Focus rear brakes

I'm after some advice on changing the rear pads and discs on my new :) focus (its the 1.8 ghia and an 04 one). It has rear discs on this model. I have the piston wind back tool, allen keys etc.

Just after some advice on the job, I've only done a MK4 golf before front and rear. The rears had to be be wound back in as it was twisted and the rewind tool did this. I did not undo any bleed nipples and just gentle pushed it back in with the tool.

Now on the focus I guess obviously losen wheel, jack up, axle stand. Then remove the 2? allen key pinn, wrestle the unit off and wind the piston back in, clean up the hub, and put the new disc on and then new pads (after a little copper grease) and then refit and add a little copper slip to the sliding pins ?

I haven't got a manual yet for the focus but I had a look at it through the alloy and seems very similar to the golf setup.

Is that about right or is there something dofferent on the focus I should take in to account ?

Thanks

Reply to
ianhopkins
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Let the fluid out at the caliper, don't push it back. It is recommended that you should not use copa-slip anywhere on the brakes if you have abs, use ceratec instead.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

Any reason for this? - I've always pushed it back in cars and on bikes.

Mind you, I had to extract some fluid with a turkey baster when I did the MX5's fronts the other day - some muppet had filled it to the max. with 80% worn pads.

Reply to
SteveH

Ahhh I see. Out of interest does it dmage the system some how pushing the fluid back as I did on my golf ?. So when I come to wind it back in, open the bleed nipple a little to ease the piston back in easier. Will I need to bleed the brakes on this if I open the nipple. I have never bleed a system for many years. Is it just a case of filling the brake fluid pumping the pedal with a clear bit of tubing on the nipple till the fluid comes out owith no bubbles ? then re-tighten the nipple and pray the pedal does sink to the floor :)

Or is there another bleed nipple on the focus somewhere on the master cyclinder/slave ?

I remember there was one on the golf that turned in to a nightmare, when I opened the nipple. I bleed it three times and it would just not function right, aparantly you have to bleed it on the slave cyclinder, using a computer/ vag com to get it right.

I'll have a serach for ceratec hopefully eurocarparts, gs, or halfords at a last port of call will have it. I've always used copper slips tbh and never had a problem, but I'd go on your advice as your way more in the know than a simple me :) ... bows in awe.

Reply to
ianhopkins

the fluid at the caliper will be the worst contaminated in the entire system, you do not want to keep that in there. some abs units also get upset by having fluid pushed back through. so it has become standard good practice on everything to let out fluid rather than keep it in. it also exercises the bleed nipples and stops their seizure.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

Some ABS units, especially Fords IME don't like having the fluid forced back through them. It'll stop the nipples seizing if nothing else, for when you need to use them.

Reply to
Mike P

Or it could lead to lots of swearing when you shear a nipple and have a car with no brakes left on your drive.

I do my own pads, but get my local mechanic to do fluid changes / bleed the system through when I give him my cars for major services.

Reply to
SteveH

the way I would do it: clamp the flexible hose, remove the bleed nipple, clean the threads on a power wire brush, grease the threads, refit the bleed nipple, add a bleed tube, push/twist the piston back and when it is fully back tighten the bleed nipple, fit the new bits and caliper, lastly remove the hose clamp. there will be no need to bleed the system if it was alright before. as to copa slip: the industry advice is to never use it on abs systems, it may even be on the tin, but I suspect that you would have to slap it on in large quantities to actually effect anything. most car shops have ceratec, iirc it is a mintex product.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

if the nipple shears it will still be done up, the brakes will still work. a properly serviced car will not have seized nipples. If you use a six sided socket with a Tbar then the chances of breakage are very low even if they have not been undone for donkey's years, I cannot remember ever breaking one on a car caliper, although it used to be a problem with manky old cylinders on cambridges and the like.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

This is very true, however it's only happened to me once touch wood. A damn good soaking with plus gas over a few days seems to sort them.

I've given up using mine since the robbing sod put a mate's 406HDi through it's MOT, failed it and quoted £550+vat to fix it. I couldn't see anything wrong with the points it failed on, took it to my friendly Citroen Indy in Slough to quote for repairs, he was suspicious of the fail sheet too, took it to his MOT tester and it passed with no advisories.

Got a pile of jobs to do on both cars over the next week or so :-( Major service on both, front arm bushes on the Xantia. Ugh. I no longer work in Slough either, so it's not so easy to get Ray to do them. Hopefully only take me an hour each side..

Reply to
Mike P

Makes sense. What does the brake clamp you use look like so I can buy one. When you clamp it, wind it back and then do it all up does that no create air in the hose from the point of clamp to the bleed nipple or do you clamp it as close to the nipple as possible ?

Do you use the ceretac on the bleed nipple threads aswell ? I appreciate in the info/advice, shall follow it and see how I get on.

Reply to
ianhopkins

any car shop will sell a brake hose clamp, the one I use has two round bars which are hinged at one end and have a clamp at the other. With the clamp on there will be no fluid loss when the bleed nipple is removed. As long as there is a tube on the bleed nipple and the threads are greased then no air can go back in when you push the piston back, you can put the clamp on any convenient bit, the tiny internal diameter of the hose means that even if you remove the caliper, air will not go back up the tube unless you are very violent. if you use clear tube then you will see the dirty fluid and sometimes a few air bubbles come out and rise away from the caliper. ceratec is just a type of grease that is suitable for brakes and can be used on any appropriate brake bits including threads

Reply to
Mrcheerful

If you've sheared it you're in exactly the same situation as before you started, you just know it's seized.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

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