A while back we had a thread asking if you fix your own vehicle....

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

A little bit of a LAMP here, but I repaired my car's brakes today. I gotta say I was intimidated at the prospect before starting the whole thing, but it really wasn't all that difficult. Hardest part was getting the new pads to remain in place on my RAV4, but once i figured out how to properly fit them, working like a charm. Highly recommended, as it saved me about two hundred bucks at the cost of two hours time spent.

 

[apuszczalowski]

32 minutes ago, joesixpack said:

A little bit of a LAMP here, but I repaired my car's brakes today. I gotta say I was intimidated at the prospect before starting the whole thing, but it really wasn't all that difficult. Hardest part was getting the new pads to remain in place on my RAV4, but once i figured out how to properly fit them, working like a charm. Highly recommended, as it saved me about two hundred bucks at the cost of two hours time spent.

 

Disk brakes arent too difficult, even easier if you get the right tool and realise you have to turn the piston in the rear calipers to make it go back in rather then just compress it with a clamp.

 

Drum brakes are a pain in the @#$ to do with all the springs.

[boyst]

Done this. Replaced a timing chain. Spark plugs.  Core heater. Transmission filter. Hydraulic pump. Spark plugs.  

 

I don't work on the f350. I'm too big to fit into that tiny engine compartment

[LeGOATski]

I always tell people that replacing brake pads yourself is the biggest bang for your buck. Saves at least $100 per pad.

 

For some reason, people don't want to touch brakes.

 

With the deals offered on oil changes these days, you barely save any money, if at all, doing that yourself.

[mead107]

1 hour ago, joesixpack said:

A little bit of a LAMP here, but I repaired my car's brakes today. I gotta say I was intimidated at the prospect before starting the whole thing, but it really wasn't all that difficult. Hardest part was getting the new pads to remain in place on my RAV4, but once i figured out how to properly fit them, working like a charm. Highly recommended, as it saved me about two hundred bucks at the cost of two hours time spent.

 

Re mind me to never ride with you. ??

[WhoTom]

44 minutes ago, mead107 said:

Re mind me to never ride with you. ??

 

To paraphrase Red Green, "It won't come to a full stop, but I'm guessin' people will get out of the way."

 

 

 

[Augie]

1 hour ago, mead107 said:

Re mind me to never ride with you. ??

 

Don’t worry, I’m sure he was wise enough to cut out the floorboard so he has a Fred Flinstone style emergency brake.

 

As a kid we also used that hole as an emergency beer bottle jettison point, because we were bright kids and knew the cops would never figure out all the broken beer bottles bouncing down the road came from OUR car! 

[BUFFALOKIE]

4 hours ago, apuszczalowski said:

Disk brakes arent too difficult, even easier if you get the right tool and realise you have to turn the piston in the rear calipers to make it go back in rather then just compress it with a clamp.

 

Drum brakes are a pain in the @#$ to do with all the springs.

Yeah, drum brakes are a huge pain! I did the rears on Dad's '97 Ram this past spring. I was starting to worry that I would never get them back together. But I learned that there is a tool for rehooking the springs so I fabricated my own and it worked okay after trial and error. The real tool would make it much simpler and if Ihad one I wouldn't hesitate to try it again. You can probably borrow at at the parts store.

3 hours ago, Boyst62 said:

Done this. Replaced a timing chain. Spark plugs.  Core heater. Transmission filter. Hydraulic pump. Spark plugs.  

 

I don't work on the f350. I'm too big to fit into that tiny engine compartment

I sold my f250 because I needed some serious suspension maintenance and I don't have the large tools required.

[apuszczalowski]

14 hours ago, BUFFALOKIE said:

Yeah, drum brakes are a huge pain! I did the rears on Dad's '97 Ram this past spring. I was starting to worry that I would never get them back together. But I learned that there is a tool for rehooking the springs so I fabricated my own and it worked okay after trial and error. The real tool would make it much simpler and if Ihad one I wouldn't hesitate to try it again. You can probably borrow at at the parts store.

