BRAKE DISC/BRAKE ROTORS

The disc brake or disk brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel while it is in motion. A brake disc (or rotor in U.S. English) is usually made of cast iron, but may in some cases be made of composites such as reinforced carbon-carbon or ceramic-matrix composites. This is connected to the wheel and/or the axle. To stop the wheel, friction material in the form of brake pads (mounted on a device called a brake caliper) is forced mechanically, hydraulically, pneumatically or electromagnetically against both sides of the disc. Friction causes the disc and attached wheel to slow or stop. Brakes convert motion to heat, and if the brakes get too hot, they become less effective, a phenomenon known as brake fade. http://en.wikipedia.org/

HOW TO REPLACE:

1 . Park your vehicle on a clean, level, hard surface.Set the emergency brake.

Chock the rear wheel opposite of the front wheel you are going to work on with the wheel wedge. For example, chock the passenger side rear wheel if you are working on the drivers side front wheel.

2. Open the hood and locate the brake system master cylinder. This is located on the drivers side of the engine compartment, up against the firewall. It is a clear plastic container with a plastic cap.

3. Remove the cap from the master cylinder. Loosen the lug nuts on the wheel you will be working on, but do not remove them.Jack up the side of the vehicle you will be working on, making sure that the tire is completely off the ground.

4.  Remove the lug nuts.Remove the tire and place it aside, along with the lug nuts. Remove the two brake caliper mounting bolts using the socket.

5. Remove the brake caliper from the rotor by sliding it up and off. Suspend the brake caliper from the inner wheel well using a coat hanger. This is to ensure that you do not put too much pressure on the brake hose attached to the caliper.

6. Remove the rotor from the wheel by pulling it straight towards you. If you encounter resistance, use a soft rubber mallet to bang on the rotor to loosen it. Clean the new rotor surface using a commercial rotor cleaning spray found at any auto supply store. New rotors are covered in protective grease which must be removed prior to installation.

7. Put the new rotor on the wheel. Slide the brake caliper back onto the brake rotor.

Resecure the brake caliper mounting bolts, using a torque wrench, torquing the bolts to your vehicle manufacturers recommended torque specs.

8. Put tire back on. Install lug nuts, hand tight. Lower vehicle. Remove jack.

Tighten lug nuts with a torque wrench to the vehicle manufacturer's recommended torque specs.

BRAKE PADS

may vary depending on the vehicle type

Brake pads are a component of disk brakes used in automotive and other applications. Brake pads are steel backing plates with friction material bound to the surface that faces the disk brake rotor.

Function
Brake pads convert the kinetic energy of the car to thermal energy by friction. Two brake pads are contained in the brake caliper with their friction surfaces facing the rotor.When the brakes are hydraulically applied, the caliper clamps or squeezes the two pads together into the spinning rotor to slow/stop the vehicle. When a brake pad is heated by contact with a rotor, it transfers small amounts of friction material to the disc, turning it dull gray. The brake pad and disc (both now with friction material), then "stick" to each other, providing the friction that stops the vehicle.
In disc brake applications, there are usually two brake pads per disc rotor, held in place and actuated by a caliper affixed to a wheel hub or suspension upright. Although almost all road-going vehicles have only two brake pads per caliper, racing calipers utilize up to six pads, with varying frictional properties in a staggered pattern for optimum performance. Depending on the properties of the material, disc wear rates may vary. The brake pads must usually be replaced regularly (depending on pad material), and most are equipped with a method of alerting the driver when this needs to take place. Some have a thin piece of soft metal that causes the brakes to squeal when the pads are too thin, while others have a soft metal tab embedded in the pad material that closes an electric circuit and lights a warning light when the brake pad gets thin. More expensive cars may use an electronic sensor. http://en.wikipedia.org

TOOLS:
torque wrench, ratchet, 10" socket extension, 12mm and 14mm sockets, 3" C-clamp, channel locks,

wire and high-temp lube.  A can of Brake Clean and a piece of emery cloth will come in handy if the brake parts are dirty.  The socket extension and 12mm socket are optional.


