Rear brake pad and rotor replacement

LNXGUY

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 10, 2004
Location
Barrie, Ont, Canada
TDI
'05 Jetta TDI Wagon
Dunno513 said:
First off I would like to say great write up.



With the bleeder open, is the windback tool still a must, or will creative engineering allow me to work my magic? Does the thread of the bolt matter.. ie. turns per distance traveled, or is it just a "recommended way" of doing it? I still haven't come to grasps with why this is so, but I do believe in doing it the "right way"

No matter what you use to turn back the piston, it still needs to be rotated and pushed in at the same time.. I picked up a generic piston tool that attaches to a socket extension, did a bit of grinding and it works great... Alot easier on the rubber boots then a pair of vicegrips and a C-clamp.
 

ToCheapforGas

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2006
Location
Canada
TDI
02 Jetta TDI
LNXGUY said:
No matter what you use to turn back the piston, it still needs to be rotated and pushed in at the same time.. I picked up a generic piston tool that attaches to a socket extension, did a bit of grinding and it works great... Alot easier on the rubber boots then a pair of vicegrips and a C-clamp.
Hi Guys
Nice informative forum and community. I also changed my rear pads and rotors and 1 rear bearing or was in the middle of changing them.
The bearing came off easily except for the inner race that stayed on there, it was a challenge I enjoyed and surprisingly was patient even in this 30 degree heat but it finally came off.
My question is the piston.....it has stopped me dead in my tracks, I don't have the tool but have been told that using force and properly adjusted needle vice grips in the 2 slots on the piston and turning it at the same time the piston will go in, well not here,not tonight.:(
Is it clockwise or counterclockwise?:confused:
Will my method work??:confused:
Does the cap on the reservoir need to cracked open??:confused:

I turned the piston a few tries clockwise with ease but didn't crack open the lid on the reservoir, could this lead to a problem??:confused:

Sorry for the apprentice type questions but I like wrenching. I may not be a mechanic but I do play one on TV :p
 
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ToCheapforGas

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2006
Location
Canada
TDI
02 Jetta TDI
Well I slept on it last night and hit it first thing this morning with the intentions on finding the generic tool that you use with a ratchet and found one.
Even with the tool it was still really hard to screw in the piston, so I cracked open the bleeders wide open and behold the piston then retracted with ease....Thank God.
I then installed everything....Bled the brakes....Adjusted the Parking Brake....Checked the Fluid Level and was good to go.
Live and Learn:)
 

OneKey

Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2006
Location
Oregon City, OR, USA
TDI
none :-(
Good posts guys. Nothing like a write up and some pictures to see what you're missing.

I just swapped the rear pads on my '02 Golf and ran into the classic problem of not having the tool to compress and rotate the pistons.

One of the Canadain brothers mentioned Canada Tire loaning the tool, which made me check locally at the Auto Zone, a similar US parts store. Sure enough, for a $35 deposit, they loan a very nice professional grade tool kit that worked perfectlly. An hour later I returned it. They let you keep the tools for 90 days and still give you your full deposit when you bring it back if undamaged and complete. I didn't even buy the pads from them!

I was sweating when I realized I didn't have the tool needed, and it was Sunday. Now the job is done and it's all good.

Keep up the good posts.
 

Old Smokey

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 11, 2001
Location
Thornhill,ON
TDI
2001 Gulf
I changed my rear brakes with info i got from the excellent post by cosmic,i didnt have a 15mm wrench but a19/32 wrench works good,I didnthaveto disconnect the emergency brake cable but i did because it gives me a lot more room to work
 

PKtdi

Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2003
Location
St. Paul, MN
TDI
2000 Jetta, green
AutoZone carries the brake piston tool

AutoZone carries the piston windback tool for free rental w/ a $35 deposit.

There, hopefully that hits when people search. It took me a while to find the post(s) about where to get this tool. I completely missed OneKey's mention of it due to slopping reading and the fact it is buried in the paragraph...

Another succesfull brake and rotor job. Nice write up.
 

Dan_Fernandez

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Location
Monterey California, USA
TDI
passat 1996 black
This is a great post. Thanks for it.