I sold my f250 because I needed some serious suspension maintenance and I don't have the large tools required.

Even with the tool they are a pain. Best tip is to remove both wheels and drums but di one side at a time so you can always go back and look at the other for reference.

[Steptide]

I remember back about 15 years ago, a friend of mine at the time replaced my brake pads. He worked for Monroe muffler or something, but did stuff on the side for friends. He showed me all you have to do and I was shocked. It was litterally just a bracket you had to take off, put the new pad on and replace the bracket. My car didn't have anti lock brakes, so I'm sure it's different now, but I couldn't believe how simple it was vs how much a mechanic would've charged me. Plus with YouTube, you can basically do anything yourself nowadays if you really want 

Edited October 7, 2018 by Steptide

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

3 hours ago, Steptide said:

I remember back about 15 years ago, a friend of mine at the time replaced my brake pads. He worked for Monroe muffler or something, but did stuff on the side for friends. He showed me all you have to do and I was shocked. It was litterally just a bracket you had to take off, put the new pad on and replace the bracket. My car didn't have anti lock brakes, so I'm sure it's different now, but I couldn't believe how simple it was vs how much a mechanic would've charged me. Plus with YouTube, you can basically do anything yourself nowadays if you really want 

 

I had to replace rotors too so the caliper had to come off

[CookieG]

On 10/6/2018 at 4:41 PM, LeGOATski said:

I always tell people that replacing brake pads yourself is the biggest bang for your buck. Saves at least $100 per pad.

 

For some reason, people don't want to touch brakes.

 

With the deals offered on oil changes these days, you barely save any money, if at all, doing that yourself.

Yeah, its one of the easier repairs to do, once you know what you're doing. I've been doing mine as long I've owned cars and I can do 2 wheels in under an hour. Buy a set of pads with a lifetime warranty and you're good for as long as you own the vehicle.

 

One warning...the nasty bleeder screw.  I had a stuck one for the first time last winter, they're a B word to get off when they are.  Heating, PB Blasting, quenching, rapping, Easy-Outing, all failed. I ended up having to buy a new Caliper. It took 20 minutes after that though.

 

I will say that if someone is not comfortable working on them...don't. Brakes are something on a vehicle that you can't half-ass. If they go, you're dead.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

4 minutes ago, CookieG said:

Yeah, its one of the easier repairs to do, once you know what you're doing. I've been doing mine as long I've owned cars and I can do 2 wheels in under an hour. Buy a set of pads with a lifetime warranty and you're good for as long as you own the vehicle.

 

One warning...the nasty bleeder screw.  I had a stuck one for the first time last winter, they're a B word to get off when they are.  Heating, PB Blasting, quenching, rapping, Easy-Outing, all failed. I ended up having to buy a new Caliper. It took 20 minutes after that though.

 

I will say that if someone is not comfortable working on them...don't. Brakes are something on a vehicle that you can't half-ass. If they go, you're dead.

 

Can't ever become comfortable till you try.

 

[LeGOATski]

16 minutes ago, CookieG said:

Yeah, its one of the easier repairs to do, once you know what you're doing. I've been doing mine as long I've owned cars and I can do 2 wheels in under an hour. Buy a set of pads with a lifetime warranty and you're good for as long as you own the vehicle.

 

One warning...the nasty bleeder screw.  I had a stuck one for the first time last winter, they're a B word to get off when they are.  Heating, PB Blasting, quenching, rapping, Easy-Outing, all failed. I ended up having to buy a new Caliper. It took 20 minutes after that though.

 

I will say that if someone is not comfortable working on them...don't. Brakes are something on a vehicle that you can't half-ass. If they go, you're dead.

Yeah, but brakes failing has nothing to do with the pads. That's a problem with the line or discs, and why you should just pay for the oil change with full inspection. 

[CookieG]

6 minutes ago, joesixpack said:

 

Can't ever become comfortable till you try.