HOW TO REPLACE:

1. Prepare tools and pads.  We will need a torque wrench, ratchet, 10" socket extension, 12mm and 14mm sockets, 3" C-clamp, channel locks, wire and high-temp lube.  A can of Brake Clean and a piece of emery cloth will come in handy if the brake parts are dirty.  The socket extension and 12mm socket are optional.

2. Jack up the car and remove the front wheels.

3. (optional) Remove the two brake hose brackets, use the 10" extension and 12mm socket.  This step is optional because the caliper body can come off without stressing the brake hose.  It's probably a good idea to do this step your first few times through just to give the brake hose a little more freedom to move around.

4.   Remove the two caliper bolts, use the 14mm socket and torque wrench to break them free.  Finish removing them with your fingers or the ratchet.  Turning the steering wheel to the left/right will give you more room to work. 

5.  Remove the caliper body and support it with wire so it's not hanging from the brake hose.  Removing the caliper can be a little tricky and may require a little bit of force if it's really crusted on.  Watch the brake hose carefully to make sure you're not putting too much stress on it when wiggling the caliper body free.  If you grasp the lower portion of the body and pull up, it will pivot around the upper portion and the lower portion will break free, this will not stress the brake hose.  Finally, pull the upper body towards the front of the car to break it free.  Have the wire handy to support the caliper.  I run the wire through the upper caliper bolt hole and secure it to the upper control arm.  You can also temporarily place (hook) the caliper on the control arm if you forget where you put your wire <g>.

6.  Remove your old pads and shims.  Not all pads come with shims so don't be concerned if you don't have these.  The shims are supposed to reduce break squeal, they come new with OEM brakes.  Unless they're really crusted on, the pads should come out by hand, if not, use a large flat-blade screwdriver to gently pry them out.

 

7.  Remove the two caliper pins (above left), clean them off and grease them with high-temp grease, then reinstall.  The pins pull out of the rubber pin boots.  When reinstalling, make sure the two flat surfaces of the head are horizontal.  Clean the upper and lower pad retainers with brake cleaner and/or  your emery cloth.  Note: WD-40 and other similar lubricants/cleaners should be avoided when working with the brakes.

8.  Install your new pads.  Refer to the photo above step 6.  If your pads have a wear indicator, install it on the inside.  The OEM pad comes with three shims, install two on the inside and one on the outside.  The OEM pads also come with Molykote M77 in a tube, spread this on both sides of each shim.  

 9.  We'll assume your new pads are thicker than your old ones so you will need to retract the caliper pistons into the caliper body before installation.  Use the C-clamp to push in the lower piston, the upper piston will probably go out as the lower one goes in, this is normal.  Check your brake reservoir as you push in the upper piston with the channel locks.  If you reservoir has been filled since your last brake change, it may overflow as you push in the piston.  The excess fluid can be extracted with a turkey baster

10.  Remove the wire holding the caliper body and reinstall the caliper over the pads and onto the caliper bracket.  The flat sides of the caliper pins will have to seat perfectly into the caliper body.  

11.  Install the two caliper bolts and torque them to 36 lb-ft (14mm socket).  To avoid striping, these should be started by hand.  get them both hand tight before torquing them.  36 lb-ft doesn't seem like much so be careful no to over-torque.  If the caliper is not seated properly these are difficult to start.  If this is the case then recheck the position of the caliper on the caliper bracket and make sure the pins are seated correctly.

