MG TF Rear Disc & Pad Change - MG-Rover.org Forums

CJJ · 21-06-2007, 18:59

And finally........

I have completed my brakes now, so here are the pics.

First of all, chock the front wheels of the car. This will prevent the car rolling forward when you release the handbrake to work on the rear brakes. I have a proper landrover chock (from my offroad days) and I also used a chunk of wood for the other wheel.

Loosen the wheel nuts (this is easier with the wheel on the ground), Jack the rear of the car up and support it on an axle stand. DO NOT work on the car without axle stands. It is dangerous and could cause serious injury if the jack fails.

Remove the wheelnuts and remove the wheel. We can now see the disc and calliper. The reason it is so rusty is I just used some alloy wheel cleaner the day before and is rusted all of the discs, so beware when using this stuff.

Remove the two bolts that hold the two halves of the calliper together

and remove the centre section of the calliper assembly. Note...I had to use a drift and hammer to remove the calliper assembly. I applyed force in the direction shown below. Be carefull not to damage the assembly.

The piston assembly will now swing free. Be carefull that the weight of the assembly is not taken by the brake hose as this could stretch or damage it. You can see the piston that needs to be wound back.

Here is a better view of the piston showing the four notches that the windback tool locates into.

Engage the tool into the notches and, using a ratchet and extension, turn clockwise until the piston is fully home. This will allow the housing to fit over the new thicker pads.

A note from Pete Vickerstaff "When you are re-winding the piston back in, ensure that the cut outs in the piston are at 12/3/6/9 o'clock, the cut out at 3 o'clock engages in a small pin on the back of the pad. If the piston is not aligned, you will get a 10-15mm rust ring at the outer edge of the inner surface of the disc due to uneven pressure on the pad."

You will need to remove excess brake fluid from the reservoir. When you move the piston back in to the housing it will displace the fluid in the calliper which will feed back to the reservoir and cause it to fill up. If your reservoir is quite full already this procedure could cause it to overflow.
I used a turkey baster to remove the excess, it is quite handy but the turkey will never taste the same again. REMEMBER that brake fluid is corrosive, both to you and the car. Dispose of responsibly.

Remove the final part of the calliper by removing the two bolts behind the disc.

This now leaves you with the pad carrier complete with old pads. Mine were pretty well stuck in and I had to apply release oil to shift them. I know it is strange applying oil, but you will be fitting new pads and will be cleaning the carrier when finished. DO NOT apply oil if you will be re using the pads.

Knock the old pads out. The outer edges of the pads sit in grooves. Clean these out with a wire brush taking care not to damage the rubber gaiters

The grooves have steel clips in them. Remove these (Careful as they are quite bendy) and clean them and the grooves again with a wire brush. This is to remove any old brake dust and corrosion build up.

Refit the clips

The old pads have metal backing plates on. Remove these

and fit them to the new pads with some coppercrest. Also apply some coppercrest to the edges. These are the edges that sit in the grooves that you have cleaned out with the wire brush. I had to file these edges to remove some burrs which were causing the pads to stick in the grooves. Test fit before applying coppercrest.

This shows an old pad next to the new one. Some life left, but not much

Now assemble the pads back into the carrier.

The next job is to remove the old disc

First remove the disc retaining screws. I managed to get 3 out with an impact drver, but one sheared. For those of you who haven't used on, you hit the end of the impact driver with a heavy hammer. This pushes the driver forward and tuns it at the same time which releases most stuck screws. I would have included it in the photo but I found it dificult holding the driver, hammer and camera at the same time.

Next you "persuade" the disc off the hub by tapping it from the inside with a suitable hammer. The one in the picture (nearside) came off with no problems, but the offside took some hammering, a long lever and some WD40. it was well stuck. REMEMBER that any force you apply to the disc will be transferred through the suspension components and wheel bearing. take care.

Clean the hub with a wire brush. This will help with the fitting of the new disc and will help it seat correctly.

