C5 MK2 54 reg rear brake pad removal

[marco f1]

hi all
can you tell me if you can remove the rear brake pads with out removing the caliper on a C5 ? or do you have to remove the whole lot and is it a pain in the backside like i have been told.. and also do these calipers split in two if removed.. if any one has got any pics or diagrams thay would be a great help.. this is the first citroen i have owned and repairs seem to be a not as easy as my bmw or my mondeo but hey what a great tow car


regards

marco f1

[myglaren]

Yes, there is no need to remove the caliper.
remove the bolt at the top that retains the cover - usually drops to bits
carefully force the pads away from the disc enough to lift them out.*
Force the piston back into the bore and the slider to it's end. clean them and put a slight smear of brake grease/Coppaslip/Molyslip on the parts the rub together.
Bung the new pads in and replace the bolt and cover, or renew them if necessary.
It is rumoured that Halfords have them for less than the main dealer but they weren't listed when I went for some.

*It is advised that before pushing the pistons back into their bores that you crack the bleed nipple and allow excess brake fluid to exit that way rather than be forced back through the ABS system, where it is said to make life very unpleasant.


Click thumbnails for larger image.

Note that the C5 rear calipers suffer from corrosion between the rear surface and the mounting point on the trailing arm.
This causes the caliper to be forced outwards at the outer edge and wears the pads in a wedge-shape. If really bad they can contact the wheel.
Mine were like this and would not allow the spare wheel to be fitted.

They can be (usually!) very difficult to remove. When they are pushed out of line they stress the retaining bolts, which at the best of times are very tight, made even worse by being Locktighted all the way through.

The trick is to have a longish breaker bar and apply just enough force to move the bolt slightly, then reverse the direction (tighten) slightly.
Alternate the force until it frees, the bolts will snap and be a complete nightmare to remove afterwards.
Always best to have a set of replacement bolts available (£16).

The guy that did mine first time also always has a pair of calipers on hand as the calipers can break - the second time, last year, one of the calipers did disintegrate.

When refitting, clean the bolts of Locktite except the ends of the threads. Grease them where they protrude at the rear, also grease the rear of the caliper and the mating surface of the suspension arm, or fabricate a thin gasket, greased paper or polythene, to separate the alloy and steel surfaces.

Service exchange calipers can be had for around £80-90.

[addo]

Which, incidentally, is pretty much what exchange RR calipers cost! I'm not sure whether Rolls/Bentley stuff is cheaper than we imagine, or if we are getting punch-drunk with PSA pricing...

[marco f1]

many thanks for all the info and pics it has been a good help..

thank you

marco f1

[Citroenmad]

Yes, they are really very simple and remove in minutes. Pretty much the exact same design as the Xantia.

As Steve says, if the old pads are worn wedge shaped then the calipers have corrosion between it and the arm. I have found that pads wear down fast if they are wearing wedge shaped. Its best to get the calipers off and sort this problem as it will only get worse. Depending on which stlye of alloy wheel the car has the caliper can contact the insider of the wheel, especially with the basic LX wheels.

The caliper is held together with the caliper bolts, so wont come apart unless you remove it. However if you do remove it put in the pad bolt to keep it together.

[myglaren]

Missed this one
Which shows the padbolt partly removed - it also shows that it was in the wrong way round and can't be removed other than by cutting it or removing the caliper.



Needs full image size and ideally lightening in the dark area.