so ive watched my mech replace numerous rotors and brake pads. he replaced the passenger side last night on my 850 and i thought 'wow that looks really easy'. i mean literally, he banged out 2 metal pins, removed 2 pieces of hardware, removed the caliper mounting bolts then bam, removed a really small nutt with a long piece protruding out of it and the rotor came off. all within 5 minutes.

so my question is this: do i HAVE to remove the brake pads to get at the rotor, or can i just remove the caliper mounting bolts, hang the caliper with a piece of wire string, then remove the spignot pin and remove the entire rotor? finally watching my brake system removed then replaced is what i needed. im more of a hands-on guy and i need to see it done before i give it a go.

anywho, it looks hella easy but looks can be deceiving.

 

Absolutely you can remove the rotor without removing the pads from the caliper. remove the two bolts holding the caliper on, then remove the pin that positions the wheel (which is the nut with the long protrusion) thats on the rotor, then the rotor should come off. That being said, its a good idea to replace the pads when you do the rotor. I recently ordered 4 slotted rotors from DRT and put on hawk pads all the way around. Total install time (with adding wheel spacers and cleaning up/painting the calipers) was about 2 hours, and that was using a floor jack and no air tools. I am sure it could have gone quicker, but i was not in a huge hurry.

 

just finished my project and it came out great. i ended up taking off the pads and caliper so i could see how it works. the hardest part was getting the anti-rattle hardware back on. total install time was about 40 minutes.

about to go out and test it out, take back this 1/4" punch i bought (turns out i need a 1/8th" punch, but i also had a few broken drill bits that worked beautifully.)

 

You said I can remove the rotor without removing the pads from the caliper by removing the two bolts holding the caliper on, then removing the pin that positions the wheel... In all this, what should I be careful about?

I'm trying it out for the first time, and it all looks pretty complicated to me, but don't feel like wasting money paying to the repair guy...

Can i do it in 2-3hrs on a Sunday? If i mess it up, what could be the repercussions?

 

its actually A LOT simpler than it looks. you may as well remove the pads just so you get yourself familiar with it.

id be careful about punching the 2 pins that hold the brake pads in place. also, do not let excess pressure get onto ANY of the brake lines. if one snaps, you cant repair it, it must be replaced.

aside from that, its pretty self-explanatory. simply remove the 2 caliper mounting bolts. after the caliper is loose, suspend it with a wire on the spring or, like i did, use your spare jack to hold it in place.

after the caliper is removed and out of the way, loosen the 10mm spignot pin that holds the rotor into place. once it is removed, apply mild force and the rotor should slide off. *make sure the ebrake is disengaged!* otherwise it wont come off

line up the new rotor with the spignot pin hole, re-screw in the spignot pin. once the rotor is secure, remount the caliper and screw in the bolts. once the caliper is secure, reinstall the brake pads (if you took them out). reinstall the top pin first and be sure to attach the anti-rattle hardware to it BEFORE you install the bottom pin. once the hardware is attached to the top pin, slide the bottom pin in. do not tap it fully into place just yet. once its most of the way in, attach the bottom part of the anti-rattle hardware to the bottom pin. now, slightly bang the pins back into place and bam, you're done.

today was my first attempt at rotor replacement and it took about 45 minutes (i relubed parts of the caliper also and took everything apart). its A LOT easier than it looks.

 

+1 on how easy the job is. My dad taught me when I was a kid and I'll never have a mechanic charge me for this work!

I'd make sure you use plenty of brake grease on the parts that slide and on the back of the pads, which will help keep squeal to a minimum. As for the pins & anti-rattle hardware, head to AutoZone and spend 10 bucks for a new set.

You should be very careful when compressing the pistons back into the caliper to make sure the rubber gasket doesn't get pinched or scratched. This is more for when you replace the pads, but inspect them and make sure they're clean.

If you're running around 200K miles on orginal calipers, it might be good to replace them instead of rebuilding them. I got an original Volvo caliper for ~$40 bucks at AutoZone because I hate the thought of rebuilding a caliper on my own and screwing it up.

When it comes to car repair, I always remember that; 'If something is broken on your car, it'll stop moving - except brakes. If they're broken , you'll never stop moving!'

 

Hey White83glt, thanks a lot - I tried it out, and I took more than 1.5hrs lol.. but I'm happy that i could save few bucks for all the hard work done!

 

But how do you remove rear calipers/rotors with fixed brake lines ive not seen
fixed lines before only flexi can anyone help please.

 

The Volvo's delta link 'allows' them to have a the solid lines run from the caliper to the center of the delta links, where you'll find the flex hoses.

You'll want to be very careful when disconnecting the pipe from the caliper as it'll be brittle and probably seized. Soak it down with PB Blaster overnight, then have a blowtorch handy when you start the work. Make sure you use a flare nut wrench! You may have to cut the end off the pipe and put on a new nut - if there's enough line to do that, otherwise you'll have to replace the line from the caliper to the flex hose.

If it'll help, here's a primer on flaring the lines:

http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/for...hp?f=1&t=32317