Apply Coppercrest to the hub. This will help when you need to remove the disc next time. Do not use to thick a coating as this could loosen the wheelnuts etc when the hub heats up and the grease melts. It also spins out at speed and makes a mess on your wheel.

Next prepare the new disc by removing the protective oil with some form of degreaser.

Fit the new disc, disc retaining screws and calliper. One tip worth mentioning is after fitting the road wheel to the correct torque, remove it again and retighten the disc retaining screws. You will find that the action of tightening the wheel on will have forced the disc further onto the hub.

Not part of the disc and pad change, but part of the 30k (or 2 year) service that I have carried out as well, is the brake fluid change.

I used a special (not that special really) bleeding pipe that has a slit in the side of the rubber with the end blanked off. This acts as a non return valve and allows you to do the job without a second person.

Fit the tube (orange in the photo) to the bleed nipple with the other end in a suitable container. Undo the nipple a half a turn. Remove the old fluid from the reservoir and top up with new DOT4 brake fluid. Now pump the brake pedal, ensuring that you top up the reservoir when necessary. This will force the new fluid through the system and the old fluid out into the container. Start from the furthest wheel from the servo, then the next furthest, ending with the nearest. Remember that the AP callipers (Front callipers on the TF160 etc) have two bleed nipples. Do the outside one first, then the inside. If this is wrong I am sure someone will be along in a minute. The main thing about bleeding is to ensure that air does not get back into the system.

And my brakes are now sorted. Feels tighter and I even managed to lock them today by accident (or at least a little squeel). At which point I should tell you that you should not do any heavy braking until the pads/discs are bedded in.

I have diposed of the old discs as I had to apply a fair bit of force to remove them and I don't think they would have been any good.

Usual disclaimers apply. This is only a log of how I did it and I can't be held responsible for damage or injury while carrying this out. Good luck.

Enjoy. And I hope this helps you out.

Petevick · 21-06-2007, 19:03

CJJ does it again

. Brilliant, clear, well done that man

You'll have to have some rep later as I have to spread it around a bit

Herbie · 21-06-2007, 19:04

Just to say another stunner CJJ

I those 'picture stories', deffo think that will help lots of people. TOP !

simon-g · 21-06-2007, 19:06

Excellent how-to

new_2_the_game · 21-06-2007, 19:32

hey cjj, very clear how to, top marks! have a small Q, how many miles has your car done, i seeit is an 04. just wondering as mine is an 52, and not sure if the'v been done as i have only just bought it??? cheers new_2_the_game

Tim. · 21-06-2007, 19:50

Nice job CJ

Might be worth mentioning to check disk runout, if not with a clock gauge then at least visually in case you've left a gob of loose rust between disk and hub hidden in that copper grease. Oh and for that reason, the merest smear of copper grease between disk & hub imo.

Baracus · 21-06-2007, 19:53

Top one mate

always handy to have these how too's bookmarked ....i think i'm gonna find as many how too's as i can this weekend and bookmark them

Tim. · 21-06-2007, 19:55

Think / Hope Pete's collecting them on wwwww ...TF Central

bmouthrob · 21-06-2007, 19:56

You beauty!! I will probably be attempting this this weekend and I am so much happier with a rough idea of what I am doing before I start. Cheers CJJ!

Baracus · 21-06-2007, 19:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Balrog

Think / Hope Pete's collecting them on wwwww ...TF Central

I hope so too

Petevick · 21-06-2007, 19:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Balrog

Think / Hope Pete's collecting them on wwwww ...TF Central

Oh yes, I've done 3 updates tonight !!!

Baracus · 21-06-2007, 19:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by petevick

Oh yes, I've done 3 updates tonight !!!

i've just been on TF Central and only just noticed my lowering springs how too

Wooooohooooo i'm famous

Petevick · 21-06-2007, 20:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baracus

i've just been on TF Central and only just noticed my lowering springs how too

Wooooohooooo i'm famous

calm down dear, its only a web site

Herbie · 21-06-2007, 20:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by petevick

calm down dear, its only a web site

But Pete, I was pretty pleased with my entry as well, amongst all those F/TF celebrities. Grant his joy

adamelphick · 21-06-2007, 20:10

Great 'How To..'. I did mine in February. Agree about ditching the old dics, i had to use a MALLET on them whacking hell out of them to get them off!

