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Replacing Front brake pads


john workman

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hello,

My 02 SLS has about 45,000 miles on it, starting to hear a little noise from the right front brake, also feeling a slight pulse when applying brakes. I need to know if there is anything special that i need to do to replace the pads, any special tools? i am considering turning the rotors also.

is there a "better" brake pad that i should get? where from?

I am very interested in the drilled and slotted rotors, just not yet though. Any thoughts or anyone using those rotors?

This is my first cadillac, I am terrified of screwing something up!

thank you all for the help, this is a great board.

John

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Use only AC Delco brake pads, buy new rotors, I used to resurface them but they owe you nothing and you are never sure if the lathe operator has his machine trued up, new Raybestos or new drilled rotors are the way to go. Clean the sliders and use the grease the comes with the pads, if you don't get slider grease, get it from the dealer. If your calipers have rubber bushings in them buy new ones from the dealer. You should bleed the fluid, use the correct brake fluid, check the manual not sure if its DOT 3 or DOT 4.

Jason was very happy with his drilled rotors. Drilled rotors run cooler and are less apt to create shudder.

A correct brake job also looks at the rear, you should at the very LEAST bleed the rear. If your rear is not picking up their 25% you put too much on the front brakes.

Don't buy the really CHEAPO rotors that most auto part suppliers have, try to stay with Raybestos, Bendix, etc. If you go to www.rockauto.com the rotors range from $15 to $99 for OEM.

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Yes, I had excellent luck on the drilled rotors. They lasted 80,000+ miles, and are still on the car ('97 SLS). The pads were excellent, Bendix HD semi-metallic.

My '01 STS has new pads (unknown) when I bought it, but had a pulsation when braking. I had Pep Boys turn the rotors for $10 per, and all's well now. The rotors were still pretty thick, and the pads were new, so I just took the rotors off myself and had them turned. Next time, when I get new pads, I pay buy new rotors as well. They seem up to the task, though (in terms of size/thickness).

I've always heard that turning the rotors aren't worth it. I'll let you know how long this last operation lasts. As far as I'm concerned, if the rotors are still pretty thick, you really have nothing to lose. We know that rotors don't "warp", but experience Thickness Variation (TV) due to an uneven distribution of pad material on the rotors. I've found that driving style has a big part in this, and I've been able to make brakes last a LONG time by simply adjusting my driving style.

Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond)

"When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?"

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My theory on turning the brake rotors is that the parts stores are just too lazy these days to turn rotors so they quote cheesy rotors made in CHINA that are about the same cost of turning the rotors... most people take the bait and buy the cheap CHINA junk rotors. When they are asked to quote quality rotors, they are usually much, much more money vs. turning the existing rotors.

I have had the rotors turned on my '97 STS due to break noise from corrosion as the car sat for several months prior to me buying it and the rotors were pitted from rust. That was 25,000 miles ago and the brakes are still smooth.

Be sure to specify a non-directional finish and bed them in properly after replacement and you should not have any problems.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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My theory on turning the brake rotors is that the parts stores are just too lazy these days to turn rotors so they quote cheesy rotors made in CHINA that are about the same cost of turning the rotors... most people take the bait and buy the cheap CHINA junk rotors. When they are asked to quote quality rotors, they are usually much, much more money vs. turning the existing rotors.

I have had the rotors turned on my '97 STS due to break noise from corrosion as the car sat for several months prior to me buying it and the rotors were pitted from rust. That was 25,000 miles ago and the brakes are still smooth.

Be sure to specify a non-directional finish and bed them in properly after replacement and you should not have any problems.

I agree with Kevin...

I once read on this site that the recommendation was not to replace or resurface the rotors...

replace with delco pads and rubber bushings and bleed... period....

This has worked for me for quite a while now... no problems...

BE SURE TO BED THE BRAKES...

Bedding may seem strange at first, however, when you have braked hard for the ~8th time,

you will feel those brakes grab HARD, like they are supposed to...

then you will always be grateful for the excellent stopping power of these brakes...

don't go out of your way to spend the doe on new drilled rotors...

are you racing anytime soon?? if not bed the new delco pads with the

stock rotors, and you will be pleaseantly surpised at the amount of brake force!

good luck,

jim

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Bedding the brakes can be embarrassing and even painful. I suggest bleeding the brakes. Use a one-man bleeder valve, that has a spring-loaded check valve, so you don't need a helper.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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Actually, bedding and bleeding the brakes are both valid procedures.

