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| 900SAAB.com: Brake System Overhaul |
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| All SAAB NG900's feature front and rear disc
brakes with ABS. The front brakes feature ventilated rotors with
single piston calipers. The rear brakes feature solid rotors, dual
piston calipers and an integrated drum type parking brake and cable
mechanism. This type of braking system is relatively
straightforward to maintain and repair provided you approach the system
with patience and care. I've created this page to provide a quick
overview on replacing the disc brake pads, rotors and parking brake
shoes. Remember, the braking system is a critical safety system
of any automobile. I provide these instructions as an overview,
however, it is recommended that all brake repair work and maintenance be
performed by a certified mechanic. By accessing this site, you agree to
the following: the author of this site will not be held responsible for
work performed by someone following or referencing this overview.
Front Brake Pads and Rotors: Begin by placing the vehicle on jack stands and removing the front wheels.
With the caliper accessible, take note to the caliper and it's assembly. Pay particular attention to the installation of the silver (stainless) spring on the face of the caliper. Using a pair of needle nose pliers, lift the spring from the caliper.
With the spring removed, remove the caliper to access the brake pads and rotor. The caliper is held in place with two large 10mm allen head bolts; these bolts are torqued to 89 ft-lbs so they will be tight.
With the bolts removed, lift the caliper off of the rotor and hang it using a piece of wire or rope. DO NOT support the caliper with it's brake hose.
Once the caliper is free, remove the rotor. To do this, the securing bolt must be removed using a 5-mm hex key. This bolt is often rusted in place and the head strips out. When I remove mine, I install the socket and tap it several times with a hammer; the shock wave should travel through the bolt and help break it loose.
Withdraw the bolt and set it aside. If it's been original or in rusty condition, replace the bolt with a new one upon reassembly. The bolt is SAAB PN 4249751
The rotor can often be rusted to the hub face, especially in climates that salt roads in the winter. To remove the rotor, tap it around it's diameter using a copper hammer until it pops free. If you're having trouble with this method, purchase a three-jaw gear puller that will fit and use that to help remove the rotor. To use the puller, place it on the rotor and center it's bolt on the driveaxle. Tighten the bolt to remove the slack in the puller. Once the bolt is tight, tap the rotor around its diameter with a copper hammer. After tapping, tighten the bolt on the puller. Continue tightening and tapping until the rotor pops free. This will require patience!
With everything disassembled, clean the hub, backplate and caliper with brake parts cleaner and ensure all is clean. Note: at this point my camera batteries died; I'll be showing the passenger side installation from here forward. In preparation for reassembly, I chose to paint my caliper, rotor and strut assembly. Additionally, I greased the slide pins and installed the new pads. Refer to Platonoff's site for pad installation. To reassemble, begin by installing the new rotor. I painted mine to prevent rusting. Coat the hub face with a very conservative amount of anti-seize and then slide the rotor in place. Install the set screw using a bit of anti-seize and tighten to 3 ft-lbs.
Install the caliper and insert it's mounting bolts. Using a 10mm hex-key socket, torque the mounting bolts to 89 ft-lbs.
Finally, route the outer spring into place. Begin by installing one leg into the hole on the caliper. Hold the leg in place and maneuver the spring over the tabs in the caliper and into place. Insert the second leg into the hole on the caliper and slide the spring into position. If this spring is incorrectly installed, the brakes will feel spongy.
Install the wheel and torque to 80 ft-lbs in a crisscross pattern.
Rear Brake Pads, Rotors and Parking Shoes: Begin by placing the vehicle on jack stands and removing the rear wheel.
To remove the rotor and access the parking brake shoes, the caliper must be loosened and pivoted out of the way. Begin removing the e-brake cable; to do this, remove the spring and then pivot the cable out of it's guide and slide it off of the lever.
Next, remove the brake pads and their retaining hardware. To do this, drive the pins out using a drift punch.
Remove the caliper retaining bolts and pull the pads free using a pair of lock jaw pliers.
Slide the caliper free of the rotor and secure to the backing plate with a zip tie. Don't hang the caliper on the brake line as this could crimp or otherwise damage the line.
