Protege 5 '02 front brake job...Need tips/help

[bri]

I'm changing my front pads and rotors and am wondering if anybody's got any good tips for making the job easier and or smoother. Upon removal of the pads on driver's side, the spring clips look like they were rubbing on the rotor and are pretty gouged. I don't think I should reuse them. Are they sold separately and do I need to go the dealer? I'm using Centric ceramic pads with a molded-in shim (OE style) and Centric premium rotors.

Is there any online tutorials or any other cost effective way to get the tech info? All tips greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Skippster86]

Use a big C clamp and one of the old pads to push the piston back in, otherwise it will be impossible to line up the pad, rotor, and other pad. Im pretty sure OEM pads come with the spring clip, but ive used centric and hawk pads with no problems using the clips Ive had.

oh and be sure to have a stool or something to rest the caliper on so that its not just hanging by the line while you are busy trying to get it all lined up.

 

[bri]

Thanks...I completed the job and then found that my driver side rotor got extremely hot and smelled like burning brake parts...which is what was happening. I pulled it apart again and found that the caliper was sticking and there was also a small tear in the dust boot on the piston. I had the sticking problem a while back. Anyway, I lubed everything good when doing the pad/rotor change, but upon another and closer inspection I saw that the driver side slide pin's coating (looks like nickel plating) had corroded and had some chips. It did not slide smoothly despite being clean and well lubed.

So, I decided to go back to the parts store and get myself two reman calipers. Great price and service at Fast Undercar in Santa Maria, Cali. I'll pick them up today and complete the job by installing and bleeding the brakes. BTW, the car has been great (nearly problem free) and it has 190,000 miles. I don't feel too bad about replacing the calipers for that kind of mileage.