Can someone give me the A-Z on doing a brake job on a 1991 240? I have been putting it off for a while because I do not have a clue on going about this. How do I know if the rotors also need replacing? Tonight while driving home, the subtle woooooing sound turned into more of a grinding, scraping sound. I hope that I have not totally messed up by waiting too long. It seems to be both front and rear. I am trying to do this myself and avoid going to a mechanic. Thanks everyone.

Unless Volvo change the brakes on the later 240's, there is considerable difference between the 240 and 700- 900 series. The 245 I had did not have sliding calipers. Pistons on both sides of the rotor, front and back.

Check out the rotors before you start, if badly grooved then get replacements before you start, Pads are much easier to come by at a local AP store then rotors, at least in my area.

Before you start any work make sure the level of brake fluid is low in the reservoir, otherwise you will have brake fluid all over the place when the pads are pushed back.

If the pads are completly gone then the rotors may have to be replaced. IMO if there is just a small amount of grooving on the rotors you might not have to change them.

The first thing is to drive out the pins holding spring that keep the pads in place. A small drift will work nicely. I never had any problems tapping out the pins, in the twenty years I had my 245.

The pistons have to be pushed back, and a large screwdriver will work for this. Carefuly work the screwdriver between the pad and rotor and gently push the pad back. Continue until the piston is recessed completely into the caliper. Do each side the same way. You might have to put a small block of wood between the rotor and the piston in order to get the piston recessed all the way back into the caliper.

The back pads are done the same way.

With the pistons recess completely the pads are easily removed and the new ones should drop into place. If the pistons aren't recessed enough the pads won't go fit.

If the rotors are badly grooved then they wiil have to be replaced. In order to replace the rotors the calipers have to taken off. Two bolts hold these in place. They may be difficult to break loose. Spray the bolts as well as the rotor at the hub with something to loosen any rust that probably has acculmulated.

With the bolts removed make sure the caliper is fastened by something else other than the brake hose. If I remember correctly there is a screw that holds the rotor on to the hub. make sure the screw is remove before trying to remove the rotor. If you extremely lucky the rotors will easily come off with a light tap at the rim of the rotor. Otherwise and most likely, a hammer wil have to be used and tap on the rim of the rotor will turning to break loose the accumulated rust. I warpped the rotors on my 960 when I changed them out because of the rust. My 940 was much easlier as the rotors came off easy.

Once you have remove the rotor, clean the area when the rotor will seat and get any rust off as this will make the rotor seat properly.

Make sure the rotors are clean when installed.

Reverse the procedures.

Always make sure that once new pads are installed to slowly push the brake pedal down and set the pads in place before driving the car.

If you have other questions let me know.

91 940SE sedan and wagon

YOu really ought to invest in a manual - the Bentley is best. But brakes are not a real challenge for a newbie. With luck, your '91 has ABS, so there will be only one bleeder nipple if you have to get involved with bleeding.