Once the caliper is out of the way, remove the rotor (my camera batteries died so I've switched over to showing images of the driver side) set screw and pull the rotor free. If the rotor is stuck in place, tapping the hub face with a copper mallet will free it. If your parking shoes are heavily worn, you may have to adjust the barrel adjuster inward to remove the rotor.
With the rotor off, you can remove the parking brake assembly. Study it's operation before removal so that you are sure to assemble it in the correct manner. To remove the parking brake shoes, begin by removing the upper retaining spring. Use a pair of needle nose pliers to pivot the spring free from the shoe.
After removal of the spring, slide the brake shoes outward slightly and withdraw the linkage mechanism.
Pivot the shoes outward slightly to aid in removal of the lower spring. Use needle nose pliers and remove the lower pivot spring and barrel adjuster.
Finally, remove the shoe support springs
Withdraw the shoes and discard. Clean the hub assembly thoroughly with brake parts cleaner in preparation for reassembly. This is mine after a good quick bath in brake parts cleaner.
Begin reassembly by lubricating the brake shoe contact points with synthetic high-temp disc brake grease. This will help the new pads operate smoothly. Apply just enough grease to lubricate. Too much and you'll have it everywhere.
Install one brake shoe and secure with a support spring. To help in fitting the support spring, have an assistant hold the shoe. Grasp the pin from behind and fit the spring/retainer using needle nose pliars.
Repeat the above process with the other shoe. Ensure that both shoes are aligned correctly.
With the shoes in place, install the barrel adjuster and fit the lower retaining spring
Once the lower spring is properly installed, install the linkage assembly. To fit the assembly, spread the pads slightly and slide the linkage into place. Finish by closing the pads onto the assembly. Fit the retaining spring.
The completed parking brake mechanism should appear as follows. Note that the adjuster side of the barrel adjuster points toward the rear of the car on both sides.
Install the rotor using a new set screw and adjust the parking brake shoes until the rotor rubs on them as turned. Back them off until the rotor just barely rubs. The parking brake mechanism is now properly adjusted.
Slide in new rear brake pads and refit the brake hardware (or use new hardware). Unfortunately, I did not get an image of this process. The finished assembly looks like this (I chose to paint my rear caliper before bolting it back in place):
Finish by replacing the parking brake cable and spring.
And while you have the wheel off, consider taking the time to clean the wheel well and apply a fresh coat of undercoating
Reinstall the wheel and torque in a crisscross manner.
Brake pad break-in: New pads/rotors should be bedded/broken in to provide the best performance and longest life. These are from the instruction that came with the pads I'm using, PBR MetalMaster. After a final inspection to ensure that brakes are working properly and all is installed correctly, bed-in the new pads/rotor. Ideally, this is a two step process but will require an empty neighborhood or area to complete. With luck, find one close to your home. Note that the brakes may smoke a little or smell odd during this process. This is normal and is a result of curing paint and seasoning of pads. 1. To do this, find an empty area and drive at 30 mph. Apply the brakes moderately to slow to 5-10 mph but DO NOT come to a complete stop. Accelerate back to 30 mphs and after about 30 seconds, apply the brakes to slow back to 5-10 mph. Repeat this process 10 times and then return home. Avoid dragging the brakes or sitting with the brakes applied for longer than a few seconds. When you get home, park the car and allow the brakes to cool completely. 2. Once the first step is completed, increase the bed-in speed: Find an empty area and drive at 50 mph. Apply the brakes moderately to slow to 5-10 mph but DO NOT come to a complete stop. Accelerate back to 50 mph and after about 30 seconds, apply the brakes to slow back to 5-10 mph. Repeat this process 10 times and then return home. Avoid dragging the brakes or sitting with the brakes applied for longer than a few seconds. When you get home, park the car and allow the brakes to cool completely. After the brakes have cooled, the car can be driven normally. During the first 300 miles, drive the car and apply the brakes only moderately. Avoid dragging the brakes or performing sudden stops. Avoid sitting with the brakes applied for more than a few seconds.
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Copyright 2007: All content on this site, including text and images, may not be reproduced without the written consent of the author. |