hi im not a mechanic.
thought i would do my brake pads myself.
where do i start? which bolts do i take off to get the caliper off?
im doing rear and front. ive watched plenty of videos and they dont seem clear as to what bolts you remove. and do i need an allen key? thought it was all bolts .

 

This is how I did it:
Brake pads, front, replacement instructions on a 1998 S70 Volvo, also 850

Some use a allen wrench to do the job which may be a little easier. Took the caliper apart instead of taking them loose.

 

get a breaker bar handy, 3/8 size.. Just in case they are stuck. Use some lithium grease when u go back..

 

Huh? Lithium grease for what? You would rather use loc-tite than grease. You DO NOT want your brake bolts coming loose.

 

you need

a jack

a 19 mm 1/2 drive socket and 1/2 drive breaker bar for the lug nuts (assuming you do not have access to air tools -- air tools make it go faster and easier)

3/8 ratchet with 7mm hex socket (cheater bar might be needed might not)

anti-seize

large screw driver to remove and install the outer spring

large channel locks to push the piston back in.

1 can of brake-cleen and a rag

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after awhile you get the routine down to a 15 minute art form. In, up, down, out, done.

 

lock tight....ewww I hate the stuff, if its something I know won't need to be serviced for a vary long time I use it, but on brakes where every 30-50k miles they are tore into anyway putting lock tight on just makes it a pain for the next time or unfortunate person to deal with.

I have yet to see a correctly tightened caliper pin just fall out because lock tight wasn't put on it.

 

I never use the stuff, you can see that from the instructions I posted. However, I think most manuals call for it. My point was that you would rather use loc-tite than anti-seize when installing caliper bolts.

 

well, you need to put anti-seize on the pins and getting some on the threads will actually prevent galling the threads when you put them back in and also the next time they come out.

 

So you guys put anti-seize on caliper bolts at your shop?

 

no on the pins, smear a dab on the surface and sometimes a bit gets on the threads, which if no big deal and doesn't harm anything.

if the caliper pins are really bad, we actually run them on the wire wheel for a second and them resurface them with 320 grit emery cloth.