'84 Brake Job- I need help :)
 

So I told my dad I would do the brakes on his '84 300d for him. In 1 1/2 hours I got the wheels off and two bolts loose... I was planning on changing the front pads and rotors. I ran into problems trying to take the calipers off. First of all, which bolts are required to be removed to get the thing off? And how in the world do you get them loose? I may not be a very strong girl, but surely an impact wrench should loosen them?!? Am I missing something? Please help :)

Don't loosen the bolts that hold the caliper halves together!!!

So I loosen the two 19mm bolts to the hub?

And, I only could get two out anyway... I will put them back :)

Here is the manual section for removing them:

http://mb.braingears.com/123_DISK2/program/Chassis/42-100.pdf

Yes, the bolts that hold the caliper to the spindle. The originally were installed with Loctite, so they are typically pretty tight.

Yes, those are the ones.
Good for you on doing the job, my daughters BOTH know how to work on their cars.
Remember that you are working on BRAKES..... If you aren't sure about something, just ask.

I used a regular 1/2 inch drive ratchet wrench and got the calipers off. I didnt personally need a breaker bar but it sounds like you might... get something long that will fit around the handle of your wrench and use it to get more leverage. If you don't really know what you're doing I'd take it to a good mechanic, brakes are something you definitely do not want to fudge on. If you dont have a repair manual like a Chiltons or Haynes then get one, they can be a big help sometimes. Other times completely useless, but it cant hurt.

There is no need to remove the calipers at all if you simply are changing pads. Loosen the cap for the master cylinder - where you add the brake fluid. You should be able to force the pads apart with a screw driver. If its too hard, get a longer one for better leverage. Same deal with bolts (even though you don't need to loosen any for this project). If they're too hard to turn, put a length of pipe over the ratchet handle to make it longer.

If you look at the top of the screen and click on DIY Articles, you'll see one for 124/210 brake job under the Chassis section. Your brakes are so similiar to the 124 chassis that you should be able to figure out the process from the pictures there. Good luck :)

Edit: Ok, I went too fast and didn't read about the rotors. Still, you should be able to see which bolts you want from the pics. A little WD-40 goes a long way.

Ok well I guess they will just have to wait till I find someone a little stronger. I have done quite a few brake jobs and never had this much trouble getting anything loose. At least I know now what to remove and such. Thanks for the help.

There are two 19mm bolts that hold in the front caliper. The caliper should then slide off to the side, with some force. Be sure not to leave the caliper 'dangle' or hang by just the rubber flex brake hose.

I would remove the two pins holding in the pads before taking off the caliper though. I used a hammer and a good sized nail for this. Also, you may need to compress each piston of the caliper using the old pads and a "C" clamp before the new ones will fit on with the new rotors.

After the caliper is removed from the rotor and supported in such a way in which it is not hanging from the rubber flex hose, you will need to remove the rotor/hub assembly from the spindle. To do this, remove the dust cap, loosen the allen head cap screw and unscrew the large nut-like object that holds the bearing in. It will be really greasy. After that is off, you can take out the bearing and remove the rotor/hub. Then you need to remove the rotor from the hub. This requires removing the (I think) 5 allen head screws from the back of the rotor. Separate the parts. Clean everything up.

Put the rotor and hub back together. Put the hub/rotor assembly back on the car. Repack the bearing with new grease. Tighten down the nut that holds the bearing in, to the point where the wheel still spins rather freely, but there is little to no axial play. Install dust cap (with light taps of the hammer) Install new pads. Install caliper assembly onto new rotors. Put the wheel back on, lower the car, and torque the lug bolts.

Your done...

Its a lot easier than it sounds... really.

Yup, thats a good manual.

Im sure its much clearer than my explanation... so use it. :rolleyes:

Ok so my dad went out there and got the 19mm bolts loose for me. I got to working on it again today and ran into another problem. I can't get the dust cap as you called it off. It is the nipple like thing in the center of the rotor right? You said it hammered on so I pryed and pryed and never got anywhere. I'm guessing its just corroded on? Anyone got any tricks? I also tryed some big channellocks and I soaked them down good with some wd40. This car is really making me feel dumb... I did but new pads in the calipers since I had time and had no problems with those...Please enlighten me.

Kenna there is a lip around the dust cap. Put a screwdriver in the edge with the screwdriver pointed back towards you. It should tap off with a hammer. Tap one side then the other so it comes off evenly.

Why do you need the cap off? Are you redoing the bearings?

Kenna,

Easiest way to remove the hub cap, and I don't mean the wheel cover, is to pry it off with a straight claw hammer. Just catch the lip of the hub cap with the straight claw and pull up on the hammer handle. Pry it off about 1/2 way and then pry again at 180*. It should come off easily.

U will need an allen wrench to loosen the spindle locking nut.

The rotor and spindle will now slide off the spindle shaft. Slide the spindle and rotor out enough and then back in to remove the wheel bearing. Then take spindle and rotor off. The inside bearings will stay on the spindle.

U will need another allen wrench to remove the rotor from the spindle. These allen screws are usually difficult to remove, U may have to heat them to get them loose.

P E H