BMW E38 Front Brakes

[@PRNTestDrive]

Fantastic video, thanks for putting it together! I watched through it before doing the front brakes on my 01 740iL and everything went great thanks to the info you provided.

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

Thank you for your nice comment. What you said in your comment about becoming familiar with the procedure first, is exactly why I make them. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Absolutely! Hopefully this video continues helping people like me accomplish great DIY work on our 7s!

[@tsherwoodrzero]

Nicely done. Clear, concise and to the point. My 2001 740i is grinding right now, so it's definitely time for pads/rotors. Thank you for excellent video.
Strangely, there is no "Brake lining" message appearing in the cluster as it should.

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

Thank you for your nice comment. Actually, IMO if the light is on then you have to replace the sensor. I like to aviod that. GL and thank you again.

[@tsherwoodrzero]

@@A_Renaissance_Man Since it's only the right front (passenger side), sensor is unaffected. Forgive the seemingly dumb question, but do the pads move on the shoulder bolts with 7mm hex head (BMW# 34111157041)? The corner in question is dragging and slow to release. When I put the behavior in the search bar, a C5 Corvette video came up and was diagnosed as the slide pins (visible corrosion)

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

They Push in. I use a 6 inch C-Clamp. I really did not cover that very well. Leave the inside pad in and compress the piston with the pad on. This gives you more surface area to press on and the pad acts as a guard and you will not damage the piston or boots.

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

I recommend the following. Order new dust covers. Reinstall the tire without the hub cap and loosen the nut otherwise an impact wrench is needed. Bearing replacement is easy, mine came right off. Since this is a rare event just get some tools from hHarbor Freight. I bought a metric 1 inch drive set. It will include a 34mm for the oil filter.

[@PrinceSomorin]

Thank you Sir and it's an excellent video. I am going a little bit further than this and replacing the wheel bearings while at it. I just have to find a size 46mm or 1 13/16 socket.

[@chrishenry8575]

that was excellent! i have a 1998 e38 735i thats squeaking at the rear (i suspect its the parking brake!), any suggestions how to go about a remedy?

[@LDimon84]

Thank you, very clear and well-understood

[@cewhollywood]

David - Thanks for posting this!!! Watched this video a few times. My mechanic buddy never seems to be available when I need him to work on the e38 (he curses it regularly... as do I - lol), so I will take a stab at this myself. Any last-minute tips? Do I need to remove any brake fluid prior to doing this? I'm going to attempt the rear rotors/pads as well. Anything unique to the rear brakes and/or any advice there?
Bought the car a couple of years ago (2001 iL), and its definitely a love-hate relationship. Beautiful car, but huge PIA! Looking to sell it, so I want to get this done. Have a few other things I need to do on it as well (amazing those little things add up so quickly on this car). I know you finally unloaded yours a few years ago, and I totally get it!
I also own a '98 Grand Cherokee so your other videos have come in handy...
PS - This is my stepson's you tube handle as I don't have one...

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

cewhollywood Welcome to BMW. Always something on those 7's. The rattle clip might be a little harder to remove than shown, It can get hung up or fly across the room. The fluid should be fine as long as it is below max. You can always remove a little fluid just to be sure. If the rotor screw will not come out don't be afraid to knock the old rotor off with a maul. Strike the outer edge. There is only one place to hit it if you attack from the inboard side. Parking brake adjusting star is accessed through the lug hole if you need to loosen them. Most likely not. But again, do not worry about damaging them if you need to coax the rotor off with a hammer. I'll answer questions directly if you send me a message thru may channel.

[@montanaboy76]

Good video -thanks for the DIY help.

[@blackcaspian100]

Is it always the same type of brakes on E38?

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

As far as I know they are all the same. Rock Auto or RMEuropean should confirm this by only listing one size rotor and pads. I am only going by memory as I have moved on from BMW's a good nine years ago.

[@bighanes26]

So iwent to change my rotors and the allignment bolt that alligns the rotor to the hub got stripped out and is still in place but i didnt want to use an easy out on it because im not sure if its necessary to have. So my question is will i need it to hold the new rotors on? Thanks a ton! your videos save me a lot time and money!

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

bighanes26 No it is not necessary, the holding screw is just for the convenience of keeping the rotor in place so the lug bolts are easier to align. you can always use an all-thread, or cut the head off a bolt to use as a temporary tire mounting stud that you can replace with the lug bolt once one or more are started.

