Replacing Replacing Brake Parts

Sha7 · May 22, 2008

Guys, I need to replace front Brake Discs and Brake Calipers of my Nissan FB-15.

But I don’t have a wide knowledge on spare parts.

I have few questions,

1. What are the RELIABLE and LESS-EXPENSIVE options I have than buying genuine Nissan parts for this? I’m afraid that using Genuine will be a waste because anyway it will not last longer in Sri Lankan Driving conditions.

2. Is there any good brand of Brake pads you guys used to use? I think my current pads ate my discs

Appreciate your ideas on this...

Ripper · May 22, 2008

Sha7 said:
Guys, I need to replace front Brake Discs and Brake Calipers of my Nissan FB-15.
But I don’t have a wide knowledge on spare parts.

I have few questions,

1. What are the RELIABLE and LESS-EXPENSIVE options I have than buying genuine Nissan parts for this? I’m afraid that using Genuine will be a waste because anyway it will not last longer in Sri Lankan Driving conditions.

2. Is there any good brand of Brake pads you guys used to use? I think my current pads ate my discs

Appreciate your ideas on this...

just my thoughts feel free to disagree

unless you're using performance parts from a reliable manufacturer it's always safe to stick to OEM brake pads. market is flooded with so many aftermarket pads it's tough to find a reliable brand...

maybe others might know of a brand, personally i will stick to OEM

On discs and calipers... same story as pads IMO. unless it's performance stuff from a reputed company OEM is the best bet and i don't think you can really say that using genuine will be a waste cos when it comes to important stuff like brakes...it's definitely not

Watchman · May 22, 2008

If you dont mind me asking, why do you need to replace the disks and calipers? its not exactly a common repair...

Sha7 · May 22, 2008

Dilesh said:
If you dont mind me asking, why do you need to replace the disks and calipers? its not exactly a common repair...

Oki. I’ll tell the whole story..

When I bought the car from its first owner there was a ‘Dok! Dok!’ sound coming from front right side. (I thought it’s the Shock absorber). Then I took the car to an experienced guy and he told that it’s the Caliper.

Then he repaired the existing caliper by doing some lathe work. At the same time he replaced the Brake pads too. (I don’t know the brand of those pads)

Everything seems to be fine for about next 1500km and then it started to sound ‘Cheeees!’ when I brake. Again I went to the same guy and found that there are scratch marks on the disk which makes this sound. Using a lathe machine he removed a layer out of the both discs and fixed again.

Now after about 3500km I can hear both Caliper sound and Braking sound.

There is nothing wrong with the braking power. Problem is the sound.

Finally decided to replace the whole thing……….

Dilesh you are wrong on one thing. It is a common repair in garages.

jaga · May 22, 2008

Dilesh is right, it is not a common repair.

Any way previously you have got your disc machined therefore i assume your disc thickness is less for machining again.

Best way is to find a pair of disc and calipers from a used spare part shop which are freely available at high leval road from Delkanda junction to Gangodawila area.

I recommend original brake pads(Nissan) since those don't make any harm to discs.

Ripper · May 22, 2008

Sha7 said:
Oki. I’ll tell the whole story..
When I bought the car from its first owner there was a ‘Dok! Dok!’ sound coming from front right side. (I thought it’s the Shock absorber). Then I took the car to an experienced guy and he told that it’s the Caliper.

Then he repaired the existing caliper by doing some lathe work. At the same time he replaced the Brake pads too. (I don’t know the brand of those pads)

Everything seems to be fine for about next 1500km and then it started to sound ‘Cheeees!’ when I brake. Again I went to the same guy and found that there are scratch marks on the disk which makes this sound. Using a lathe machine he removed a layer out of the both discs and fixed again.

Now after about 3500km I can hear both Caliper sound and Braking sound.

There is nothing wrong with the braking power. Problem is the sound.

Finally decided to replace the whole thing……….

Dilesh you are wrong on one thing. It is a common repair in garages.

i'm afraid Dilesh is right! it's not a common repair... replacing your pads is but not replacing discs and calipers...

machining of anything has to be done with extreme care and by an expert after figuring out what's exactly wrong...

sadly lotsa mechanics tend to machine stuff without properly isolating the issue..

