Questions on Replacing Rear Brake Pads on 2015 F3-S?

[Outporter]

Hi: As there are no dealers open near me I need to replace the Rear pads on my 2015 F3 S myself and have a couple of Questions; Is it recommended to disconnect the Park Brake cable and if so what is the easy way to do it? 2) If not, should the Park Brake be engaged or disengaged during the pad replacement process?
Thanks in advance for your help.
John

 

[Peter Aawen]

As far as I can recall, you don't NEED to disconnect the Park Brake Cable, altho you will probably need to re-adjust it afterwards; but you MUST have the Park Brake OFF in order to 1). Release the pads from the disc so you can get the caliper to slide off the disc before you can even start to get at doing the pads; & 2). Actually remove the pads - doing that is only possible and a whole lot easier once the pads aren't clamped tightly onto the disc, then once the disc is out of the way & there's a little space between the pads, you'll have some room to work in.... :thumbup:

BTW, when you shut the engine down without the Park Brake engaged, you will get an alarm - just ignore it, it'll go away in 20-30 secs or so. And once you've started the remove/replace pads process, leave the Ignition OFF for the duration - only turn it back on once everything is all buttoned up again and you're ready for a test ride. If you do happen to have the ign on & you depress the brake pedal before everything is seated & sorted again, you'll likely get a Brake Low Pressure Warning; and if you happen to run the motor with only the rear tire turning (with or without brakes) you'll likely get a VSS warning &/or drop the Spyder into a Limp Home condition. Neither will (usually) be too difficult to fix, but if you simply shut it down with the park brake off, ignore the alarm, and then leave the Ign OFF until it's all over & you're ready to do that test ride, you can avoid the potential trauma from the outset! hyea:

Oh, and when you remove the caliper &/or the speed sensor, take careful note to see if there are any 'washer-like shims' & exactly where they may be, so that you can put each/any of them back exactly where they came from!! There may not be any at all, but if there are, they'll be pretty important for keeping things aligned properly and at the right distance from wherever - getting them in the wrong place or forgetting to put them back at all can make things not work & extremely difficult to sort if you don't know where the shims were, and I strongly recommend you try to avoid doing that to yourself!! :banghead:

Good Luck! :cheers:

 

[2dogs]

One other thing. You may want to keep an eye on your brake fluid reservoir and not allow it to overflow when you install your new pads, particularly if you've ever added any fluid since you've owned the spyder. If it over flows it can get very messy and lacquer thinner is the substance that will cut brake fluid. Lacquer thinner is a good substance to have around anytime you are working on brakes. Sucking out a little fluid from the reservoir first will help prevent overflow, but don't suck it all out. Check with some one else but i think it's Dot 3 we use and not Dot 4.

 

[Outporter]

Thanks for all the information, also found a video, have the pads and ready to go. Again, thanks for all the help, really appreciated.

 

[RICZ]

IMPORTANT!!
To move the piston on the rear brake in, you TURN it clockwise. If you lack the proper tool, long nose pliers will suffice. NEVER turn the piston counter clockwise.
Use the brake fluid that is specified and that is DOT4.
The parking brake cable is adjusted correctly when the brake is off and you can JUST move the loop that connects to the arm from side to side. It should scrape the arm lightly.
There are YouTube videos on this, I recommend viewing them prior to starting the job.

 

[BajaRon]

All great information! I would add just one more tip. When you are all topped off, adjusted, everything hooked up and ready to go. With the ignition OFF! Depress the brake pedal all the way down a few times. This will remove any space between the pads and rotors, preventing a 'Low Pedal' error message. And, if you skip this step, you may find the brake pedal goes down much further than normal before the brakes engage on the first few application. If this happens, you may travel further than intended before coming to a stop. In a confined space like a garage or parking lot, this can be a very unwelcomed surprise.

The Spyders/Rykers take DOT-4 Brake Fluid, as already mentioned. DOT-3 and DOT-4 are comparable, insomuch as they will not create any chemical or corrosive action, so that it is OK to mix them. The difference is that DOT-4 boils at a higher temperature than DOT-3 (A good thing). This also means that though both are Hygroscopic (don't you just love these big words!) which simply means they both attract and absorb water (which is a bad thing). DOT-4 will attract and absorb less water than DOT-3.

If you want to skip all the technical stuff. Just always use DOT-4 brake fluid. It is definitely recommended for a reason.

And NEVER use DOT-5 brake fluid in any system that is not specifically designed for it. It will not mix with any other brake fluid, and you will create a big headache for yourself, if not a dangerous situation.

 

[RICZ]

Thanks Ron - information all should heed. I know someone who switched their motorcycle over to DOT5 and paid a high price. Since DOT5 is not hygroscopic, the moisture the brake system absorbed went down to the calipers and corroded them during winter hibernation.

 

[Outporter]

Thanks all for your assistance! Everything is back together and tested fine. I did however run into one problem, not sure if anyone experienced it before; when I removed the original pads I noticed that the inside pad was pretty much down to the metal and the outer pad was barley worn. Also, the individual pads were worn unevenly (worn more at the bottom than top and more at the front than back). On closer inspection I discovered that the caliper assembly was not lining up with the disc and was separating at the bottom pulling the whole assembly to the outside. The sleeve/pin at the bottom had back out (or was never fully installed) about 1/8" not allowing the caliper assembly to completely close. I Inserted the sleeve/guide pin fully, put it back together and did a little ride, everything good to go.
Again thank you for you help.

 

[Rattlebars]

Just completing the thread... if you have a F3T or F3 Limited or have bags installed, a 5/8" ratchet wrench is useful for the bolts. One other hint... if you have waited too long to install new pads and your piston has extended beyond the threads and turning does nothing, you may need to compress the piston manually until the threads engage. I used a block of wood and a hammer to do this. A brake tool c-clamp might work too (didn't on mine). Don't wait to do your brakes!