DIY 350Z Track, Rotor and Pad Install, and System Bleed.

[sugarspunZ]

Parts:
Stoptech 2pc AeroRotors
Ferodo DS2500 Pads
Motul RBF 600 Brake Fluid


Tools:
22mm Wrench
19 mm Wrench
12mm Wrench
11mm Wrench
Needle Nose Pliers
Hammer or Rubber Mallet
Water Pump Pliers or C Clamp
WD-40
Brake Parts Cleaner
Floor Jack
4 Jack Stands
Lots of Rags
Helpful but not needed:
Motive Power Bleeder
Plastic Tubing
Arrowhead Bottle (or something comparable to catch break fluid)
Mechanics Gloves

I am not really going to get into the obvious. So, I will make it quick.
Jack up your car with floor jack, then place jack stands in proper areas.


Then loosen Lug Nuts and remove wheels


I started with my front brakes.


With a 12mm wrench remove the nut that holds on the bracket that keeps your brake line in place.
This will come in handy when you remove your caliper. This will give you the needed slack in
your brake line to handle your caliper without risking damaging the brake line.


With Needle Nose Pliers remove pins and shims that hold pads in place.


With a 22mm Wrench Take off the 2 bolts that hold on the calper. You may need to spay some
WD-40 in order to take off the bolts. Take caliper off and remove pads.
Use C Clamp or Water Pump Pliers to push pistons back into rotor. This will create the room you will
need to insert new pads.
Remove rotor. Put on new rotor, and insert new pads into caliper. Placer caliper back on to rotor.
Insert caliper bolts and tighten as tight as you can with your hand. Then insert pins and shims to
hold pads in place. With 22mm wrench tighten caliper bolts

This is what it should look like when you are done.

[sugarspunZ]

Once the front is complete then move to the rear.


Just like we did on the front use your Needle Nose Pliers remove pins and shims that hold pads in place.



With a 19mm Wrench Take off the 2 bolts that hold on the caliper. You may need to spay some
WD-40 in order to take off the bolts. Take caliper off and remove pads. Use C Clamp or Water Pump Pliers to push pistons back into rotor. This will create the room you will
need to insert new pads.
Remove rotor. This may be extremely difficult; which it was in my case. Take your hammer or rubber mallet and beat the sh!t our of your rotor. This will knock it loose and enable you to take it off.
Put on new rotor, and insert new pads into caliper. Placer caliper back on to rotor.
Insert caliper bolts and tighten as tight as you can with your hand. Then insert pins and shims to
hold pads in place. With 19mm wrench tighten caliper bolts


This is what it should look like when you are done.

Now it is time to bleed your brake system. I have purchased Motive Products Power Bleeder. I have found
that this is the ideal way to bleed your brake system. The Motive Products Power Bleeder compresses
your brake system and allows you to easily bleed your brake system by your self.
This is great for me because I have no friends

You connect the Motive Products Power Bleeder to your brake fluid reservoir. You then pump
up the Motive Products Power Bleeder which will compress your braking system.

When bleeding your brake system you want to start with the wheel that is furthest away from
the driver. Bleed in the following order.
Right Rear
Left Rear
Right Front
Left Front


A plastic tube will come in handy. I got mine from fish and aquarium department of PetSmart. Attach
one end of the plastic tube to your bleeder valve of your caliper. You will
need an 11mm wrench to open and close the bleeder valve, and you will need something to catch
the brake fluid. I used a water bottle.
Pump up your Motive Products Power Bleeder to 15 or so PSI to compress your braking system and
bleed away. Do this at all 4 corners and you are done.

[sugarspunZ]

Again, not to state the obvious but when you are done bleeding your brake system you are now done.
Put your wheels back on and lower your car back down.



This is what it should look like when you are done.