Baracus · 21-06-2007, 20:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by petevick

calm down dear, its only a web site

Yeah it's a great honour to make it on there lmao

CJJ · 21-06-2007, 20:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Balrog

Nice job CJ

Might be worth mentioning to check disk runout, if not with a clock gauge then at least visually in case you've left a gob of loose rust between disk and hub hidden in that copper grease. Oh and for that reason, the merest smear of copper grease between disk & hub imo.

Balrog is quite right. When fitting new discs you should check that they are running true, or check for runout. The proper way to do this is with a dti (dial test indicator), or clock gauge as it looks a bit like a stopwatch. You take a reading from the surface of the diec and turn it, making sure that any deviation is within specification.

I may be slack, but all I do is apply the brakes a few times to take up any slack on the pads and then spin the wheel to see if it catches at any point. I then go for a drive with the windows open and apply light braking and then heavier braking and listen for any catching noises.

Applying coppercrest to the face of the hub is not to everyones taste. If you do it, check your wheel nut torque a couple of times after a couple of drives. You should do this anyway when the wheel has been removed. I just don't like taking a sledge hammer to discs when removing them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by new_2_the_game

hey cjj, very clear how to, top marks! have a small Q, how many miles has your car done, i seeit is an 04. just wondering as mine is an 52, and not sure if the'v been done as i have only just bought it??? cheers new_2_the_game

Hi, new_2_the_game. My car has done close to 28k now. To be honest, it isn't how many miles, but more how you drive/brake. Discs and pads can last a long time with light use. I changed mine mainly for peace of mind. I would, however, say that at this sort of mileage it is well worth stripping things down and cleaning them. My brakes must have been close to seizing judging by how difficult things were to get apart. And, if you are going as far as stripping and cleaning you may as well replace the pads at least.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baracus

Yeah it's a great honour to make it on there lmao

Hmmm. The hardcore Petevicks site crew. To boldly take pictures where no one has ventured before.

smbMG · 21-06-2007, 21:00

superb mate, not sure if it needs clarifying but the bleed sequence is LHR-RHR-RHF-LHF. AP's are as described, outer then inner nipple!

I'm glad to hear that you do the same method as me for bleeding also, pumping the brake pedal by yourself! I was confident it was right but nice to know someone else does it!!!

Gotta say you have a great selection of tools, so to speak!!

every DIY mechanics dream...

bmouthrob · 21-06-2007, 21:19

That's what I was thinking - even down to the turkey baister!!!

CJJ · 21-06-2007, 21:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by smbMG

superb mate, not sure if it needs clarifying but the bleed sequence is LHR-RHR-RHF-LHF. AP's are as described, outer then inner nipple!

I'm glad to hear that you do the same method as me for bleeding also, pumping the brake pedal by yourself! I was confident it was right but nice to know someone else does it!!!

Gotta say you have a great selection of tools, so to speak!!

every DIY mechanics dream...

Yep, that's the sequence I used.

I always do it by myself, but you need to either suspend the end of your bleeding tube under the brake fluid or use a one man bleeding type system (or woman).

The tools have been aquired over the years, but I did buy a big Halfords own Snap-on type tool trolley with drawers and tools (was on special offer) at the same time as buying the TF. Thought it might come in handy.

