Date:         Thu, 18 Mar 1999 19:54:21 EST
Reply-To:     KENWILFY@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         KENWILFY@AOL.COM
Subject:      How-To change Front Brake Pads ('86-91 Vanagon)
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

As spring arrives a young man's fancy turns to Vanagon Maintenance.  :)
Just changed the front brakes on my '91 Carat today so I thought I would write
it up.

A quick how-to on changing brake pads on Vanagons with Girling Calipers
('86-91 including Syncro).
1. Place van on level, hard surface
2. Chock the rear wheels or put on the emergency brake or put it in park.
3. Jack up van (I used the jack that came with the van)
4. Remove the wheel.
5. Remove upper Caliper bolt that is on the backside of the caliper (hold
guide pin with 17mm wrench and remove bolt with 13mm wrench).
6. Loosen lower caliper bolt
7. Swing caliper down out of the way.
8. Remove old brake pads.
9. Crack caliper bleeder screw. (7mm wrench)
10.  Use a clamp to compress caliper piston (a 6" wood clamp will work by
placing the body of the clamp against the back of the caliper and the screw
side against the rim of the caliper piston.  Now tighten the clamp until the
piston is almost completely compressed- brake fluid will squirt out so have
something to collect it with).
11. Before removing the clamp, close the bleeder screw (this minimizes the
amount of air that gets into the system).
12. Place new pads in place of old ones.
13. Swing the caliper back over and align with guide pin.
14.  Reinstall guide pin bolt and tighten (see Bentley for Torque Values)
15.  Replace wheel
16   Lower van
17.  Do brakes on the other side in the same manner
18.  Lower the van
19.  Fill the brake reservoir to Max.(You will find the reservoir under your
instrument cluster cover.)
20.  Bleed the brakes (have someone pump up the brakes and hold the pedal
down.  Crack the brake bleed screw on the caliper and you will hear the air
and brake fluid squirting out.  Have something to catch it in or you will have
a mess on your hands.  Now with your friend still holding the pedal down close
the bleed screw.  Repeat this process as many times as is needed to remove all
air from the system.  Repeat on the opposite side caliper.)
21.  Fill the brake reservoir to Max.
Do this at your own risk, disclaimer, legal blah, blah, blah.

I crack the brake bleeds and compress the caliper rather than just compressing
the caliper piston in order to prevent crap from being forced back up into the
brake master cylinder.  If you don't do it this way you could be doing your
master cylinder in.
I sell new VW Dealer Overstock brake pads for '86-91 Vanagons for $20 a set.
Also new VW Dealer Overstock Girling Calipers (86-91 Vanagon and syncro) for
$65 each.
Hope this helps some folks.
Ken Wilford
Van-Again
John 3:16