I have a B4 and there are some differences between it sbrakes and the A4's but it is close. There is no equivalent DIY piece on brakes for the B4... I am having some problems removing the two 7 mm bolts that hold the rotor on. I have tried lubricant, but I have seen people suggest a blow torch? That seems kind of scary, but for how long would you need to heat the bolt?

Thanks.

Dan 97 Passat TDI 144 K
 

Mike Morriss

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 25, 2001
Location
Ponca City, Oklahoma
TDI
99 New Beetle, 91 Vanagon TDI conversion, 05 New Beetle, 2014 Jetta Sportwagen
Dumb question

maybe a dumb question, but the literature I have says to remove the foil backing from the adhesive for the outer rear pads but nothing is mentioned about the inner. Should the foil be removed for the inner pad too or just the outer?
 

2001tdinewbe

Active member
Joined
Dec 13, 2004
Location
Brandon,Manitoba
TDI
jetta,2001,navyblue
Great post with pics.
I have made up a piston windback tool but I am only getting the piston back about 8mm before it gets real tight. I have two 12" wrenches on the thing and I can't turn it. It doesn't seem to matter whether i have the bleeder open or closed.
What is the deal with turning the piston that is mentioned?
I am tempted to disconnect the line but am hoping to avoid that as I know Iam in for a full brake bleed then.
The end of the tool I made up is turning on the end of the piston. Should it be grabbing enough to turn/twist the piston as it pushes in?
i am going to bed hope someone can give some suggestions by early AM.
 

cosmic

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2000
Location
KY, USA
TDI
Jetta, 2001, Silver Arrow
2001tdinewbe said:
Great post with pics.
I have made up a piston windback tool but I am only getting the piston back about 8mm before it gets real tight. I have two 12" wrenches on the thing and I can't turn it. It doesn't seem to matter whether i have the bleeder open or closed.
What is the deal with turning the piston that is mentioned?
I am tempted to disconnect the line but am hoping to avoid that as I know Iam in for a full brake bleed then.
The end of the tool I made up is turning on the end of the piston. Should it be grabbing enough to turn/twist the piston as it pushes in?
i am going to bed hope someone can give some suggestions by early AM.
Yes, the piston needs to rotate while it is being pushed in. Because your tool is not rotating the piston, it's not cooperating.
 

cosmic

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2000
Location
KY, USA
TDI
Jetta, 2001, Silver Arrow
Mike Morriss said:
maybe a dumb question, but the literature I have says to remove the foil backing from the adhesive for the outer rear pads but nothing is mentioned about the inner. Should the foil be removed for the inner pad too or just the outer?
I am not certain here, as my pads did not have foil on them, but I would think that you would want to remove any sort of foil from all the pads.
 

dieselgus

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2003
Location
PA, SK
TDI
04 Variant Black/Black
2001tdinewbe said:
Great post with pics.
I have made up a piston windback tool but I am only getting the piston back about 8mm before it gets real tight. I have two 12" wrenches on the thing and I can't turn it. It doesn't seem to matter whether i have the bleeder open or closed.
What is the deal with turning the piston that is mentioned?
I am tempted to disconnect the line but am hoping to avoid that as I know Iam in for a full brake bleed then.
The end of the tool I made up is turning on the end of the piston. Should it be grabbing enough to turn/twist the piston as it pushes in?
i am going to bed hope someone can give some suggestions by early AM.
Damn. Should have checked this thread. You could have popped by and borrowed my brake tool set...... thing works slick as hell.

Would like to know what the tire shop did with the socket adaptor for the security lug. That would have made this job a lot easier.......
 

Sappington

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2003
Location
Manassas, VA
TDI
2017 Chevy Volt now -- sold '03 Jetta Wagon :-(
A mechanic I talked to said that when pushing the piston back in you should open up the bleed valve so that the fluid isn't forced back into the reservoir. He said that this is very bad for ABS systems.

Has anyone else heard of this?
 

BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
Sappington said:
A mechanic I talked to said that when pushing the piston back in you should open up the bleed valve so that the fluid isn't forced back into the reservoir. He said that this is very bad for ABS systems.