21-06-2007, 18:59	#1
CJJ Mudslinger extraordinaire Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Ashington, Northumberland Car: MGTF 160, Focus ST2, KTM 640, Kangoo Van Posts: 16,899	MG TF Rear Disc & Pad Change And finally........ I have completed my brakes now, so here are the pics. First of all, chock the front wheels of the car. This will prevent the car rolling forward when you release the handbrake to work on the rear brakes. I have a proper landrover chock (from my offroad days) and I also used a chunk of wood for the other wheel. Loosen the wheel nuts (this is easier with the wheel on the ground), Jack the rear of the car up and support it on an axle stand. DO NOT work on the car without axle stands. It is dangerous and could cause serious injury if the jack fails. Remove the wheelnuts and remove the wheel. We can now see the disc and calliper. The reason it is so rusty is I just used some alloy wheel cleaner the day before and is rusted all of the discs, so beware when using this stuff. Remove the two bolts that hold the two halves of the calliper together and remove the centre section of the calliper assembly. Note...I had to use a drift and hammer to remove the calliper assembly. I applyed force in the direction shown below. Be carefull not to damage the assembly. The piston assembly will now swing free. Be carefull that the weight of the assembly is not taken by the brake hose as this could stretch or damage it. You can see the piston that needs to be wound back. Here is a better view of the piston showing the four notches that the windback tool locates into. Engage the tool into the notches and, using a ratchet and extension, turn clockwise until the piston is fully home. This will allow the housing to fit over the new thicker pads. A note from Pete Vickerstaff "When you are re-winding the piston back in, ensure that the cut outs in the piston are at 12/3/6/9 o'clock, the cut out at 3 o'clock engages in a small pin on the back of the pad. If the piston is not aligned, you will get a 10-15mm rust ring at the outer edge of the inner surface of the disc due to uneven pressure on the pad." You will need to remove excess brake fluid from the reservoir. When you move the piston back in to the housing it will displace the fluid in the calliper which will feed back to the reservoir and cause it to fill up. If your reservoir is quite full already this procedure could cause it to overflow. I used a turkey baster to remove the excess, it is quite handy but the turkey will never taste the same again. REMEMBER that brake fluid is corrosive, both to you and the car. Dispose of responsibly. Remove the final part of the calliper by removing the two bolts behind the disc. This now leaves you with the pad carrier complete with old pads. Mine were pretty well stuck in and I had to apply release oil to shift them. I know it is strange applying oil, but you will be fitting new pads and will be cleaning the carrier when finished. DO NOT apply oil if you will be re using the pads. Knock the old pads out. The outer edges of the pads sit in grooves. Clean these out with a wire brush taking care not to damage the rubber gaiters The grooves have steel clips in them. Remove these (Careful as they are quite bendy) and clean them and the grooves again with a wire brush. This is to remove any old brake dust and corrosion build up. Refit the clips The old pads have metal backing plates on. Remove these and fit them to the new pads with some coppercrest. Also apply some coppercrest to the edges. These are the edges that sit in the grooves that you have cleaned out with the wire brush. I had to file these edges to remove some burrs which were causing the pads to stick in the grooves. Test fit before applying coppercrest. This shows an old pad next to the new one. Some life left, but not much Now assemble the pads back into the carrier. The next job is to remove the old disc First remove the disc retaining screws. I managed to get 3 out with an impact drver, but one sheared. For those of you who haven't used on, you hit the end of the impact driver with a heavy hammer. This pushes the driver forward and tuns it at the same time which releases most stuck screws. I would have included it in the photo but I found it dificult holding the driver, hammer and camera at the same time. Next you "persuade" the disc off the hub by tapping it from the inside with a suitable hammer. The one in the picture (nearside) came off with no problems, but the offside took some hammering, a long lever and some WD40. it was well stuck. REMEMBER that any force you apply to the disc will be transferred through the suspension components and wheel bearing. take care. Clean the hub with a wire brush. This will help with the fitting of the new disc and will help it seat correctly. Apply Coppercrest to the hub. This will help when you need to remove the disc next time. Do not use to thick a coating as this could loosen the wheelnuts etc when the hub heats up and the grease melts. It also spins out at speed and makes a mess on your wheel. Next prepare the new disc by removing the protective oil with some form of degreaser. Fit the new disc, disc retaining screws and calliper. One tip worth mentioning is after fitting the road wheel to the correct torque, remove it again and retighten the disc retaining screws. You will find that the action of tightening the wheel on will have forced the disc further onto the hub. Not part of the disc and pad change, but part of the 30k (or 2 year) service that I have carried out as well, is the brake fluid change. I used a special (not that special really) bleeding pipe that has a slit in the side of the rubber with the end blanked off. This acts as a non return valve and allows you to do the job without a second person. Fit the tube (orange in the photo) to the bleed nipple with the other end in a suitable container. Undo the nipple a half a turn. Remove the old fluid from the reservoir and top up with new DOT4 brake fluid. Now pump the brake pedal, ensuring that you top up the reservoir when necessary. This will force the new fluid through the system and the old fluid out into the container. Start from the furthest wheel from the servo, then the next furthest, ending with the nearest. Remember that the AP callipers (Front callipers on the TF160 etc) have two bleed nipples. Do the outside one first, then the inside. If this is wrong I am sure someone will be along in a minute. The main thing about bleeding is to ensure that air does not get back into the system. And my brakes are now sorted. Feels tighter and I even managed to lock them today by accident (or at least a little squeel). At which point I should tell you that you should not do any heavy braking until the pads/discs are bedded in. I have diposed of the old discs as I had to apply a fair bit of force to remove them and I don't think they would have been any good. Usual disclaimers apply. This is only a log of how I did it and I can't be held responsible for damage or injury while carrying this out. Good luck. Enjoy. And I hope this helps you out. __________________ *I like reality, I've been there a few times, but I wouldn't want to live there.* Last edited by CJJ; 23-02-2010 at 18:10.

