Volvo XC90 Front Brake Job

Post by **stone36** » 27 Apr 2010, 10:38

Not sure about the coating (though FCP has a poster on this site and they may respond). As far as quality, ???, they looked almost identical to stock which is very basic. I wanted to stay stock for 2 reasons, one, the first set lasted 55K, second was noise. I figured pads had more to do with squeal than rotors so I went OEM pads. I have only put about 500 miles on them so far so it is hard to rate quality and longevity, but I am happy so far and NO NOISE to speak of.

MixEngineer · Post by **MixEngineer** » 30 Nov 2010, 15:31

So, I'm getting ready to do my first rotor/pad replacement on the front end of my 04 xc90 2.5T AWD. Other than checking whether I have the 316mm or the 336mm rotors, properly torquing all bolts, etc., is there anything I need to be aware of? Let's see, I'll have a floor jack, jack stands, torque wrench, brake grease (for back of pads), brake cleaner, plastic ties to keep the pressure off the brake line, c-clamps to depress the pistons....

This leads me to a couple questions:
1. Do I need the fancy european wrench bit to depress the pistons or can I just use the old pads and a c-clamp?
2. What are the torquing specs for the bolts that:
a) hold the wheels on?
b) caliper bolts (are those torx bolts I'm seeing in the caliper?)?

Thanks for the help!

Post by **songzunhuang** » 26 Mar 2011, 15:00

OK fellow Volvo people, I change brake pads and rotors all the time on my cars it seems, and I think I have found a much easier way. Perhaps the way I am doing it overlooks something? I'd be interested in what you think. Here's what I do.

After removing the tire, I take off the ENTIRE brake caliper assembly. It's only 2 - 18mm bolts. Before you can do this, you have to loosen the brake fluid cap so that the fluid can be pushed into the line.I sometimes have to use a screwdriver to force the pad back so that I can slip it past the ridge that invariably forms along the edge of the rotor. This can damage the pad and rotor, but in most cases I am replacing these anyway so it's no big deal.

In any case, it's really easy. Since the brake fluid reservoir cap is loose, I can just use my hands to force the brake cylinder back into the caliper and then remove the pads. I put the new pads in and then secure the whole assembly using the same 2 18mm bolts. That's it.

This seems easier to me than what I see outlined in this procedure. Am I missing something?

Sciotobob · Post by **Sciotobob** » 19 Apr 2011, 18:34

I replaced the front rotors and brake pads on our XC90 this morning. I did not take the caliper apart, but just removed the two 18MM bolts holding the caliper to the wheel. The pistons were easily compressed back into the caliper with just a small amount of pressure. Old pads slid out and new pads slid in without any problem at all. Start to finish in about 2 hours, including cleanup and a test drive.

gqware · Post by **gqware** » 15 May 2011, 18:05

hi everyone! just wondering if the instructions are different for a 2007 v. 2005...thanks for the help!

Post by **stone36** » 02 Jun 2011, 20:27

shouldn't be, I don't think it changed, I'm not sure about about rotor size though, I don't know if they still have the 2 different sizes in the 07. But it should be the same process.

Post by **songzunhuang** » 22 Sep 2011, 12:29

@Sciotobob - sounds to me that you did exactly what I described above. I can also finish the job in 1.5-2 hours. It's not so hard if you just get the caliper off. The hardest part for me was to get the super tight bolts off!

Island · Post by **Island** » 13 Oct 2011, 20:05

Songzunhuang,
I like your method especially that I can't put my hands on the 7mm hex tool in the next day or so when I plan to do the brakes.
A question, do you still need to remove the retaining spring? Also, how is cleaning? Is it tough to get all parts clean without taking the caliper apart?
Thanks

Post by **songzunhuang** » 14 Oct 2011, 21:13

Yes you do have to remove the retaining spring, but it wasn't hard at all. Just a pair of needle nosed pliers and it was easy to get off and then snap back on. The hardest part is getting the 2 bolts loose that hold the caliper on. Those things get REALLY tight over several years of heat cycling from normal braking.

I used a brake cleaner in a spray can, but there wasn't so much to clean since I was replacing the rotors and the pads. The parts of the caliper that needed cleaning are not so super critical. Just be sure and use a lot of that anti-squeak gunk on the surfaces there the pad touches the pistons. I have found that it's more about the pads you get than it is the gunk.

I have used Akebono pads with great success on two of the family Volvo's now. I get them from IPDUSA.com.

Island · Post by **Island** » 17 Oct 2011, 09:39

Thanks for the update. I'm going with Akebono as well and will try to use your approach. Will report back after completion which should be hopefully this comming Sunday (weather permitting).
Regards,

Volvo XC90 Front Brake Job

Re: Volvo XC90 Front Brake Job