finally got around trying to replace the brake pads today. I could not even take the tires off. I tried both clock-wise and anti-clockwise, but couldn't even move any of the nuts. I wonder what I will do if I get stranded with flat tire.....

Am I doing something wrong here? Any suggestions?

 

you couldn't get the wheels off?
if it's been a long time since they were removed or they were over-tightened then they could be a bit of work but if you've got a long enough ratchet, they should come off.

 

nope...they get removed every year when I get the winter/summer tires changed...must have been over tightened.... i used the same ratchet that came with the car.

 

108 Ft-lb is the lug nut torque spec, which is pretty tight.

 

The problem could be that I don't have a long enough rachet....just the one that came with the car. I will give it one more try tonight and if it doesn't work, the dealer is going to make some money, I guess.....as I found out in this area, the dealers seem to be cheaper than the rest of the mechanics. :D

 

Just get an 18" or 24" breaker bar from Autozone or the like. It comes in handy for many such applications where you need extra torque. Or better, a good quality 1/2" torque wrench. Of course you'll also need the proper size socket for the lugs.
The tool cost will amortize over time and your DIY labor is free.

 

^+1.... I keep an 18" tire iron in my trunk for that very reason. That tiny little L shaped iron that comes with the car is useless for removing or tightening the nuts. 21mm should be the correct socket size

Check & clean off the threads after you get the nuts off... they could be corroded or dirty

 

went to autozone and bought the cross bar...I tested it right there and was able to loosen the nuts....rented the caliper kit as well..now i am all set to do my first brake job tomorrow.....

now about bedding....I don't think i can find any place where I can complete the whole routine without coming to a complete stop; especially the final cool down part.....does it matter if i have to come to a complete stop at several occasions as long as i try to keep the pads hot by few more braking?

Edit:
I changed the front pads yesterday and noticed a part that was sticking out on the driver's side. It looked like it should have been connected to another part in there, but it was not long enough to make the fit. The attached picture shows both parts. What do you guys this this part should be doing?

 

Those two parts you have boxed should be connected. It looks like your endlink fell apart, but I dont think that that can be fixed, you'll need to go buy a new one. If you have just one side of the car jacked up, they wont be able to meet up, you will need to jack up both sides... that might be why you cant get them to meet up

 

The danger of coming to a complete stop during bedding is that if you get the brakes properly heated during bedding and you stop right after you may weld an imprint of the pad onto the rotor when you stop, undoing everything you just did during bedding. Try to go at least 5 minutes after the bedding procedure before stopping, 10 is better. If you can find a place to safely bed them and then get on the interstate without stopping you can drive for 5 or 10 miles on the interstate to cool them down. If you can't do that maybe you drive around in circles for 5 minutes at 5 mph in the parking lot. Worst case scenario if you stop too soon is that you just do it over again. Don't sweat it.

On the broken part, yeah you sway bar endlink snapped off at the head and the whole link needs to be replaced.

 

Thanks for the info on bedding...I will try to find a parking lot big enough to do it properly...

As for the end link, do I need to buy only the portion that is disconnected? If so, it looks like I should be able to do it myself...of course, I'll jack both sides up while doing that....

Does this mean I should not try to speed around curves and turns before I replace this link?

 

The endlink is ~$30. You need to get both pieces out as it's supposed to be one piece. I would get some liquid wrench on them or WD40 now to help free up the nuts. It's a pain to get them out due to needing the 5mm hex to keep the bolt from spinning. Read up on the DIY for sway bar install to learn about removing the endlinks. It's not hard but you need both the hex head socket or equivalent and the right box end wrench to do it.

 

Thanks...I found the parts on finishlineperformance for 30 bucks....is my car safe to drive until the part comes in? I assume I have been driving with broken link for a while now :D

 

Yes it's safe to drive. It will be a bit off balance and have a tendancy to oversteer at the limit now instead of neutral or understeer though so definitely don't push it too hard until you get it fixed.

 

I wouldn't make that an "or", you need to get both. Never break a nut with a torque wrench, you'll throw off the calibration.

My manual says 65-85. I usually do 90-100.

You should have no problems removing anything that isn't seized with a 24" breaker bar.

 

I bought the cross bar thingy and it was enough to remove all lug nuts...I had to use 3/16 mm on the keyed nut and 7/8" on the rest....worked very easily on first try....had to use the 14 mm wrench for the bolts on the caliper.....took me 1.5 hours for the front axle and 1 hr for one of the rear wheels....still need to do one more rear wheel..........hopefully, next time will be much faster :D

 

Thank you for your critique.

Concur, never break an over-torqued nut with a torque wrench, but a quality 1/2" wrench will take care of most everything else. I have both but realize not everyone has the funds for for a full complement of tools.

There's a TSB that specifically cites 108 ft-lbs.