Has anyone else heard of this?
yes, I've heard that's standard practice for disc brakes. All the gunk is in the caliper. I don't do it, but I'm not a mechanic, just a guy that works on cars (be sure you know the difference). I would think you need to bleed the brake system if you do this
 

Sappington

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2003
Location
Manassas, VA
TDI
2017 Chevy Volt now -- sold '03 Jetta Wagon :-(
Yeah, we were doing a brake change + fluid flush, and the flush came afterward, so I should be covered.

We weren't able to do the 5th bleeder though for the clutch. How the heck do you reach that thing?? We couldn't figure it out on my '03 Beetle, though it looked like we'd have to take the transmission off. :eek:
 

mcshot

Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2007
Location
Over Da Bridge, Mi
TDI
2002 Jetta
Very beneficial thread. Changed my rear Jetta discs based on info found within. I found the universal cube to be useless and was fortunate that Advance Auto has a do everything "powerbuilt" set for rent at $100 of which all is returned. This would have saved me hours of frustration but now I got it down. Open bleeder and tool quickly compresses caliper. Took almost all day with running into town. Glad the fronts are fine and I now have the parts when needed. Thanks for all the help.
mc;)
 

SheeB

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2007
Location
Ottawa, ON
TDI
2001 Jetta GLS Manual
I was told that Canadian Tire no longer does the loaner tool program, does anyone know of any other place (preferable in Canada :) ) that does this? Maybe Part Source?
 

pmadden

New member
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Location
Colorado, United States
TDI
Golf 1999 Black
I replaced my rear pads & rotors on my 99.5 Golf last week using this guide and all went well. I bought the parts, including the Metalnerd windback tool, from tdiparts.com.

As for other posters, it wasn't necessary for me to loosen the caliper: Pulling the rotor forward and pivoting it back carefully behind the piston gave it room to slide right out.

I also got away with not removing the handbrake cable, although doing so would have let me tie up the caliper further away, which would have been handy. But there was (just) room enough to work anyway.

re: the thickness of 15mm wrench for the "caliper mount nut", my Metalnerd came with a double-ended wrench: Similar to 3b in the tools photo, but with a 15mm on the used-to-be-useless end. The wrench I mean to use was too thick. My litany of profanity was broken when my lovely assistant / wife waved the Metalnerd wrench in front of my face and asked, "Have you tried this one?" Saved!
 

jdemonto

Active member
Joined
May 17, 2007
Location
Glendale,az
TDI
2004 Jeta
rear brakes

Thanks for the nice writeup!!! I did have a problem compressing the Caliper cylinder, But I did have a homemade tool that worked. I did not change the rotors as they seemed to be in good shape. The did not change the fronts as they were new when I got the 2004 jetta 4 months ago 62k. I got 68,400 out of the rear. Thanks


Jason
 
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ke4rop

New member
Joined
Apr 3, 2002
Location
Alabama
TDI
2002 Jetta Wagon
Rear brakes dragging....slightly.

I replaced my rear brake pads on my 2002 Jetta Wagon about a week ago, and they seem to be dragging slightly. This was the first pad change at 150,000 miles. The front pads are still about 50%. I can jack up the car and give a rear tire and wheel a quick spin and it stops in about 1 second. I think that's too quick. The car is a manual and it seems a bit draggy at stops since the pad change. The rotors are not especially hot after driving, but naturally somewhat hot but not enough to boil water. The pads were VW marked TRW. Both the left rear and right rear seem the same as far as drag. The e-brake cables are fine, and I've checked the adjustment of the hand brake. I'm going to check the slider pins for problems, but I don't think that's it. I could do the job over again, and replace the brake rotors and put on new calipers, but I want to try other options before going the expensive route. I also still need to do a brake fluid change. Any ideas would be appreciated.
 

MilenP

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2000
Location
Burr Ridge, IL
Bleeding sequence.................

OK guys,

What is the current (final) verdict about the bleeding sequence - do we start from the further away from the master cylinder or should we start actually with it? I am about to start front brakes job again and this time I will do the fluid too.

Please post your thoughts :D.
 