12.  Install the two brake hose bracket bolts 16 lb-ft (12mm), if applicable (see step 3).  



source: http://www.danoland.com

TAIL LIGHT- Repair

Night time vehicle conspicuity to the rear is provided by rear position lamps (also called taillamps or tail lamps, taillights or tail lights). These are required to produce only red light, and to be wired such that they are lit whenever the front position lamps are illuminated—including when the headlamps are on. Rear position lamps may be combined with the vehicle's stop lamps, or separate from them. In combined-function installations, the lamps produce brighter red light for the stop lamp function, and dimmer red light for the rear position lamp function. The tail and stop light functions may be produced separately and/or by a dual-intensity lamp.
Regulations worldwide stipulate minimum intensity ratios between the bright (stop) and dim (tail) modes, so that a vehicle displaying rear position lamps will not be mistakenly interpreted as showing stop lamps, and vice versa. http://en.wikipedia.org


PROCEDURE:

1. Evaluate how to access your blown bulb. A lens cover might need to be removed before you are able to make the change. It is also possible that the change needs to be done via the trunk. Inspect the light to find out which access point you will need to use. If there are no visible screws on the lens cover you will need to change the bulb through the trunk.

2. For an exterior change, unscrew the lens cover to expose the burnt out bulb. You now need to remove the bulb. Apply light pressure while turning simultaneously to extract the broken bulb. Be careful not to apply too much pressure so you don’t break the bulb and cut yourself. It may be quite difficult to remove if the glass is broken. For a trunk change remove the interior panel to make the change.

3. Once you have expose the bulb you need to determine what replacement you need. Take your used bulb to your local automotive supply store or locate the correct replacement online. Be sure to select the correct bulb for your vehicles particular make and model to ensure a fit.

4. Once you have obtained the correct replacement bulb you may now install it. First check to see if there is any corrosion in the socket. If so clean with a brush or wipe it clean. With the socket prepared simply screw the bulb back into its socket.

5. With the bulb in place, replace the lens cover if you did an exterior change. Test the bulbs to make sure you have installed them correctly. Step on the breaks and turn headlights on. Have someone confirm that all bulbs go on.

HEADLIGHT/HEADLAMP - REPAIR

A headlamp is a lamp, usually attached to the front of a vehicle such as a car, with the purpose of illuminating the road ahead during periods of low visibility, such as darkness or precipitation. Headlamp performance has steadily improved throughout the automobile age, spurred by the great disparity between daytime and nighttime traffic fatalities: the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that nearly half of all traffic-related fatalities occur in the dark, despite only 25% of traffic travelling during darkness.

While it is common for the term headlight to be used interchangeably in informal discussion, headlamp is the technically correct term for the device itself, while headlight properly refers to the beam of light produced and distributed by the device. http://en.wikipedia.org

TOOLS NEEDED:

• Clean rag or towel
• Bucket of soapy water
• Latex gloves--to protect those with sensitive skin
• tape--to mask headlight to prevent damage to surrounding paint job
• A plastic lens cleaner or soap and water
• A polish/compound--preferably plastic polish designed for plastic
• At least (4) grades of wet/dry finishing paper--600, 1200, 2000, & 2500 grit - this is dependent upon the severity of the oxidation (some lenses will only require 2500 or 2000 grit sandpaper - and make sure the sandpaper is marked for wet/dry use)
• Sanding block or soft hand pad--keeps sandpaper moist and is very flexible (suitable for today's headlight designs)
• High quality shop towels
• car wax or similar compound

You can buy all of this separately, or purchase a kit like the Lens Repair Kit from 3M that has everything included in it except for the common household drill, microfiber cloth and spray bottle with water.

REPAIR:

Foggy/Cloudy Headlights

1. Determine if the damage to the lens is on the outside or on the inside (if inside you will notice moisture and you may need to remove the lens and or drain it. If damage is on outside of the lens first try cleaning it off with a cleaning solution like Windex. You can also use a watered down degreaser to clean off the headlight lenses. Follow this with a car polish or plastic polish available anywhere.