 

That's true in a way, but putting them back together and driving on them are 2 different things.

 

An example from way back. A neighbor put a new master cylinder on his truck. I watched him test it out by backing out of his driveway, roll across the street and then halfway up the drive across the street. He didn't know that you have to bench bleed a new master cylinder. Everything else, he did right. He's lucky there was no traffic at the time.

 

I lost my brakes, again, many years ago, when a seal ruptured without warning. There's no more helpless feeling in the world, and I remember it vividly to this day. That's why I'm paranoid with them. There's no such thing as a small brake leak or pedal travel that can "come back up through pumping".

 

On the good side, as someone else said, with car repair, you can usually find step by step tutorials and usually a Youtube video.

 

And since this is about car repair, the greatest on the fly car repair...ever

 

 

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

7 minutes ago, CookieG said:

That's true in a way, but putting them back together and driving on them are 2 different things.

 

An example from way back. A neighbor put a new master cylinder on his truck. I watched him test it out by backing out of his driveway, roll across the street and then halfway up the drive across the street. He didn't know that you have to bench bleed a new master cylinder. Everything else, he did right. He's lucky there was no traffic at the time.

 

I lost my brakes, again, many years ago, when a seal ruptured without warning. There's no more helpless feeling in the world, and I remember it vividly to this day. That's why I'm paranoid with them. There's no such thing as a small brake leak or pedal travel that can "come back up through pumping".

 

On the good side, as someone else said, with car repair, you can usually find step by step tutorials and usually a Youtube video.

 

And since this is about car repair, the greatest on the fly car repair...ever

 

 

 

Yeah, I don't think I'd ever mess with doing anything line/electrical/hydraulic related in the car. Beyond my comfort level.

 

[Marv's Neighbor]

On 10/6/2018 at 6:36 PM, WhoTom said:

 

To paraphrase Red Green, "It won't come to a full stop, but I'm guessin' people will get out of the way."

 

 

 

Have not seen that show since leaving Seattle 15 years ago.  People in the South maybe don't appreciate his humor?

[CookieG]

4 hours ago, joesixpack said:

 

Yeah, I don't think I'd ever mess with doing anything line/electrical/hydraulic related in the car. Beyond my comfort level.

 

I'm like that too. I wouldn't rip an engine or a tranny apart,  too much precision work.

 

But changing a starter, an alternator, water pump, stuff like that, I can usually do. The parts that can kill you if not done right, like brakes and suspension parts that make me most nervous. but that has its good side, you just end up being more careful to do it right.

[Soda Popinski]

I think i've got a wheel bearing going bad.   Truck is whining between 25-50mph but it's not the engine.    Pretty sure it's a wheel bearing but usually that's more of a grinding noise than this whine.   

[RochesterRob]

On 10/6/2018 at 5:41 PM, LeGOATski said:

I always tell people that replacing brake pads yourself is the biggest bang for your buck. Saves at least $100 per pad.

 

For some reason, people don't want to touch brakes.

 

With the deals offered on oil changes these days, you barely save any money, if at all, doing that yourself.

  With doing your own oil change you have the satisfaction (hopefully) of knowing the drain plug and filter were mounted correctly and tight.  As opposed to the kid who is in a hurry at the lube shop and strips out the plug or does not tighten the plug with catastrophic failure of the engine looming.  Even if the shop covers the loss there is still the inconvenience of a down vehicle.

On 10/6/2018 at 5:37 PM, Boyst62 said:

Done this. Replaced a timing chain. Spark plugs.  Core heater. Transmission filter. Hydraulic pump. Spark plugs.  

 

I don't work on the f350. I'm too big to fit into that tiny engine compartment

  I did a timing belt on the wife's car in the parking lot at Sear's.  Their "mechanics" would not touch it and I had to get the wife's car up and going.  Luckily, common sense is what I needed to perform the work.  All in all a job I would rather hand off to someone else even if not pressed for time.