I've had an incident with one of my bike's gear wheels being machined cos the gear forks was wearing out faster. all was fine until 2-3 days later when the new gear fork also got busted finally to realize machining the wheel was a temp fix that actually made things worse...

on the disc itself...like Jaga had said... there is a min thickness of a disc and if your has approached that level you will have no choice but to replace it.

If calipers are meddled with by lathe work maybe they also might need replacing...

used OEM parts should be ok me thinks good luck

Watchman · May 22, 2008

Sha7 said:
Oki. I’ll tell the whole story..
When I bought the car from its first owner there was a ‘Dok! Dok!’ sound coming from front right side. (I thought it’s the Shock absorber). Then I took the car to an experienced guy and he told that it’s the Caliper.

Then he repaired the existing caliper by doing some lathe work. At the same time he replaced the Brake pads too. (I don’t know the brand of those pads)

Everything seems to be fine for about next 1500km and then it started to sound ‘Cheeees!’ when I brake. Again I went to the same guy and found that there are scratch marks on the disk which makes this sound. Using a lathe machine he removed a layer out of the both discs and fixed again.

Now after about 3500km I can hear both Caliper sound and Braking sound.

There is nothing wrong with the braking power. Problem is the sound.

Finally decided to replace the whole thing……….

Dilesh you are wrong on one thing. It is a common repair in garages.

really? I didnt know it was so common, cos i dont recall anyone replacing entire disks..then again there's a a whole lotta things i dont know about

Since you've phased your disks a couple of times i guess it'd be a good idea to replace them, cos you dont want your disks giving way when you REALLY need it!

As for your noises form the disk, does it squeek at only light touches of the pedal or even at harder presses? could be a loose pad vibrating.

Iroshana · May 22, 2008

Sha7 said:
Oki. I’ll tell the whole story..
When I bought the car from its first owner there was a ‘Dok! Dok!’ sound coming from front right side. (I thought it’s the Shock absorber). Then I took the car to an experienced guy and he told that it’s the Caliper.

Then he repaired the existing caliper by doing some lathe work. At the same time he replaced the Brake pads too. (I don’t know the brand of those pads)

Everything seems to be fine for about next 1500km and then it started to sound ‘Cheeees!’ when I brake. Again I went to the same guy and found that there are scratch marks on the disk which makes this sound. Using a lathe machine he removed a layer out of the both discs and fixed again.

Now after about 3500km I can hear both Caliper sound and Braking sound.

There is nothing wrong with the braking power. Problem is the sound.

Finally decided to replace the whole thing……….

Dilesh you are wrong on one thing. It is a common repair in garages.

No dude. Dilesh is correct. Not even in brakes, be careful when mechanics decided to machine any part of your vehicle. Because you cannot "UNDO" machining other than replacing if anything goes wrong. In most of cases technicians identify problem in the wrong way and decide to modify the original parts by "machining".

Your technician may be a experienced guy. But always be careful about technicians decisions since the car is yours and the repair cost weigh on your pocket.

Ripper · May 22, 2008

Dilesh said:
really? I didnt know it was so common, cos i dont recall anyone replacing entire disks..then again there's a a whole lotta things i dont know about
Since you've phased your disks a couple of times i guess it'd be a good idea to replace them, cos you dont want your disks giving way when you REALLY need it!

As for your noises form the disk, does it squeek at only light touches of the pedal or even at harder presses? could be a loose pad vibrating.

well for the loose pad thing... i apply a bit of heavy duty grease on the reverse side of the pads before installing them... worked on my bike like a dream so far

dhp · May 22, 2008

Sha7 said:
Oki. I’ll tell the whole story..
When I bought the car from its first owner there was a ‘Dok! Dok!’ sound coming from front right side. (I thought it’s the Shock absorber). Then I took the car to an experienced guy and he told that it’s the Caliper.

Then he repaired the existing caliper by doing some lathe work. At the same time he replaced the Brake pads too. (I don’t know the brand of those pads)

Everything seems to be fine for about next 1500km and then it started to sound ‘Cheeees!’ when I brake. Again I went to the same guy and found that there are scratch marks on the disk which makes this sound. Using a lathe machine he removed a layer out of the both discs and fixed again.

