[JBC]

All,

I just completed by first front brake job on my 83 944.

The car stops on a dime now.

Used Zimmerman rotors and Textar pads

I had a problem getting the inboard pad into the caliper. I did a search but did not find much in the way of detailed methods. The ones suggested had already been employed and did not work. I still needed about 1 millimeter, maybe 2 before the inboard pad would slide into place.

For example, (again, good suggestions but not enough) ensure the outboard pad is firmly pressed onto the rectangular mount on the caliper. The theory is that this gives room for the inboard pad. I found that the outboard pad will not fully press into the rectangular mount. Banging on the caliper is not what I call good engineering, so, I dismissed it early. I found that pressing it fully onto the rectangular mount is prevented by small tabs on the inside wall of the rectangular hole in the pad itself. The pad sort of wobbles on the tabs inside the rectangular hole in the pad. The other suggestion (again, good but not enough) is to ensure that the piston is fully pressed back into the piston cavity. Cracking the bleed nut will not help has you hit the hard mechanical stops first.

So, the method that best worked for me is to install the outboard pad first (and yes ensure that the pad is set on the rectangular mount. This is best accomplished by noting that the two holes in the pads, that accept the two pins that hold in the pads in place, are aligned with the holes on the caliper bracket. With the caliper attached to the knuckle with the two mounting bolts, push on the piston housing enough to pull the piston itself away from the rotor. This cause just enough room to slide the inboard pad into place. Then, when you release the piston housing, it springs back into place and your done.

Whew! Next time, I can change the pads much more quickly.

Hope this helps someone.

JBC