Follow directions on bottle and do not apply in sunlight and be sure not to get it on black, ruberized plastic parts as it will make a white film that is very hard to get off.
You can use a rotary buffer to make this process faster and obtain better results. To make this repair last longer seal with car wax or silicone sealer

2. There are easy kits like the lens repair kit from 3M that are available at local automotive retailers that make this project really simple. All of the tape, sand paper, lens polish and directions are included, and there's an online video that shows you how to do it.
Mask around the headlight. Protect your car's finish with masking or painting tape. Don't use duct tape as it can ruin or lift the paint on your car

• Mask around the headlight. Protect your car's finish with masking or painting tape. Don't use duct tape as it can ruin or lift the paint on your car.
Clean.
• You can use sandpaper, but remember the sandpaper will leave scratches thus requiring more steps to remove these scratches. First wet the sandpaper in a bucket or cup of soapy water.
• Spray the headlight with a commercial plastic lens cleaner or just soap and water (degreaser also works fine). Wash the lens with a clean rag or a shop towel.
• Remove oxidation.
• Dip one finger into a plastic polish or a compound designed for plastic. With the lens still wet, apply the polish evenly over the entire headlight.
• Grab a sanding sponge or a soft hand pad and take out the starting sandpaper which you decided earlier, in most cases, the 600-grit sandpaper.
• Fold the sandpaper in three around the Soft Hand Pad Or Sanding Sponge.
• Dip the sponge and the sandpaper into the soapy water.
• Sand, using a side to side motion, applying even pressure, periodically wetting the sponge and the sandpaper in the soapy water. (Avoid contacting paint and other surrounding surfaces.)
• Sand while keeping the surface wet.
• Continue the sanding process with the finer 1200 grit, then even finer 2000 grit and finally 2500 grit sandpapers to remove scratches left by the previous grit.
• Apply the plastic polish/ compound after sanding with the 2500-grit sandpaper. This time, let it haze, then buff/wipe off with a shop towel.
• Clean the lens with a plastic lens cleaner or soap and water. This is to remove any polish residue
• Apply wax (protectant) to the headlight lens.
  • Note, this is a preview of the finished lens, if you are not satisfied up to this point you must repeat Steps 1-5 until the lens is clear.
  • Seal the lens with wax or silicone sealer.
  • Fold a shop towel into four and squeeze a quarter-sized amount of wax or polish onto it and let it soak in for a few seconds.
  • Apply to the lens using a single stroke going from left to right gradually working your way down the entire lens.
the headlight lens

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

• If the headlight lens has light discoloration with no apparent scratches you can try a solvent like napthalene which works quite well on headlights, start with the 2500-grit sandpaper. If the contamination is pretty severe, start with a rougher grit like 400. In most cases you will have heavy/severe discoloration with apparent scratches/imperfections requiring a (rougher) grit sandpaper like the 600-grit. The higher the number, the finer the grit: 600 Roughest=>1200=>2000=>2500 Finest
• The first sanding step is where you will actually remove the "bad layer" of plastic. The other grades of sandpaper are to remove the scratches left from the previous grit so your sanding time decreases as you work your way up in grit. (Remember 600=>1200=>2000=>2500)
• Once sanding has begun you will soon see milky drippings as you sand---this is the goo you want to remove. Keep sanding until the surface feels really smooth & the drippings become more clear.
• Grab the next grit sandpaper, in this example it would be the 1200-grit then repeat the same process and again for the 2000 and finally the 2500-grit sandpaper.
• It's best to do headlight restoration in the shade, not in direct sunlight.
• Lift the hood of the car so you can have full access to the top of the headlight lens for cleaning / restoring.
• Always evaluate headlight lens for any moisture or cracked parts. If there's any moisture trapped inside the lens, this means there is a leak somewhere in the headlight assembly and cleaning the outside of the lens will only minimally improve the appearance and light output. The inside of the headlight lens needs to be cleaned, dried and then sealed to prevent further moisture from entering. You can also remove excess moisture by drilling a hole in the lens to let the moisture out and then reseal with a rubber plug or silicone sealer.
• Wear protective gear: gloves, goggles, old clothes, etc.
• Soak Wet/dry finishing papers for about 5 minutes in soapy water.
• Make sure to clean the headlights well - remove any bugs, tar, contaminants etc. before proceeding with wet sanding.
• During wet sanding, always keep the pad and sandpaper wet. Water is the key to "wet" sanding.
• All commercially purchased solutions or homemade ones should be paint safe, but should be rinsed/wiped off rather than being allowed to dry on the vehicle's paint - nothing does the paintwork of a car any good if it's dried on!