Now after about 3500km I can hear both Caliper sound and Braking sound.

There is nothing wrong with the braking power. Problem is the sound.

Finally decided to replace the whole thing……….

Dilesh you are wrong on one thing. It is a common repair in garages.

I would personally be very worried about having anyone lathe calipers. Even if it was a small deformation that had to be fixed, you have to wonder what caused it in the first place and what other hidden problems might be in there.

Its a smart decision that you're going to replace the whole system and I would say to stick with OE and to do it all at one time. However, make sure the mechanic knows how to bed the brakes or do it yourself. During bedding, you have to transfer enough material from the pads to the discs to have enough friction without eating into the discs.

Get your mechanic to also use a torque-wrench on the lugs so he wont over tighten the disc. I have seen a few warped discs cos someone over torqued the log-nuts. As for grease, make sure its a thermal grease that can withstand the high temps.

Edited May 22, 2008 by dhp

Watchman · May 22, 2008

Ripper said:
well for the loose pad thing... i apply a bit of heavy duty grease on the reverse side of the pads before installing them... worked on my bike like a dream so far

Yeah, i was thinking the same thing, some grease or gel-like substance should absorb the sound, but the fact that its loose to begin with could be risky.. If i'm not mistaken, constant vibrations along with bursts of instantaneous force can cause metals to crack....

though its hard to imagine what part of the calipers was phased... the only part i can imagine to be phase-able is the insides of the cylinder, though there would be no reason it would need phasing.

MadMMX · May 22, 2008

Guys,

there is a common problem with the nissans - wingroads fb15's and n16's where the spot on the calipers where the caliper pins go through tends to wear quickly. Have seen this happen on my bro's wingroad and a*w say its a common problem. What they do at the lathe work is not filing down but essentially filling up the caliper pin mount with brass and thickening it. Its not really a fault of the caliper and the caliper certainly doesn't require replacing. Have seen it done like once in two years on a wingroad. No ill effects - no requiring replacing of calipers ..etc. Talk to the agent or anyone who works with nissans of this era and they should be able to give you more info. The dok dok sound exactly describes this issue.

Cheers,

Nilantha · May 23, 2008

Sha7 said:
Guys, I need to replace front Brake Discs and Brake Calipers of my Nissan FB-15.
But I don’t have a wide knowledge on spare parts.

I have few questions,

1. What are the RELIABLE and LESS-EXPENSIVE options I have than buying genuine Nissan parts for this? I’m afraid that using Genuine will be a waste because anyway it will not last longer in Sri Lankan Driving conditions.

2. Is there any good brand of Brake pads you guys used to use? I think my current pads ate my discs

Appreciate your ideas on this...

This is common problem to Nissan. Caliper and caliper pins. So better way is you buy used front hub set from Delkanda, Kalubovila or Us Motors. Cost will only be around 3000/= for each full set(Disk, Hub, Caliper, Break pads may be with the lower arm boll joint). Fix it and run. That's it. Don't go to repair like lath machine job. Its only money waist. if you want tel me i will give you phone numbers.

Edited May 23, 2008 by Nilantha

Nilantha · May 23, 2008

Ripper said:
well for the loose pad thing... i apply a bit of heavy duty grease on the reverse side of the pads before installing them... worked on my bike like a dream so far

Appling grease is useless thing. To tighten the break pads there is little pin comes with the caliper. (i mean not caliper pins)

Edited May 23, 2008 by Nilantha

Sha7 · May 23, 2008

Nilantha said:
This is common problem to Nissan. Caliper and caliper pins. So better way is you buy used front hub set from Delkanda, Kalubovila or Us Motors. Cost will only be around 3000/= for each full set(Disk, Hub, Caliper, Break pads may be with the lower arm boll joint). Fix it and run. That's it. Don't go to repair like lath machine job. Its only money waist. if you want tel me i will give you phone numbers.

Seems like a good option!

Definitely I will not repair existing stuff again. Will buy OEM or used parts and replace.

Thank you very much for all good comments and please share if you have more ideas or related experiences.