21-06-2007, 19:03	#2
Petevick regained interest Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Leicestershire Car: MG TF 160 in Trophy Yellow Posts: 39,683	CJJ does it again . Brilliant, clear, well done that man You'll have to have some rep later as I have to spread it around a bit __________________ Pete Vickerstaff - Proud to drive an MG TF 160 in Trophy Yellow MG F/TF Central - your one stop shop for MGF/TF tips, tricks, faq's, how to's and links Soft Resin Badges for sale

21-06-2007, 19:04	#3
Herbie Werder Supporter Join Date: May 2005 Location: Bremen, Germany Car: MGF 1.8i & MGTF 1:18 Posts: 12,129	Just to say another stunner CJJ I those 'picture stories', deffo think that will help lots of people. TOP ! __________________ Stephan Hebert MGF 1.8i / 1998 MK 1 / HB-SH 718 / CAQ Daytona - 52mm TB - TF Steering Rack - Compliance Washers - Clear Indicators - Assorted Bling

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21-06-2007, 19:06	#4
simon-g Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Market Drayton Car: BMW Z3 Inline 6 ~ 260BHP Posts: 2,438 Blog Entries: 1	Excellent how-to

21-06-2007, 19:32	#5
new_2_the_game Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Location: essex Car: MG TF160 Posts: 53	hey cjj, very clear how to, top marks! have a small Q, how many miles has your car done, i seeit is an 04. just wondering as mine is an 52, and not sure if the'v been done as i have only just bought it??? cheers new_2_the_game

21-06-2007, 19:53	#7
Baracus Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Bury, Manchester Car: MGTF 180 Sprint Posts: 3,060	Top one mate always handy to have these how too's bookmarked ....i think i'm gonna find as many how too's as i can this weekend and bookmark them

21-06-2007, 19:56	#9
bmouthrob Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bournemouth Car: MGF Posts: 418	You beauty!! I will probably be attempting this this weekend and I am so much happier with a rough idea of what I am doing before I start. Cheers CJJ!

21-06-2007, 21:00	#18
smbMG Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham Car: MG TF 135 Posts: 1,030	superb mate, not sure if it needs clarifying but the bleed sequence is LHR-RHR-RHF-LHF. AP's are as described, outer then inner nipple! I'm glad to hear that you do the same method as me for bleeding also, pumping the brake pedal by yourself! I was confident it was right but nice to know someone else does it!!! Gotta say you have a great selection of tools, so to speak!! every DIY mechanics dream...

21-06-2007, 21:19	#19
bmouthrob Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bournemouth Car: MGF Posts: 418	That's what I was thinking - even down to the turkey baister!!!

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