FENDER - Repair

Fender is the US English term for the part of an automobile, motorcycle or other vehicle body that frames a wheel well (the fender underside). Its primary purpose is to prevent sand, mud, rocks, liquids, and other road spray from being thrown into the air by the rotating tire. Fenders are typically rigid and can be damaged by contact with the road surface. Instead flexible mud flaps are used close to the ground where contact may be possible.
Sticky materials such as mud may adhere to the smooth outer tire surface, while smooth loose objects such as stones can become temporarily embedded in the tread grooves as the tire rolls over the ground. These materials can be ejected from the surface of the tire at high velocity as the tire imparts kinetic energy to the attached objects. For a vehicle moving forward, the top of the tire is rotating upward and forward, and can throw objects into the air at other vehicles or pedestrians in front of the vehicle. http://en.wikipedia.org

REPAIR:

Fender bumping and repairing is not as difficult a job as the damaged metal might indicate. A good job is largely a matter of studying the bump or jam and selecting the proper tools to work the bump out.


1. Clean the fender thoroughly with an oil-soaked rag. The purpose of the oil is twofold: first, to reflect the light onto the damaged section, so that every bump and indentation may be readily seen; second, the oil creates a cushion under the hammer and keeps the paint from being picked up by the hammer.

2. Clean the underside of the fender of all grit, tar, and clinging dirt particles. If this is not done, these particles will be beaten into the metal when the hammer and dolly block are used.

3. Rough out the jam, using the proper dolly block. Follow the crown of the fender when roughing out this jam. Never use a ball peen hammer to rough out a jammed fender or the metal will be full of small "bubbles" and a smooth job will be an impossibility. Selection of the proper dolly block will greatly simplify this operation, because the right block has the same contour as the fender had before it was jammed.

The jam at the rear of the fender shows that the rear skirt has been pulled out and also that the rear corner section is pulled out, making a series of short tight jams. The best method of roughing out short, tight jams is to use two dolly blocks, one held on the bead of the fender to relieve vibrations and the other to rough out the bump.

4. After roughing out these tight jams, bring the skirt back into alignment by holding a dolly block behind the low spot and the skirt and hammering the skirt back.Hot metal shrinkage will draw the skirt of the fender in and make it rigid. Then, in the centre of the stretched part of the crown, at the highest point of the bulge and about 2 inches up from the bead apply hot shrinkage.

Caution: The pressure must be applied to the rear of the fender throughout the entire hot shrinkage process.
If there are any breaks or cracks in the fender they must be welded before the hot shrinkage operation.

5. Bump out the shrunk section, using a dolly block and a bumping hammer or mallet. Hold the dolly block loosely on the low spots underneath the fender and strike the high spots on the outside with the hammer or mallet. This method causes the dolly to spring back against the low spots and readily smooth them out.
If the fender does not set square or is not shrunk enough, apply more pressure and repeat the process. Always heat on the highest part of the bulge.

6. To bring the bead into perfect alignment, hold a dolly block behind the low spots and strike the high spots on the bead with a mallet or bumping hammer.
To show up the high and low spots on the rough bumped sections, use a long piece of chalk and holding it flat on the metal, rub the chalk on these sections. The high spots will show up as being white with chalk while the low spots will be dark or unchalked. Do not file yet.

The metal may now be finished and prepared for painting with a file and disk sander. At the time the file is being used, any small indentations will show up and may be easily tapped out.

BUMPER-Repair

front bumper

An automobile's bumper is the front-most or rear-most part, ostensibly designed to allow the car to sustain an impact without damage to the vehicle's safety systems. They are not capable of reducing injury to vehicle occupants in high-speed impacts, but are increasingly being designed to mitigate injury to pedestrians struck by cars. http://en.wikipedia.org






Now, this one is interesting, this is one way to repair a dented bumper. This will only work on the new vinyl type rubber bumpers that are on many new model automobiles. It can save you hundreds of dollars in auto body repair.