Bedding the brakes is actually described in the service manual as well. It involves several hard stops from a moderate speed (25, 35, 55 mph, I've seen a lot of suggestions). You stop hard, but not ABS-inducing hard. The theory is to get a nice, quick, and even distribution of pad material on the rotors to reduce the change of TV in the future.

Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond)

"When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?"

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That does sound a lot more comfortable. I should have realized it wasn't a typo because at least three letters were involved.

I would say that bedding the brakes requires a light foot, which is special equipment for some of us.

Does anybody know why I have 30% left on my front brakes after over 130,000 miles, other than it hasn't been in San Francisco, Seattle, or San Diego?

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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Does anybody know why I have 30% left on my front brakes after over 130,000 miles, other than it hasn't been in San Francisco, Seattle, or San Diego?

Probably the same reason the brakes on my '97 are still on the car...when brakes didn't last 30,000 miles each time before I owned it.

Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond)

"When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?"

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Does anybody know why I have 30% left on my front brakes after over 130,000 miles, other than it hasn't been in San Francisco, Seattle, or San Diego?

Probably the same reason the brakes on my '97 are still on the car...when brakes didn't last 30,000 miles each time before I owned it.

I'm not sure what you mean "when brakes didn't last..." but I bought the car new and have driven it 130,000++ miles myself.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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Jim,

I am pretty easy on brakes (mostly highway miles) and I get 70 - 80K out of the fronts. I have always thought that was pretty good. Unless you throw out an anchor or coast to stops 130 is incredible if not impossible. Are you sure they are working OK? How are the rears? Maybe they are doing most of the stopping.

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Its probably due to driving habits. I get about 35,000 to 40,000 miles on my front brakes, and I drive hard. Today as an example I pulled into an exit ramp doing 70, and hit the brakes hard to slow to 35 by the end of the exit ramp, into a hard right hand turn, given the weight of this Deville, its no doubt the reason my brakes don't last long and the reason they over heat and create shudder. And no, I will not likely change my driving habits, but I do slow down to a crawl when its wet out.

I won't put drilled rotors on this car, but if I get an STS, I will go that direction.

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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I'm not sure what you mean "when brakes didn't last..." but I bought the car new and have driven it 130,000++ miles myself.

My mother owned the car before I did. She had to put new pads and/or new rotors on every 25-30k miles. The rotors were pulsating again when I got it. The difference in equipment and the difference in driving style is evident in the life of the brakes. 80k miles after I bought the car, and after I put new brakes on, and they're still on the car.

Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond)

"When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?"

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I did have an occasional pulsation problem after I moved to the East Coast. I think that the more uniform driving conditions in the L.A. area, with either freeway or slow city streets, isn't likely to give you pulsation. When you transition quickly after using your brakes at high speeds, and end up stopping or parking with hot brakes, you can leave a spot on the front disks that causes pulsation. In any case my local mechanic surfaced my rotors about a year and a half ago and bedded the brakes while he was test driving my new remanufactured engine and I haven't had a problem with pulsation since. My dealer had resurfaced them in about 2001 to solve a pulsation problem then.

The brakes work just fine, and the rears have about 50% of the pads left, so I'm sure that they are OK. I don't know what it would be about my driving habits that would give my brakes double the life of others with the same car. I do keep track of nearby traffic and am rarely surprised by conditions that I am driving into, unless my wife is with me and talking, in which case I am driving a lot slower and avoid driving into anything. Also, I tend to brake gently for traffic lights, a habit I got when I was first driving as a teen-ager to conserve gas; I was still on an allowance when I got my first car. I have tried hard braking at highway speeds occasionally to make an exit or deal with some similar situation and the ability of the brakes to do whatever you ask is just another aspect of the world-class agility of the Touring class of Cadillacs.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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My theory on turning the brake rotors is that the parts stores are just too lazy these days to turn rotors so they quote cheesy rotors made in CHINA that are about the same cost of turning the rotors... most people take the bait and buy the cheap CHINA junk rotors. When they are asked to quote quality rotors, they are usually much, much more money vs. turning the existing rotors.

I have had the rotors turned on my '97 STS due to break noise from corrosion as the car sat for several months prior to me buying it and the rotors were pitted from rust. That was 25,000 miles ago and the brakes are still smooth.

