Been out and fitted new discs today - I recently serviced the calipers, and fitted new pads, but had to wait for the discs, so it all came apart again today

This is primarily for the BJ, but the same principles will apply to other models - although on the BG GT you don't have to remove the carrier to change the disc

This is the standard disc, rusty as its been sitting in the rain for a few weeks, and generally a bit, well, nasty looking






Start with loosening the brake reservoir cap (this is to allow any fluid to be displaced when you force the piston back into the caliper - I always wrap a clean cloth around the reservoir, to catch any spills)
Then follow the standard procedure of removing the wheel - loosen the nuts, chock and jack the car up, remove the nuts, remove the wheel, stick an axle stand underneath

remove the plastic cover, and then the bottom caliper fixing - 8mm hex key



Pop the brake hose retainer out



and then push the brake hose back through the bracket



Pull on the caliper to push the piston back in a bit, you need to allow for the new thicker discs too
Pivot the caliper upwards on the top slider



If you want to remove it completely, clamp the brake hose, remove the banjo fitting, and slide the caliper off the top slider





If you dont want to remove it, just use an axle stand to support it



Then remove the spring clips, the pads, and the pad to carrier fittings





If you're only replacing pads, do it now, and put it all back together
To replace the discs, read on...

Remove the carrier by removing the two fixing bolts - 17mm on mine





The disc can be a bit stuck on, so give it a bit of a tap, and it should come off ok

It may be possible to remove the whole caliper and carrier assembly, but I chose to split them to show how to get to the pads, and also because I wanted to clean and paint the caliper and carrier


I gave it all a good clean up, using a wire brush and a scourer jobby, and a lick of hammerite black

Fit the new disc, making sure you degrease it by generously cleaning it with brake cleaner, and then the carrier. Slide the caliper onto the top slider - make sure there's some silicon grease on there, and check the rubber gaitors for splits etc.

Fit the pad fittings, make sure you've cleaned them up, and apply some copper ease onto the faces. Fit the pads, again applying copper ease to the mating faces, and also onto the backs of the pads, where they sit against the caliper / piston. Insert the spring clips, and hold the pads in place while you pivot the caliper down over them

Fit and tighten the bottom slider fixing - this will need silicon grease too.

Replace the hose into the bracket, and refit the retainer clip.

If you removed the caliper, re-fit the banjo fitting, and remove the hose clamp, then bleed the brakes.



Remove the axle stand, fit your wheel back on, lower the jack, tighten the wheel nuts, tighten the brake reservoir cap, shut the bonnet, and admire your new brakes

Very comprehensive! This one will definately come in handy for me in the near future.

Glad to be of help

Oh, and I should mention that before you drive off, start the car and gently pump the brakes a few times, in order to push the piston back to the right position... otherwise the pedal will go frighteningly low the first time you use it

One wonders if one did that himself?

I've done it loads of times, get to the end of the road, and woah...foot to the floor


I guess some things you never learn

Nice looking discs Marc, be interesting to hear how much difference there is in braking over standard discs.

well, I had to use them today, needed to emergency stop, or fall into an abyss in the road

I certainly pulled up pretty sharp, so the signs are good - although I've been running on previously melted discs for a little while, so not a fair comparison really

I find you tend to notice the grooved and dimpled making more of a difference on a hard drive or when its wet on the roads etc...

Changed the rear discs, so thought I'd update this thread

Easiest way I found is to undo the handbrake cable assembly - I took the whole bracket off, as it was the first bit to budge



and disconnect the flexi hose from the bracket



then the caliper will pivot on the bottom slider (once you've removed the top one )



and you can remove it - stick it on an axle stand, don't let it hang on the hose



Undo the 2 big bolts, and remove the caliper carrier





Time to fit some lovely new discs



and refit the carrier...

The piston needs to be wound back in - you can buy a tool, but I use a big spanner



Then fit the pads - bit of copper ease at the contact points etc, silicone grease on the sliders, and refit the caliper, flexi hose and handbrake.

Don't forget to pump the brakes before you drive off




Nice new discs

Nice work bud - the claiper rewinder tools are normally about 15quid ... mine came with a selection of plates to fit different maufacturers and I think is a 'silverline' one...

You not tempted with the braided lines?

Clarky

I'm just about to give this a go, and was wondering....what exactly holds the disc in place? It doesn't bolt on then, it just slots on, held roughly in place by the carrier, and secured properly only when you put the wheel back on? Is that really right?!

Yep, the disc is held in place by the wheel really

Sometimes they can get very stuck on - a good rubber mallet can come in handy - sometimes the discs have an extra threaded hole - so you can wind in a bolt, which pushes the disc away from the hub

great thanks!

sorry I've got another question. I'm replacing the pads only on the rear of the car - do I need to do anything with the handbrake or am I going to be able to pivot the top of the caliper out of the way without detaching it?

the caliper won't budge without removing the handbrake cable - easiest way I found was to remove the bracket, then the cable (as above) - saves any adjustment

ah I see. Ok cheers. And I'll need to screw the piston back in too I guess...stupid question but which way do I twist!?

It'll only go one way mate - what are you using to wind it back in?

whatever I can find in the garage! probably look for a spanner that fits like marc did....

winds in clockwise...

Marc used either 17 or 19mm spanner

i was meaning more a rewind tool...

Unless the piston is seized, you can wind it in using a pair of long nose pliers.

I'd just like to say thank you for such an easy to follow guide. My mechanic friend said I had 4000-5000 miles on my pads and discs and then last week I started getting a scraping noise, thinking it was the little bit of metal to warn you that the pads are low. but it got worse.

So I tried giving him a ring to find out he was on holiday I bit the bullet and did something I haven't done in a long while DIY. Bought some discs, pads and grease and went about changing them this weekend.

This guide was an absolute god send and should be stickied.

Anyway here the cause of the scraping noise.



And the brakes after I decided to get rid of the red paint and change them to silver



Next up will be the rears in next the next month or so.

Hi Guys, I have a 1998 2.0 V6 ZXi and need to replace both front and rear brake pads. Could you tell me where to buy from and how much i might expect to have to pay.
Thanks. Dave S

You really want to paste that on the BA section of the forum. But for my BJ, I bought EBC Ultimax pads from Ebay, £25 for the fronts, £15 for the rears.

Thanks for that.

no problem

Have done loads of pads in the past but had a look at this guide before I started,which was helpful thanks. Only difference was that my 1999 1.5 323F was not an 8mm allen bolt fixing but 14mmhex bolts on both top and bottom sliders. What is it with Mazda brakes that they suffer from seized caliper sliders, it seems to be a common problem with the MX-5 as well. On doing this job I found the near side top one seized solid (though brakes seemed ok) and had to resort to a blowtorch to free it off. Took me about an hour to do the N/S then 10 minutes to do the off side which was fine. Fitted some EBC pads and brakes are really good from the off where they can tend to be a bit soft following a pad change till they bed in so pleased with that.

wish i had this for the rrar wen i did it month or so bk i struggled neved did breaks before but my front caliper bolt rounded not sure how to fix. but really good guide and nice new discs i have them now on my front only

Hi, I'm looking for details on how the springs fit the calipers on the front of the BA. My old pins had been welded in and I'm not sure I got the springs right using trial and error.

Any help appreciated.

Justyn