Please do as the others recommend and visit Erling's illustrated post. But let me add a few thoughts of my own:
- sounds like you'll need to at least have the rotors turned, if not replaced, because the scraping sound you heard was metal-to-metal contact between the brake pad and the rotor.
- to pull the rotor, you need to remove the caliper. Two sizeable bolts (17mm hex, I think) on the engine side of the caliper.
- before you pull the caliper, use a screwdiver or similar tool to push the pistons back. Put the tool between the rotor and the pad; don't nick the little rubber seals around the pistons.
- when you push the pistons back, do it slowly. The fluid level in the master cyclinder will rise as you do this, so make sure it doesn't overflow. Use a dedicated kitchen baster to remove fluid if you have to. Don't get brake fluid on any car surface you like... it stains and removes paint. Never re-use brake fluid!
- one school of thought says if you have ABS, open the bleed nipple on the caliper when you push the pistons back, so that you're not pushing the old (possibly contaminated) brake fluid into the ABS servo, which may harm it. The servo is a pricey beast, so I ascribe to this school of thought.
- that means you need the right size wrench for the bleeder screw. Go to Sears and get the correct type of wrench for hydraulic fittings. Squirt some P'Blaster around the bleed nipples before you start to open them. They have a tendency to rust... I would guess that 50% of calipers are replaced because the bleed nipple broke off during servicing.
- (sorry this is out of order... stream of consciousness writing) Stuff to have on hand before you get started is metric tools (just for the caliper and bleed nipples), new brake pads, new teflons shims, new brake hardware is good to have (new pins, anti-rattle springs, and hairpins), a tube of Syl-Glide, 2 cans of DOT 4 brake fluid, P'Blaster, wheel bearing grease, a can of spray brake cleaner, and new grease seals.
- if your rotors are badly scored, just get new ones. If you have time, fcpgroton has excellent prices on name-brand rotors, none of which come from China (Chinese cast iron has highly variable quality). I'm personally fond of ATE and Brembo rotors, and PBR Deluxe pads. If you don't have time, go to a local parts house and get Raybestos or Bendix rotors. Pricey, but the no-name rotors for $25 are not worth betting your life on, IMHO.
- when you remove the caliper, use a bent wire coat hanger or string to tie it up so you don't strain the brake line.
- to pull the rotor, remove the cotter pin (save it so you know what size to get to replace it) and spin off the castellated nut. There is a 10mm hex nut or a wheel-locating pin (also 10 mm hex) on the "hat" of the rotor that has to come off as well. Have a clean cardboard sheet or newspaper ready to put the rotor on. If you're lucky, the rotor will just pull right off. If not, tap the "hat" with a heavy hammer, avoiding the wheel studs and the machined rotor surfaces. In my experience, the rears have been a lot "stickier" than the fronts. When the rotor comes off, the outer wheel bearing comes off. Set it aside. With the rotor off the spindle, the inner grease seal may stay with the rotor or it may stay on the spindle. Either way, remove it and then pull out the inner wheel bearing.
- once the rotor is off, on ABS cars note that on the car, mounted to the front stut there is a small (1/8" square) ABS sensor which will be loaded up with dust and iron filings. Spray it clean with your brake cleaner, and be aware that this is an expensive little bugger, so don't break it by being clumsy with your tools or while handling the rotors.
- at the least you will need to have your rotors turned, if not replaced. Local parts houses do this for $10 or so.
- clean the wheel bearings in solvent (paint thinner works well and it's not as stinky as Diesel fuel or kerosene). Inspect them for pitting, galling and overheating. If OK, repack 'em well with wheel bearing grease. If the bearings are distressed, replace 'em (but I won't go into that here)
- if you get new rotors, the will likely have an anti-corrosion coating that needs to be removed. Paint thinner works best as it leaves no oily residue. The swept surface of the rotor should be kept "surgically clean" - you want absolutely no oil, grease, or brake fluid on it.
- reinstall the rotors with fresh grease in the cavity and a new grease seal. Put the wheel bearing nut back on, but not the cotter pin for now.
-reinstall the caliper
-with the caliper in place, use a popsicle stick or similar tool that won't hurt the piston dust boots and scrape the dust and accumulated crud out of the corners of the caliper. Make sure the pistons are fully pushed back.
- take one new brake pad and slide it into the caliper... it should be a close fit but should slide easily. If it sticks or binds, there's either too much crud still in the caliper or there's a glob of paint on the backing plate of the pad. If the latter, scrape or file it off. The goal is to have a pad slide easily into the caliper.
- once the pads are a good fit, coat the back side of the pad with Syl-Glide and lay the new teflon shim on it. Smear some Syl-Glide on the back of the shim as well, where it will contact the pistons. Keep the grease off the friction surface of the pad!!!
- the rest of the job is straightforward. Make sure you don't have any parts left over!
Don't forget to:
- adjust the wheel bearings
- pump the brakes several times to re-seat the pistons and pads
- check the master cylinder for fluid level
- road-test carefully
- avoid harsh braking for at least 50 miles or so.

This is by no means comprehensive, but the manuals leave a few details out. I only got into this because I had the time and I sensed you're new to this operation. Just work slowly and deliberately. The first time I did the front brakes on a 240, including replacing the bearings I think it took me 4-6 hours... with new parts lined up, I think I could do it now in about 2. YMMV.
--
Thank goodness we don't get all the government we pay for. -- Wiley Post

If you want to start taking care of your own mechanics (highly advisable to keep your cost of ownership down), invest in a manual for your car. Bently is best, usually available on Amazon. Alternately, the manuals they sell at the local auto parts store are very helpful.

The grinding noise probably sounds worse than it is. The pads to not cover the outer edge of the rotors, so they wear a groove in the rotor but leave a narrow lip at the outer edge. When the pad gets a bit thin, the metal backing of the pad touches that narrow lip at the rotor outer edge. It is a good warning, but does not cause any damage.

Volvo specs leave VERY little tolerance for wear on rotor thickness. I don't have the exact dimensions, but as I recall, if the lip at the outer edge of the rotor is more than about 1/16" deep, a shop will refuse to replace the pads unless you let them replace the rotors, because they will be below spec.

I run my Volvo and BMW rotors WAY past spec before I replace them. It is a lot easier and cheaper to just drop in new pads and drive than to replace the rotors. I am not saying that you should do this, or that it is prudent, I am just saying that I do it. Replacing pads is quick and easy and takes minimal tools. Replacing rotors is a lot more work. Rear rotors in particular are tough because they are rusted on.

If you don't replace the rotors, be careful that your new pads are not wider than the old pads or they won't seat in the groove worn in your rotor. I had to grind down the edges of some pads once in order to use them.

Whether or not you elect to replace the rotors, replace your brake fluid. A pressure bleeder is a good investment. If you don't use a pressure bleeder, get a helper so you do not let the brake fluid reservior run dry. There are a couple of places in this brake system where you REALLY don't want to get air caught, so don't let that reservoir run dry.

If you buy a pressure bleeder, and it comes with two round gaskets for the reservoir cap, use BOTH gaskets. The threaded neck on the Volvo reservoir is rather short, so you need both gaskets to get the bleeder cap to seat. Don't ask how I know this.

Hello and Good Morning Sherman,

Besides the info in the FAQs, check out Erlings site and in particular his tutorial on front brakes. It's top shelf!

http://home.no.net/ebrox/

Good luck,

Marty Wolfson
--
93 244 - 135K, 93 244 - 211K, 93 245 - 128K (In Ca now) 99 V-70 - 100K

You should be able to find the answers to all your questions in the FAQ700/900 section. This is located in the upper Rt. in the select link box of the home page of this forum. Lots of info!!