By the way, can you guys suggest good brands of brake pads?

Nilantha · May 23, 2008

Sha7 said:
Seems like a good option!
Definitely I will not repair existing stuff again. Will buy OEM or used parts and replace.

Thank you very much for all good comments and please share if you have more ideas or related experiences.

By the way, can you guys suggest good brands of brake pads?

try to find HITACHI break pads. u can use it about 100,000 km. if you could find OEM Caliper set i think it will cost around 25,000/=

Car Maniac · May 24, 2008

Sha7 said:
Everything seems to be fine for about next 1500km and then it started to sound ‘Cheeees!’ when I brake.

Year ago my father had a Toyota Corolla NZE 121 (2001) model car and we also got a similar "cheeeeeeeeeees" like screeching sound from the left front brake caliper , but not when driving forward and braking , only when I reverse the car during the first 5 kms. Then I showed it to an experienced guy in our area and he told that sound comes because previously the front disk brake pads are replaced and new ones are improperly installed which has caused a boot inside the caliper to entangle. He advised me to buy the "Brake Caliper Repair Kit" from the toyota agents, which consists of one or two rubber boots set and a set of steel rings. Then we put it and the sound stopped. so in my opinion you better check if that can be the case in your car too because the fact that OEManufacturer has made a spare parts set called "Brake caliper repair kit" shows that brake calipers need minor repairs after some time. So before you go for a serious repair like replacing the calipers, disks, isnt it worth to check if this is the case.

Anyway its upto you bro. This is what I believe and not sure if it applies to your case completely.

Regarding the "dok dok" sound, if your mechanic is 100% sure that sounds come from the calipers then thats ok. Otherwise check whether your cars front stabilizer bar bushes (there are four bushes out of which two connects to the chassis and two connects to you cars front wheel assembly......) Cos few months ago one of my friends car had the same dok dok sound when driving and then we found the stabilizer bar bush of one side is busted which caused the metal stabilizer bar to contact with the metal mount when driving and specially when braking. Took it to A*W and it didnt cost much to buy a complete stabilizer bar bush set for all four mounts at the front. So just check it out.

Happy motoring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sha7 · May 27, 2008

Nilantha said:
try to find HITACHI break pads. u can use it about 100,000 km. if you could find OEM Caliper set i think it will cost around 25,000/=

Yes Nilantha, You are right on this. These parts may be small, but if I go to OEM parts it will cost over 60k for calipers, discs and pads. So I guess used parts are the best option with some new brake pads.

Sha7 · June 9, 2008

Guys, last weekend I went to the same mechanic again and told the issue. He didn’t check the car or drive but straightaway told that I don’t need to replace the parts. He was so sure about his previous repair.

The only issue found with the caliper is a damaged caliper boot. Replaced it and reassembled. Caliper sound problem is solved.

And there was no damage in brake rotor this time. But there was some kind of layer on the brake pads which feels like a leather when touched. They pasted it out and re-fixed. Braking sound problem is solved too.

maithri · June 9, 2008

I m glad it is fixed now. I thought it was a drastic solution to replace everything.

Here in the UK we use non genuine brakes all the time. We buy fron the original brake manufacturers like ATE, BOSCH,BENDIX,MINTEX,FERODO etc.etc. There is good and bad in all, how ever when it comes to Japanese cars we still use non Original pads etc made by the above well known manufacturers. Remember, Nissan Toyota etc. do not make braking systems normally, the specialist brake manufacturers make it for them. Wery often we find that the replacement that the agents sell is not even made by the original brake maker!

So it is very much down to the quality of the stuff you use rather than the place you buy it from, for brakes you can't beat quality parts.

Maithri

Sha7 · September 9, 2008

Guys,

Think you can remember this topic that I start long time ago. As on my last post above I fixed the calipers. But it didn’t last long. After about another 2000 km sound started again.

I checked the price of a genuine pair of calipers from the agents. Believe it or not the cost is 58k + VAT . So I went to a parts shop on Highlevel road and bought a user pair at the cost of 2500 each set which came with Caliper, Disk, Hub, ABS sensor & brake pads.

Removed the old caliper and replaced the new on last weekend. Let’s see what will come up on coming days.