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
MilenP said:
What is the current (final) verdict about the bleeding sequence
Closest to farthest. Clutch, DF, PF, DR, PR.

With four jack stands, a floor jack, the Harbor Fart electric impact wrench, an 11mm wrench, 1/2" drive torque wrench and a Motive power bleeder you can have your car back on all four tires in an hour (if you're slow) or less than half an hour (if you're motivated). We did 8 brake flushes in about 6 hours at the last midwest GTG in Fond du Lac WI this way, worked great!

scurvy
 

MilenP

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2000
Location
Burr Ridge, IL
Scurvy, you're the man :D. Thanks!
Since I am gonna do the front brakes/rotors, I guess, an hour will be a bit pushing it :). A good Saturday morning project. Supposed to be not that cold tomorrow here ;).
 

MilenP

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2000
Location
Burr Ridge, IL
Brake job done

Front brake pads/rotors done :). Brake fluid flushed :). Awesome tool is this Motive thing :D. One little proble encountered though. One of the piston rubber gaskets is broken - small ~1 cm crack, but nevertheless broken. I left it as is. Does anybody know if it can be replaced or I need to get a whole caliper?
 

TeeDeeRedEye

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 19, 2006
Location
Long Island, NY USA
TDI
2002 Jetta
Awesome posts, a treasure-trove of information here. Getting ready to do my rear brakes for the first time (96K) and looked here first. Glad I did. Found it odd that my rears would wear out before the fronts, the opposite of every other car I've dealt with.

Since the brake system has never been opened, I've been hesitant to do the fluid-flush that VW recommends. I hate to fix it when it's not broke. Is the 2 year fluid flush just VW covering their backsides, or is it the group's consensus that this is truly important?
 

LNXGUY

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 10, 2004
Location
Barrie, Ont, Canada
TDI
'05 Jetta TDI Wagon
I would definitely flush out the system after 2 years. It's not that difficult, just make sure you don't get any air in the system and it should only take you a few mins on each corner with a buddy to get it done..

On a side note, I always replace rotors and pads. I have had my rotors turned exactly one time and that's all it took to realize that they tend to warp quite easily once turned. The bleeding sequence is really personal preference, I know people that swear by pr, dr, pf, df.. I know some guys that do each side seperately... As long as no air is introduced into the system, you can do it in any order you want as far as I'm concerned.
 

Nuje

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Location
Island near Vancouver
TDI
2015 Sportwagen; Golf GLS 2002 (swap from 2L gas); 2016 A3 e-tron
After figuring out what to do with the small cube-shaped tool that I picked up at CdnTire (since they no longer rent the brake kit), it was actually pretty easy to push the piston back in.
I used a big C-clamp with one end on the body of the caliper and the other holding the cube on the piston (had to grind down two of the knobs on one side so that it would fit the VW piston). Then it was just apply some pressure on the clamp, then put a 3/8" socket extension in the side of the cube and rotate. About 5 minutes later, piston is back about as far is it can go.

NOW, the big problem, though, is that I can't get the damn parking brake cable hooked up again. It took all of about 3 minutes on the first wheel, but after 45 minutes, I've given up (for the time being) on the other side.
The problem seems to be that the little lever (?) that the cable slips into just barely wants to move (whereas it moved quite easily on the other side); and the cable also, doesn't seem to want to extend out nearly enough.
Oh - and I think I broke my wrist this morning while out running in the snow this morning..... that's making that whole "gripping and twisting" thing something of a problem.
Any ideas out there?
 

NorthernMage

Veteran Member
Joined
May 5, 2005
Location
Victoria, BC
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI, 6MT, Platinum Grey
I just did my brakes last night and the only comment I would make is that the torque for the caliper pin bolt on the rear brakes is 26 Ft Lbs instead of 21 (according to Haynes). I did not loosen the carrier to replace the rotors, they just pivoted and slid out, tight fit but the new ones slid back in the same way.
I did not remove the parking brake either as I found the leaving them on actually helped support the caliper while you are working on it, you did not need to hang them off a clothes hanger.
I used my Pella 6000 on the bleeder screw when I cracked it and applied suction while I compressed the piston, worked really well. Did notice the lack of brakes as the piston readjusted themselves the first couple of times I pressed the brake pedal. I did all four brakes using the how-to's from the site and it took me about 30 minutes a set. I now have PBR Ultimate Ceramic pads on all brakes so will have to see how they work once broken in. There was lots of life left on the front brakes (done at 90K Km) and still some left on the rears - original after 170K Km, but I was getting some shudder in the pedal, one of the rear rotors had worn badly on the inside. Noted that the new rotors say no heavy braking for 200-300 Kms.....
 