Be sure to specify a non-directional finish and bed them in properly after replacement and you should not have any problems.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi,

The NAPA counter guy said the cheap rotors from China or wherever need to be turned before using them.

Bob B

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Bob B: that may be them trying to up-sell you on the more expensive rotors.

I put new Chinese rotors on our 2003 minivan before we sold it. I didn't know exactly when we were going to sell/trade it, but I knew we weren't going to keep it "for ever", so I decided to try the cheap rotors, just to see how they fared. The old pads wiped one of the factory rotors, so I had to buy two new.

All that was required (in my case) was to liberally spray brake cleaner on the rotors to remove the anti-corrosion film that is applied. A non-directional finish was already applied to the Chinese rotors from the factory. They went on, along with a set of Raybestos QuietStop Ceramic pads, and worked just fine. In fact, I put close to 10,000 miles on those brakes before we sold it, and they worked just fine.

The NAPA guy may have been trying to up-sell you on the American rotors by "requiring" a lathe job on the new Chinese ones, making them not financially advantageous. If I knew I was going to keep the vehicle a long time, I'd absolutely buy quality rotors for it. But I disagree with the guy from NAPA that the Chinese rotors necessarily need to be turned before use. As long as they have a non-directional finish on them, they should be good to go. Maybe the NAPA ones are "extra" cheap, and don't even have a good finish on them, I don't know. The China ones I bought were Raybestos' value line, from Pep Boys, and actually worked a lot better than I expected.

Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond)

"When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?"

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  • 3 months later...

hey john,

you can't really "screw them up" but you need to buy a good pad not just cheap. wagner makes a good pad called a thermoquiet, also bendix makes a good pad. definately turn the rotors, if you don't you'll pobably end up with the same pulsating problem you have now. i put new rotors on my 98 eldorado and they were only about 40.00 each. it all depends on you, if this is going to be something you keep if you want to spend money on it?

tools you are going to need are limited to sockets and wrenches and a "c" clamp to push the calipers pistons back. that's it, email me if you have any other questions.

isham42

hello,

My 02 SLS has about 45,000 miles on it, starting to hear a little noise from the right front brake, also feeling a slight pulse when applying brakes. I need to know if there is anything special that i need to do to replace the pads, any special tools? i am considering turning the rotors also.

is there a "better" brake pad that i should get? where from?

I am very interested in the drilled and slotted rotors, just not yet though. Any thoughts or anyone using those rotors?

This is my first cadillac, I am terrified of screwing something up!

thank you all for the help, this is a great board.

John

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open the bleed screw before you push the piston back into the caliper so the old fluid won't contaminate the brake line. if you put a short piece of hose on the bleeder screw it may make it less messy.

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I read an article in "Popular Mechanics" a few months ago that said to torque your lug nuts when you are putting your wheels back on rather than banging them on with an impact wrench. This can help avoid warping problems with your rotors. Anyone else know about this?

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Another reason some may experience pulsating when applying the brakes are that the sliders may be sticky. Sticky sliders won't allow the calipers to engage the pads to the rotors evenly. This has happened to me about 3 times over the years. My feeling (with some others here) is that the oem rotors are more than adequate for quick stopping power. If the oem brakes aren't stopping effectively then most likely there is a problem somewhere within the brake system. Slotted rotors are designed for frequent hard braking. Simply changing to slotted rotors with new matching pads and getting a positive result may merely point out that any new rotor and pad change could have accomplished a positive result. Which would imply that there was indeed a problem. When my oem brake system is working properly and I hit the brakes........ it feels as though my face is going to kiss the windshield. This wasn't always my position but after talking to a few of mechanics that race on the side as well as my old neighbor that used to work on race cars, I have conceded to their greater wisdom. Here's a humorous quote by one. "Drilled or slotted rotors on the daily driver makes about as much sense as a big ol wing on the trunk."

"Burns" rubber

" I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. "

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I purchased a set of AC Delco Rotors from Rockauto for my Buick and much to my surprise they were made in CHINA. I also purchased Raybestos Pads Ceremic for the Buick and they were made in the USA. You never know until they arrive.

Charlie

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i put new rotors on my 98 eldorado and they were only about 40.00 each. it all depends on you, if this is going to be something you keep if you want to spend money on it?

another old post... I bought oem delco pads for my 01 sts off gmpartsdirect.com... only 60 total for the front axle... that includes sensors and lube... cant beat it for oem... sensors alone were 15 each.

Jonah

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