 





 Tools Needed: 1. Car scissor-type jack.(see photo below)
2. small piece of wood approx. 2"x3"x1" thick.
3. A monkey wrench.

Procedure1. Crawl under the rear bumper and insert  the scissor jack behind the damaged section.
2. Slowly crank the jack so that the flat base section of the jack is pushing against the internal damaged
section of the bumper.
3. When the jack is wedged inside loosely, insert the piece of wood and position it at the location of the kink, and flushed against the base of the jack.
4. Slowly crank the jack so that the wood is pushing against the inside of the bumper and expanding it outward.
5. Don't over do it but slowly increase the jack so that the kink is freed and the bumper is restored to the
original shape.
6. Don't worry that the shape is not perfect. Let the car sit out in the hot sun for a few hours and the vinyl rubber will slowly return to it's natual original shape.

Here is the picture of the scissor jack.(found in most car's trunk or borrow one from a friend

HOOD REPAIR

The hood (US) or bonnet (UK) is the hinged cover over the engine of motor vehicles that allows access to the engine compartment for maintenance and repair. On passenger cars, a hood may be held down by a concealed latch. On race cars or cars with aftermarket hoods (that do not use the factory latch system) the hood may be held down by hood pins. A hood may sometimes contain a hood ornament, hood scoop, power bulge, and/or wiper jets. Hoods are typically made out of steel, but aluminium is rapidly gaining popularity with auto companies. Aftermarket manufacturers may construct hoods out of fiberglass, carbon fiber, or dry carbon. source: http://en.wikipedia.org/

HOW TO REPLACE:

Parts and Tools Required:
Emblem, Sealant, Polisher, Clip Remover, File Set, Scraper, Spray Bottle, Spray Gun, Standard Hammer,

Trim Panel Removal Tool Set, Basecoat, Masking Paper, Paint Suite, Primer, Soapy Water

photo may not be the same for your vehicle

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Open hood.Remove the hood insulator by pulling all the clips holding it in place.Remove any moldings or emblems on the hood.

Remove the washer nozzles.Remove any seals that would be in the way of paint or repair.

2. Clean the entire cover to remove any contaminates such as dirt, grease or dust.

3. Use a body hammer and dolly to work the metal back to the original position.If there is limited or no access you can use a stud gun and nails to move the metal back into the original position.

Once the dent is gone, you will need to sand the area that is damaged. Start with a heavier grit sand paper working up to a lighter grit paper until the surface is smooth. Then apply body filler to the area in order to make the damaged area smooth. You will need to sand after the filler has dried.

4. You will need to prep the entire bumper for paint. Do this by cleaning the entire cover with a solvent wash. Then do an initial wet sand and scuff of the paint with a Scott's bright pad and clean the entire cover again.

Apply primer to the repaired area. You may also have to prime and paint the underside of the hood depending on how the repair was completed. Mix and apply the basecoat paint onto the damaged area. Use a blending technique to blend the paint into the rest of the hood. This will allow a smooth transition of the new color into the old color. If the damage is close to the fender you may need to blend the paint into the adjacent panel.

5. Allow the paint to dry before a clear coat is applied. The best technique is to bake the paint in a booth to help speed up and cure the paint for reapplication.Apply the clear coat application across the entire hood panel.

Check for nibs in paint (nibs are trash that has become stuck in the clear coat during application.

Remove any large nibs with a sharp razor blade or nib file.

6. Soak some 1500 grit sand paper in soapy water. Add some soapy water to a spray bottle and spray on painted surface.Use a block with the sandpaper to help apply even pressure when sanding.

Sand the area in a circular motion until all the trash is removed.

7. Repeat the process with 2000 grit sandpaper that has been soaked in soapy water.Wipe the part down with an alcohol water mixture and re-inspect for trash.Use a three stage compound polish to remove any swirl marks left from the sanding.

8. Carefully close the hood to make sure the latch lines and the gaps are equal on each side.

Reinstall the insulator, you may need to use clips and Install new embleed if needed.