Originally Posted by Ascari_2

So the brake job is done and all is well. I did spend a fair bit more time on this car, but that is because I decided to perform a few more steps than I normally have in the past. Here is the basic procedure in a nutshell:

• Turn the car off leaving the gear selector in neutral;
• Disconnect the negative terminal;
• Secure the car with a couple of wheel chucks;
• Loosen the wheel nuts;
• Jack up the car;
• Remove the nuts and the wheel;
• Remove slide pin spring;
• Remove the slide pins and the anti-rattle spring;
• Very lightly compress the pads against the outside the caliper just enough to be able to wiggle the pads out;
• Remove the brake sensor from one of the pads;
• Remove the two bolts holding the caliper setting the caliper aside without straining the fuel line;
• Remove the rotor (might need to use a removal screw to detach the rotor from the hub);
• VERY IMPORTANT STEP Clean the brake dust/rust particles off of the hub;
• Install new rotor;
• Install all 5 nuts and tighten them to 103 ft-lb;
• Measure rotor run-out (if within 0.0016 then you are okay; if your are out of that range, remove the rotor and again clean the surface between the hub and the rotor);
• If working with the rears, rotate the rotor to see if the parking brake needs to be adjusted; if so, adjust by turning the horizontal dial inside the hub which is accessible via a 1/2in hole on the face of the rotor;
• Install a clear vinyl tube onto the bleeder positioning it at an upward angle for a least a portion immediately following the bleeder screw (this is done so that if there is any drawing of matter back into the caliper, it will be brake fluid and not air);
• Crack open the bleeder screw and compress the pistons back into the caliper (the fluid will be pushed out of the bleeder as the compression progresses;
• Once all the pistons are compressed, close the bleeder screw (tightening it later on when the caliper is mounted);
• Reinstall the caliper;
• Grease the new pads (I reused the outside ani-squeal/anti-rattle shims from the original set);
• Reinstall the anti-rattle springs on each pad;
• Reinstall the sensor;
• Reinstall the pads into the calipers;
• Grease the slide pins and reinstall them;
• Reinstall the anti-rattle spring holding the slide pins;
• Reinstall the slide-pin spring;
• Remove the wheel nuts;
• Install the wheel and lightly tighten the wheel nuts;
• Lower the car and tighten all 5 nuts to 103 ft-lb;
• Repeat process for all remaining wheels;
• Put the car in park;
• Pump the brakes to get the pistons into their new operating position and pressurize the system;
• Check if any fluid needs to be added to the reservoir;
• Reconnect the battery terminal;
• Start the car to check for any leaks/warning lights.

Although I probably would've been okay without cracking open the bleeder screw, I decided to do it because (i) I figured I'd be better off being safe than sorry, and (ii) connecting the vinyl hose in an upward direction ensured that no air was going to be getting back into the system. It's not a matter of leaving this job to a pro or not (I've pulled engines out of cars before, so I don't have a problem with changing brakes) but it's just a matter of not wanting to screw something up because I decided to forgo one simple step.

However, the one thing I never did before was measure the run-out of the rotor, and I am glad that I did. Working on the first wheel, I did everything I described up to the measurement step and when I measured the run-out, the gauge showed that I was over twice the limit. That basically meant the new rotor was wobbling. I removed it and again cleaned the surface where the hub meets the rotor. On the second go-round, the measurements were within spec and I was happy to continue the work.

After all the wheels were back on came the fun part...bedding the brakes. This is the procedure I used in the past on my ISF http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm and it is the same one I used this time around. Basically this requires two to three sets of 8 to 10 60-to-20mph hard braking routines where each set is performed without letting the brakes cool (meaning hard acceleration to 60 while performing a set) and the entire procedure of all the sets is done without coming to a stop.

In the end, the job took a while but went well. The results are smooth braking and no pulsation/vibration of any kind.

Originally Posted by Doublebase

So no problem with cracking the bleeder screw? No brake warning lights, no pedal problems? I'm thinking of doing it this way when I change mine.

Originally Posted by Ascari_2

None at all. I think what helped was detaching the battery. The system was unaware of any changes because prior to the battery disconnect the brakes were just a touch away from positive pressure and the same was true upon the reconnect of the terminal. I also made it a point to basically prime the brakes by pumping the pedal before connecting the battery. Yes, the first time the pedal went to the floor and the second time it had a little bit of slack. This was because the pistons were pushed very far back. But the system wasn't on-line to detect any of this.

Also, if you are looking for a run-out gauge, take a look at Harbor Freight. They had a nice clamp dial gauge for $32.

Originally Posted by Ascari_2

So I need a new set of pads/rotors and I will be doing the replacement tonight. I've done these types of jobs many times before and replaces the front rotors on my ISF. Is there anything unusual about the LS?

From what I gather the steps are:

• Disconnect the battery
• Remove the wheel
• Remove the pads
• Remove the caliper
• Remove the rotor
• Sand/clean the hub in preparation for new rotor
• Install new rotor
• Push pistons back into the caliper
• Reinstall caliper
• Clean and grease slide pins
• Install new pads
• Install slide pins
• Mount the wheel
• Repeat all around
• Reconnect the battery cable
• Bed the brakes via typical bedding procedures

Thanks

Originally Posted by texas008

it is very difficult to break loose the two bolts attaching the calipers to the knuckles, be prepared..

Originally Posted by roadfrog

Again, if you don't hook up to Techstream, you're going to get a few lights come up on your dash (ABS and Brake light errors) if you open brake lines.

That said, there is no need to open any bleeders! All you're doing is replacing hardware. Leave the brake lines etc alone.