How difficult is it to change brake pads?

You got this.

 

Dude as Softewaredrone says above, it's easy. Really F#$%ing easy.

1. Raise and remove tire.
2. Take the wire "clip" out of the two pins on the caliper.
3. remove the pins.
4. Remove the metal spring if it hasn't flown out yet.
5. Use a screwdriver or pad compressor to spread the pads
6. Take the old pads out
7. Put the new pads in and clean the components you removed
8. Put the top pin in
9. Put the spring in and then put the bottom pin in
10. Align the holes at the back of the caliper on the pins and put the wire "clip" back in each pin

- Done. Just bleed the system (I pumped the pedal). Almost exactly like Porsche calipers.

Emergency brake caliper is a little different and "fun"

 

... and don't bother using a vacuum bleeder. They're useless.

 

I thought the 360 was the same as the 430 but there are no retaining clips on the pins on the 430 referenced in step2, but yes really easy job

John.

 

I use the copper lube on the backs of the pads, and purple high temp lube on the slider pins and where the slider pins rest against the clip.

I remove one pin (right sized screwdriver and a hammer) and then the clip then the other pin, but that part is pretty intuitive. Not sure what that #2 deal is... Not on my 360...

 

What brand did you use for the copper lube and purple high temp lube? my brakes are squealing...

 

Can't speak from experience as my first 360 is being shipped Monday, but I have already ordered the cd rom repair manuals from ebay for 12 bucks. There appears to be a good link on brakes pads and rotors that I found

Ferrari 360 & F430 Front Brake Pad and Disc Change Procedures | Aldous Voice

Appears straight forward, good luck and I'll be right behind you.

 

Permatex. I also try and clean things up first. Little rocks can get in there and make noise too, and if you lube and the material is still there, it'll likely still squeek. Cleaning the pins and clips are obvious but running your hand or cloth in by the pistons to get rid of anything, is what I do when I'm in there. Of course more aggressive pads screech anyway... And track use will likely burn off the lube. The purple didn't work well on the back of the pads.
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A c-clamp will work with a traditional floating caliper, but the 360 caliper needs the pistons on both side pressed back at the same time, i use one like this

Draper 52335 1/2" Square Drive Caliper Piston Retraction Tool CWT2 | Draper 52335

John.

 

It's one major reason why I DIY. Mechanics like to spread F.U.D.
Fear = "you'll break things!"
Uncertainty = "if you don't know what you're doing..."
Doubt = "well, it's more than just that..."

F.U.D. = them making lots of $$$$$

 

I use a spreader like that too when I need it (which isn't always just swapping out pad compounds), except mine has a pistol type grip. Bleeding is easy especially with with a Motive... And you know how it was done, how much fluid, what kind, etc.

 

Dude I not even have a clamp. I just wedge a flathead screwdriver in there an push the pads apart with that. No magic, just push the cylinders back into the caliper. And btw the Bosch engineers designed the abs braking system to work even in he absence of the abs pump working..

 

Spreader just avoids any potential damage caused to the pistons, boots, or caliper paint. I've done both and it's just easier since the other pistons can't pop out when one is pushed back. In my front bbk, I just use my hands for most pad swaps

 

Ooh I forgot about that. Two screwdrivers!

 

Also you can open bleeder and then push piston back in by hand. Top off master if necessary.

 

Oh yes.. Almost forgot!

With the bleed, if you bleed the brakes and the pedal is squishy afterward despite the fact that you did everything perfectly, remember to bleed the two nipples on the brake master cylinder itself. That will solve the squishy pedal.

 

Just remove some fluid from the master cylinder with a turkey baster. Then push the excess fluid from the caliper back into the master cylinder. This is what I used to do on my old cars.
Alan

BTW are there pistons on both sides of the calipers?

 

A simple and effective way to bleed your brakes is to use a Motive Pressure Bleeder (as mentioned above). It is very easy to use and you won't have to bleed the master cylinder. Beyond that, if you use a racing blue fluid on one flush and alternate with clear fluid on the next, You will be able to see the fluid change color in the line from the bleeder plug. This tells you that all of the old fluid has been expelled and prevents you from wasting fresh fluid. One brand that sells that type of fluid is Ate

 

Yep.

John

 

Not true at all. They work just fine. Yes, there is a tendency to suck air in via the bleeder screw threads, but that's easily solved by a blob of thick grease at the base of the screw. One advantage of a typical cheap vacuum bleeder is that you can see exactly how much fluid you're removing. If your container is 100ml, like mine, you can refill the reservoir each time you dump it and not worry about letting the reservoir get too low.

I use mine whenever I bleed the brakes or clutch on any of my cars or motorcycles. It's quick and easy, if you're willing to use a bit of common sense and have a basic understanding of how to bleed brakes.

 

Yes, you can see the pads without taking them out (wheels off), but easy to remove and inspect. Squeal can just be squeal, too. Either way you would be removing the pads to address the problem. Have you tried several very aggressive stops to get rid of the noise? Also, if you are down to metal on metal, I wouldn't drive it. Oem has electronic wear sensors too, so you would likely be alerted.

 

Ok, please excuse me for being a ferrari novice. With that said, I have done brake jobs on 100+ cars. I have bled brake lines many times. I almost never had to bleed brakes after a simple brake job. I have bled brake systems many times after master cylinder, brake line or caliper replacement (basically if air was introduced into the system) or if the pedal isn't firm. So I guess my question is simply -- is the 360 system different and requiring bleeding after a brake job?

Also a couple of other things, if I was a'gonna bleed the system, this would be a good time to turkey baste out all the dang fluid, clean the master resovoir and add new fluid before the bleed.

Lastly, a lesson I learned years ago when working on my old jags and saabs when bleeding. If the pedal doesn't "reconstitute" ( made that one up lol), then have the brake pedal helper not depress the pedal so hard and don't keep the bleeder open as long. Sometimes when the pedal bottoms out on the floor a tiny amount of air gets sucked back into the system leaving the pedal soft. Alternately, (I actually like this method better because it limits the mess from the fluid) attach a length of vacuum hose to the bleeder nipple and run that into a bottle of brake fluid. When the pedal bottoms out it will suck up fluid instead of air.

Lastly, what about the old fashioned gravity bleed technique? Take off the MC cap and open the bleeder nipple. I most often work alone, and this has worked for various brake systems for me over the years. IMHO pressure bleeding tools are great I have used them but if you don't do it often, just not worth it to me.

So excuse my Ferrari naïveté , I'm extrapolating basic mechanical horse sense ( not yet stallion sense). Comments would be appreciated, thanks.