Brake pad replacement questions
 

Getting ready to do my very first brake pad replacement job and had a question or two. The fronts (apparently having been done before I bought the car) are in good shape, so I'm doing just the rears.

1) Is it particularly necessary to replace the spring clips, retaining pins and retaining pin clips? I'm not a cheapskate by nature, but the 'kits' that contain all of the above are, at Pelican, like $76. Just seems silly to throw away money if it's unnecessary, but I can certainly buy them if it's highly recommended.

2) In Wayne's book (101 Projects), he just pushes the pistons back with a piece of wood. Is this generally successful, or is there a tool needed? Would this (on sale) item work?

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...MSOP-WebLg.jpg

Thanks for any help!

I generally just use my hands or a screw driver on the old pads to push the pistons.

Nick

I have 38,000 miles on my 03 and did not feel I needed to replace the parts you mentioned.

I didn't use wood as my wood was too big to fit in there:) I used a rubber coated channel lock pliers handle to push the pistons back in.

I wouldn't replace the hardware unless it was broken.

If the caliper is on your bench, make sure to cover the inlet hole with a rag or something when you compress those pistons.

i don't think you need to replace any of the clips etc
I rotinely change pads before and after race days and always re-use the old parts
I use vize grips to push in the pads (i protect the caliper from being scratched with an old sock)

Doug,
1) I've re-used the original spring clips/pins etc 3 times now without a problem. Although I clean them up in turps and a wire wheel just to make sure of their integrity.
2) Once you have removed the old pads, you can push the pistons back with the end of the plastic covered channel lock pliers (as per Boxster586 above). I also loosen the brake fluid resevoir to make it a litte easier to push back the pistons - note that once the pistons are pushed back, the fluid in the resevoir rises, so watch the level.
3) The 2 small pad wear indicators can be a devil of a thing to remove if they have been in the old pads a long time - you may need long nosed tweezers or pliers to pull them out. Your new pads should have holes ready for the wear indicators, though some aftermarket pads don't....
4) You may have to prize off the steel plate thats glued to the back of the old pads - sometimes easily, sometimes not. I use an old thin paint scraper. If you don't remove the glued on plate, you can't pull the pads out. I reuse the old backing plate and glue on with a touch of heat res silicon.
Hope this helps.....

Job done! Thanks for the recommendations everybody, I appreciate the input...everything pretty much went without a hitch. For anyone considering doing their brakes on their Boxster---DO IT...it's as easy as everyone says. :)