[@sd003m]

I just installed brake pads and rotors and they shimmer on my 95 e34. The brake setup and install is virtually the same thing. Any clue on why? I did speak with the manufacturer and they say it's not the rotor because they all have quality control on all of their products. So either the rotor should be cleaned more from "rotor film" or there may be debris stuck on the hub?

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

I have had mismachined rotors right out of the box. The brake pedal pulses and there was a thumping sound. Very noticeable.

[@PrinceSomorin]

Do the pistons push in or screw in?

[@MitchellMeat]

sir, thanks for pasting this video. I am lost without a repair maNual.

[@HolyShitAccess]

Great Video, Thank You very much.

[@zoroo011diy]

Thanks alot ...
but I have a question ..pls
I change it both pade and roter
brakes to bad right now where is the wrong.
or the quality of pieces not good!! ...which one I should remove and replace it first...?
thanks again. ...

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

Look for a leak in the flex lines on the passenger side near the fire wall. I have not seen or hear of any other brake problem.

[@zoroo011diy]

....I will >>>

[@galXCVI]

Hi, is it possible to remove the caliper bracket with the caliper still attached? I just need to change my rotor on a 99 728i. Thanks!

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

+galXCVI I think that might be possible. you can try, I do not know if that will save you any time.

[@andreisames6099]

Hey David what brand are the rotors and the pads? And where do you buy them?

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

+Andrei Sames I like to buy from rmeuropean. The rotors that I have been buying are Zimmerman that are Zinc coated and they do not rust, love that. the brake pads are Wagner thermoquite as they do not dust at all on the E38. I do not think Rocky Mountain European sells Wagner any more if you want to chose another brand.

[@andreisames6099]

Thank you so much , your videos and your responses are very very helpful, thank you very much sir !!!!

[@Puukainiits]

it's a useful video for me, only sad thing is, you sold yours e38 :(

[@Elite.customs_479]

How bout the pistons? Do you need that special tool or can you just press them in

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

I use a c-clamp. No special tools are needed. I did buy a brake piston compressor for use on Volvos.

[@countdownto067]

hey i have a 2001 e38 is there any difrence in brakes pads and or calipers this will be my first time working on the car mostly becuase im 16 and secondly if i mess something up its going to be heck of an expensive part to repair. but for the rattle clip gaurd thing do you just pop that off and install it just like that or is there any specified way to take it off with out braking it sorry if im to paranoid i did brake jobs on blazers but thats way too simpler than one of these cars...

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

You are being smart by taking the time to think through the job before beginning any work. This should be a reach in job so be safe by securing the vehicle on jack stands and use the hydraulic jack as a back up, The clip removal requires a bit of faience and the clip can fly off, but I do not want to scare you, just warn you that could happen. The overall brake pad replacement procedure is the same for any car, just think of the difference being in the shape of the parts or the kind of hardware being used. This video, and others, shows the success plan but there are problems that you may have to deal with like a stuck wheel or bolt. You will need a 7mm Allen to remove the caliper mounting bolts and there may be a cap over them. Feel free to ask questions by messaging me through my channel or by replying to this conversation.

[@countdownto067]

David Prokity i have one question for now and its are the calipers fixed or floating?

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

gametime223 The calipers ride (float) on the caliper mounting screws that resemble shoulder bolts. You will need a 7mm allen wrench to remove them.

[@linia1991able]

no bleeding on the oil brake line?

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

I have gone to changing the brake fluid every two years. If that coincides with the pad replacement than I'll do it. Otherwise I do not bleed or change the fluid during a pad replacement. That does not mean that bleeding the brakes when you have a chance is not good practice, I am just performing maintenance at different times.

[@mvelazquez312]

what was that noise when you snapped in the brake pad at 9:48?

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

+Monolo Velazquez I think that was the rotor seating against the hub. It needed to be flush with the hub for the holding screw to go in.

[@mvelazquez312]

+David Prokity
i referring to the noise that sounded more like a machine activating at 9:50 when you snapped in the brake pad. When that activated you got up then the video jumps to where you start by saying, "now the bracket is on...".

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

The air compressor started

[@DORSIAKILL]

A pry bar would be your best friend

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

You got that right

[@phatrajavin]

Why does your front caliper not brembo 4 pots?

[@m5p944]

Because it’s 4.4l not 725tds shit box with baby brembo brakes

[@DemonSlayer-df4ym]

@10:35 80 FOOT LBS

[@DemonSlayer-df4ym]

lugs 90 foot lbs...more importantly