glandpuck

Well-known member
Joined
May 19, 2007
Location
MI
TDI
2006.5 Jetta TDI DSG Pack2
Hey, excellent thread. Thought I would share my pad changing experience after using my Bentley's guide and this thread. I changed out pads on my 2006 Jetta TDI. I replaced the rear pads. My parts list: Centric Posi Quite Ceramic pads (Part #105.11080), VW anti-rattle clips (Part # 1K0-615-231) and caliper bolts (Part # 8E0-615-141, QTY=4). I used the 13 mm and 15 mm open end wrenches to remove the caliper bolts as indicated. The car was jacked, and the bolts were tight, so after struggling a little while to loosen the caliper bolts, I hit on the idea of aligning the 13mm and 15 mm wrench handles along the same plane (side by side) and then using the handle of my 3/8th socket wrench as a lever between the two handles of the open ended wrenches to lever them in opposite directions. This quickly and easily loosed all four caliper bolts without any struggle! The caliper had to be jiggled out of its seating, but once freed, was hung by wire out of the way of the rotor. There was no need to disconnect any brake lines. The old pads slid out easily away from the sides of the rotor. The anti-rattle clips were then removed, they just pop out with a little lifting. New anti-rattle clips were installed. The caliper retaining bolts were removed from their rubber boots and lubricated with synthetic grease, then re-inserted into their boot sleeves. The new pads were backed with a small amount of anti-rattle brake lubricant and then slid into position right next to the rotor. Now, the caliper was freed from the wire that had been holding it. I used the caliper tool from set I had purchased from Harbour Freight Tools (this set contains a number of fittings for many brands of cars including VW. Cost around $15). I removed the cap from my master brake cylinder. Next, I aligned the tool making sure the caliper tool was snug into the brake cylinder head and caliper housing. I began turning the tool's handle clockwise and with a little effort, the brake cylinder began turning and easily wound back into the caliper. After doing both sides of the rear axel, my brake fluid was still at a normal level and the top cap screwed back on. There was no need to open any brake lines or bleed any fluid to do the job. Now, with the caliper cylinder pressed back in, the caliper was slid over the new pads/rotor and fit easily into place. The bolt openings were aligned and new 13mm caliper bolts with a small amount of anti-seize compound were installed and torqued to 26 ft-lbs using the 15 mm and 13 mm wrenches. The lug nuts were snugged, the car lowered, the lug nuts torqued to 89 ft-bs. and the wheel chocks removed. I turned on the ignition and pumped the brake pedal 3 times. It moved freely. I started the car and then pumped the brake pedal 3-4 times. The pedal reset and adjusted itself nicely. The test drive was excellent. Stopping was smooth and quick with no rattles or squeaks.
This was my experience and the parts I used, so if this weekend mechanic can do it with this thread, so can you!
 

LeBude

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 22, 2004
Location
Saluda, NC
TDI
2003 TDI 5MT JW GLS Blu/Gry (270K; SOLD 2020); 2004 TDI Golf GL 5MT Black (270K; SOLD 2019); 2013 JSW TDI SE 6 MT (SOLD 107k; 2020); 2015 TDI Golf GLS 6 MT; 2014 TDI JSW 6MT Blue 68K
Punch another hole in the dealership lie!

Another rear brake job completed as a result of this post. Thank you! The metal nerd tool for rear brakes (this and all parts purchased from TDIparts.com) was essential of course. (It now comes with directions and has the ability to be used for winding back the front pistons also.) I did not need to disconnect the e-brake or remove the carrier bolts to replace the rotors. Great post, great resource.
 
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