Brake problems> HELP

[JHarris1385]

This is not for a VX but a general question to see if anyone can help before i spend $$ at a repair shop....First for a while I had the normal (brakes are getting bad) squeak in my brakes. Now, I have a grinding/chirping noise coming from one front brakes on my firebird. The noise goes and comes but when it comes its stay constant for days at times. Iv noticed when i turn right the noise is louder and it is only coming form the front left/driver brake. But sometimes when i turn left the noise will go away as it does sometimes when i pump the brake. Also the noise seems to get faster as I speed up and will last the whole duration while driving......Any help is appreciated....

[Ldub]

When you hear the "normal?" squeaking, it's your pads saying goodbye & you're supposed to listen.
When you hear grinding etc. it's your rotor(s) saying goodbye & also telling you how much you could have $aved had you listened to your pads when they said adios.

[creeg]

So at the very least, you will need new pads and get the rotors resurfaced. At the worst, you will need new pads and new rotors if the rotors are too worn to resurface.

There is also the chance that the wheel bearings need to be replaced, as its an older car (depending on the last time that was done).

[Tone]

If they need to be turned it is usually better to go ahead and replace the rotors as it will only be a matter of time before they warp from being thinner. And new rotors are cheap if you do it yourself or an arm and a leg if you let a brake shop do them.

[JHarris1385]

Very new to the mechanical aspect of cars....Grew up in a family that belives car repair is left to the mechanics and not worth the money saved for the time it would take yourself to do the work.......As bad as this may or may not sound. How do you do you change your rotors/pads? And how difficult is it and what tools would be needed. I guess everybody has got to start somewhere with learning this stuff..

[creeg]

Tone has more mechanical experience in his little toe than all of mine put together, and even I feel confident doing a brake job.

The way I learned was to have a friend help me out who knows what they are doing AND who has all the RIGHT TOOLS. Once you have someone show you, you'll realize that its really easy.

Or, you can take one of those community college courses to learn- Ive never taken one, but Im sure they cover a lot of the basics.

Just my 2 cents.

[kpaske]

Creeg is right. Start small, and bring a friend. That's how I learned. I started doing oil changes and now I'm thinking of doing an engine swap one day. And I'm definitely not the typical "grease monkey" type.

As for your "not worth the money" logic, let me explain how I decided to do all my own work. First, we all know that we take much better care of our own stuff than anyone else will, so it makes sense to know your vehicle and how to maintain it. That is the most important point in my opinion. It will save you a TON of money byi catching little problems early before they become big problems. Second, think about this. Let's say your mechanic charges $80 an hour. How much is your time worth and how long will it take you to do it? A good measure of how much your time is worth is how much someone else is willing to pay you for your time. A lawyer who makes $100 an hour shouldn't do his own work, but his secretary, who makes $20 an hour, probably should. Does that make sense? Even if it takes you twice as long as the mechanic, until your time becomes worth more than $40/hour, it makes more sense for you to do it yourself.

[JHarris1385]

kpaske - ha funny you made refernce to an attorney doing mechanicail work...Im in law school and my dad has been practicing for about 30 years now, so that explains exactally why i grew up in a family that belives car repair is for the mechanic....


BUT........
Is there any type of walk through or steps on here i could take that would be helpfull for repair. I really want to fix them myself.

[Tone]

Brake pads are a pretty basic DIY job IF you have any mechanical aptitiude at all - I taught my brother to do his Infinity's in 10 minutes (although the backs he got confused on later....) Basic hand tools, patience and logic are all that is required. The VX workshop manual has a bit of a step by step or check a Chilton's book for some idea of what you are in for. Remove the 2 bolts that hold the caliper on and slide it off the rotor. If the rotor is not torn up, then stick a screwdriver in between the pads and spread them as far as they will go. Put the new pads on, slide the pads and caliper back on and lube the pin ends (VERY IMPORTANT SINCE THE CALIPERS FLOAT ON THESE PINS) with hi temp grease and retighten them. If ya gotta change the rotors, you'll probably want someone right there beside you or definitely refer to the manual.

[creeg]

Yup, Chiltons is the way to go.

Also do a search on how to change out brakes on the web. If you go into it armed with knowledge about what you are doing, should go smoothly.

good luck.

[etlsport]

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/disc-brake.htm

i find that working on parts of my cars is made much easier by knowing exactly how all the pieces work together

[kpaske]

I highly recommend you download the VX Manual on CD from Tone's web site. There are decent step by step directions and illustrations for just about anything you'd want to do to your VX. Then, if you need clarification, ask away and surely someone here will give you the answers you seek.

I'm getting ready to do a bunch of upgrades to my brakes and suspension. I'll try to remember to take photos and do a write up later. But brake pads are fairly easy once you understand how everything fits together.