DIY: Front brake rotor replacement

[mko9]

I recently had a front brake problem that was causing a shudder under high speed braking. I replaced both the rotors and the brake pads. I thought I would write up the general procedure, because it is really not hard. I didn’t see an existing thread.

You could probably do this job in your garage or on your driveway without too much difficulty. But it is easier if you can put the truck up on a lift. And there are a couple of odd tools you will have to acquire to complete the job. I have ready access to a lift, and had all the right tools on hand. It took me a little over 2 hours to complete the job. Sorry, no pics as I was in a bit of a rush. Next time I have it up, I will take some pics and update the thread.

1. Remove the front wheels. The lugs are a 22mm socket. Or use the jack and lug wrench that come with the truck. Make sure you chock your wheels.

2. There are 2x 21mm 12 point bolts on the back of each caliper bracket and a torx bit screw on the face of the rotor. All of these need come off to successfully complete this job, so I would recommend giving each one a shot of your favorite lube now to give it a little time to soak in.

3. Remove the brake wear sensor from the driver’s side brake.

4. The brake lines are bolted to the suspension upright, just behind the top of the rotor. Unbolt the bracket with a 10mm socket to give yourself more slack to work with.

5. Remove the caliper. There are 2x 13mm bolts holding each caliper to the caliper bracket. On the back side is an 18mm fitting, but the space is so narrow you will never get a box wrench in there. You can use a 21mm wrench on the flare at the base of that fitting. Remove both bolts and the caliper can now be removed. You can just flip it upside down and balance it on the top of the dust shield, or ziptie it to the suspension upright. DO NOT let it dangle by the brake hoses.

6. Remove the brake pads and the two metal clips on the caliper bracket.

7. Remove the caliper bracket, which means removing those 21mm 12 point bolts. I ordered an impact socket, but in the end was able to brute force them off without an impact wrench. Space is a little tight back there, especially if the caliper is dangling in your way from a couple zipties. Remember that if you have the truck on a lift, or have the whole front end off the ground on jack stands, you can turn the front wheels to get better access.

8. Remove the bolt from the front of the rotor face. It is a T50 torx bit. Give the rotor a couple whacks with a rubber mallet and it should pop right off.

9. Assembly is the reverse. You might need to take a wire brush or something to the face of the hub, and use a little bit of brake cleaner on the ends of the caliper bracket where the clips go, and the clips themselves. When reassembling, use some brake grease between the caliper bracket and the metal clips, and between the metal clips and the brake pads, as well as on the back face of the inner pad where the pistons will be pressing on it.


That is basically it. Like I said, not a terribly difficult job.


For new brake rotors, I went with these StopTech slotted rotors you can get off TireRack:

https://www.tirerack.com/brakes/bra...r&autoModel=LR4&autoYear=2013&autoModClar=HSE

For pads, I went with these Hawk truck/SUV pads. I really like the Hawk DTC-60 pads for trackdays in my BMW, so I figured I’d give these a try:

https://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brakes.jsp?make=Hawk&model=LTS+Truck/SUV+Pads&group=LTS+Truck/SUV+Pads&partNum=HB684Y694&autoMake=Land+Rover&autoModel=LR4&autoYear=2013&autoModClar=HSE

Here is the 12pt impact socket I ordered for the caliper bracket bolts:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006FGMZQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The garage I was working at had a set of trox sockets. Your average set of screwdriver torx bits will not be big enough:
https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-10071A...5&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=torx+t50+socket&psc=1

 

[jpjp]

Great write up, thanks!

Let us know down the line how you like your chosen setup.

 

[ktm525]

Caliper bracket bolts are the crux of that job. Huge torque values

 

[ryanjl]

Yeah, those were a

Caliper bracket bolts are the crux of that job. Huge torque values

Yeah, those were a bear to remove. And I'm a large, strong guy.

 

[mko9]

FWIW, I gave them all a shot of lube a couple weeks prior when I had the truck up the first time, and discovered those stupid 12pt bolts. But as I said, I didn't even need to use a torque wrench, just a long handled ratchet, not even a cheater bar.

 

[ktm525]

What did you torque them to when you put them back on?

 

[ryanjl]

FWIW, I gave them all a shot of lube a couple weeks prior when I had the truck up the first time, and discovered those stupid 12pt bolts. But as I said, I didn't even need to use a torque wrench, just a long handled ratchet, not even a cheater bar.

I can only assume yours had been done before, then.

Mine were not rusty or otherwise seized. They were just installed with a ton of torque from the factory.

 

[mko9]

What did you torque them to when you put them back on?

According to the interwebs, I think they are supposed to be torqued to 129ftlbs? I torqued them to "as tight as I could make them". They aren't going anywhere.

I can only assume yours had been done before, then.

Mine were not rusty or otherwise seized. They were just installed with a ton of torque from the factory.

Nope, I have owned this truck since new, and I only let the dealer touch it for big jobs that I can't handle. Like I said, I lubed them a couple weeks prior and on the day of. Obviously, where you live could have some impact. This truck spent a couple years in Texas, and a couple in southern Virginia, so not a ton of snow and ice and road salt.

129ftlbs is a lot of torque, but not so much that you shouldn't be able to overcome it with some strength and leverage.

 

[ktm525]

You are 63% of the way there, not sure why LR requires so much torque but they do and they are your brakes, YMMV

 

[Quijote]

I don't know much about the job, because I've not had to do it yet, but it seems from the description above that is is a big fastener. If so, the larger the thread diameter/pitch, the more torque you need to generate the axial load you need to pre-load the threads.

As far as large torque, that's the reason I got a 3/4" ratchet (Tekton) and a set of large 3/4" sockets from HF.

Cheap (maybe not the best quality) but it gets me out of a bind on a rare occasion. My quality tools are 1/2" and smaller.

Oh, and a good quality torque wrench (that goes to 300Nm) is a good investment - especially on a large vehicle like this. Note that those good-quality torque wrenches tend to have a very long handle (for obvious reasons), so you end up having to buy a 3/8", smaller torque wrench as well (also a good idea) for tighter jobs where the other one won't fit and for torque values to low for the big wrench to get too.