Now it is time to find a deserted road near your house to bed in your new brakes.
I followed stoptechs procedure to the T.
Bedding-in Club Race or Full Race Pads
For a typical performance brake system using race pads, the bed-in procedure must be somewhat more aggressive, as higher temperatures need to be reached, in order to bring certain brands of pad material up to their full race potential.
We typically recommend a set of ten partial braking events, from 60mph down to 10mph, followed immediately by three or four partial braking events, from 80mph down to 10mph. Alternately, a set of eleven stops, from 80mph to 40mph, or a set of seven stops, from 100mph to 50mph, would be approximately the same. As with street pads, each of the partial braking events should achieve moderate-to-high deceleration (about 80% of the deceleration required to lock up the brakes and/or to engage the ABS), and they should be made one after the other, without allowing the brakes to cool in between.
As when bedding-in any set of brakes, care should be taken regarding the longer stopping distance necessary with incompletely bedded pads. This first set of stops in the bed-in process is only complete when the recommended number of stops has been performed - not before. As a general rule, it would be better to perform additional stops, than not enough. The system should then be allowed to cool, by driving the vehicle at the highest safe speed for the circumstances, without bringing it to a complete stop with the brakes still applied.
After cooling the vehicle, a second set of the recommended number of stops should be performed, followed by another cooling exercise. In some situations, a third set is beneficial, but two are normally sufficient.



After you do a proper bedding in, you are finally done.

I must say I was extremely impressed with the performance of my new braking system. My car now stops on half of a dime; it is sick.
When brakes are cold pedal feel is a bit mushy, but when the pads heat up it is like the hand of GOD is stopping you.
I am also happy to say that there is very little squeak or noise coming from the brakes.

[cms-35z]

Good writeup. If I was just to replace pads, will I still need to bleed the system, or did you just do that cause you wanted to upgrade your fluid?

[jdm21bmx]

Bleeding the system is only neccesary when the system or lines become open..removing the brakeline for instance.

[ReV74]

Nice write up.....looking good with the new Rotors

[THE TECH]

Nice write-up!

[Bevo]

Great info, thanks a lot for sharing. It's going to be very useful when the time comes for me.

[usmanasif]

Originally Posted by sugarspunZ

...Power Bleeder compresses your brake system and allows you to easily bleed your brake system by your self.

This is great for me because I have no friends

Couldn't help but laugh there! Thanks much for the writeup. I was looking for something like this. Very nicely done!

[aznriceball2]

wow great DIY quick question that might seem kinda stupid, forgive me im a noob, but after you blead your old brake fluid wouldnt you need to add some more new brake fluid, and if yet do you just pour it into the opening in the engine bay?

[Grey Ghost]

you'll also need to bleed the ABS if you're bleeding the system. it has its own bleeder screw on it.

[mrquick68]

Originally Posted by jdm21bmx

Bleeding the system is only neccesary when the system or lines become open..removing the brakeline for instance.

This is not necessarily true. Brake fuild has the ability to absorb water so it is a good idea to flush your system every few years (or more often if you race.) Also, if you do race or use your braking system very aggressively, updated fluild can raise the boiling point of the fluid and reduce a mushy pedal when the system gets VERY hot.

My $.02.

[mrquick68]

BTW - great right up and great looking brakes!

The Stoptech break-in procedure is spot on as well. I've used it main times now with great success. Its funny to see peoples' exspersions when they see you hammering the brakes until they begin to smoke! He he

[Lucino]

Originally Posted by Grey Ghost

you'll also need to bleed the ABS if you're bleeding the system. it has its own bleeder screw on it.

where is it?

[dothemath]

it just my computer...or are all the pictures gone?

[sugarspunZ]

damn it. i guess my put file account is gone. i will fix this in the next few days,

[MannishBoy]

Do you happen to know which version of the Motive bleeder you have? I'm trying to figure out if the universal adapters are fine, or if I'd be better off getting a specific adapter for my vehicles.

I'll be using it on the Z along with a Pontiac GP GTP and a Syclone, so if the universal is fine, it would save me from having to buy a bunch of adapters off one of the kits.

Thanks.

[imonlykidden]

Decent write up, no pics.

[kydiwl]

Great write up, but I have a question about how to start the pressure bleed.

When you pressure bled the system, does a lot of air get in initially from the empty hose going from the pressure tank to the master cylinder? It seems that would happen or did you top off the MC and then pump some fluid into the tube to remove all/most of the air? Looking to pressure bleed my system this weekend and have been wondering about this part (how to start the bleed).


I agree with those who say to replace pads when you replace rotors. Might as well do it all while you've got it apart.

[Marc Mc]

The pressure from the motiv bleeder happens above the fluid tank and therefore it doesn't push air into the system....as long as you don't drain the tank.

But, in this instance I believe the OP had brake fluid in the Motiv bleeder so it pushed fluid into the reservoir. Make sense?