. Most of the time it's because the calipers stop
working like they used to. I've seen rotors so rusted up that when
you it the side of it, huge flakes would pop off leaving a big pot
hole in the middle of the braking surface.

Most calipers are now designed with shielded and booted slides so that
the corrosion process is delayed, but it gets in there eventually.
But the rotors themselves pretty much require constant use to stay
clean.

If your rotors don't come off easily, things could get very very tough
for you.

By the way, once you get the rotors off, and put the new pads on the
pad holders, you'll have to push the piston into the caliper. Big C
clamps work well for this job. Also gives you an idea of whether the
piston is moving easily or is stuck.

Corky Scott

I'm in NC - salt is generally not a long term issue - we have a few
ice/snow showers each winter, but no prolonged exposure.

So the short of it is - if the rotors come off, not too bad of a DIY
job - but if they don't, it could get interesting? I wish there was a
way to tell, without going all the way in and discovering I'm screwed.

On 16 Dec 2004 10:21:14 -0800, wrote:

>Rich - where were the threaded holes? Just on the front face of the
>rotor between the lug bolt holes? So then just find the right size
>screw and screw them in towards the hub to push the rotor off?
>
You got it!
Rich Russell