This page was taken from NJNE with premission from Bob.
NJNE Tech Notes: Installation of
KVR Cross-Drilled Rotors and Carbotech Brake Pads
For those of you who have done considerable work on your Neon to make them as fast as possible, don't forget, you occasionally have to stop! This article will go over the installation of the KVR/Carbotech brake kit available from our sponsor, Captain Nemo's Neon Performance, Inc.
Here we see the driver's
side suspension of a 1995 Dodge Neon Highline Sedan, owned by NJNE President,
Bob Perciaccante. You can see the stock rotor (bronze in color), the brake
caliper (the semicircular device on the left outer edge of the rotor) and
the various other components of the Neon suspension. The rotor in this picture
is burnt from hard, high-speed braking, and is scored in circular rings
around the outer edge of the rotor where the rivets in the stock brake pads
have gouged into the steel rotor surface. Brakes in this condition are unsafe
and should be replaced at once.
The first step is to remove the rotors from the packaging and washing them well in a strong soap & hot water bath, scrubbing every surface with a brillo pad or coarse sponge. The purpose of this is to remove the anti-corrosion chemical that the components are coated with to prevent rusting while in the packaging. Once they are thoroughly washed and dried, you are ready to begin diassembling the first side of your suspension for thier installation.
Jacl up the car, and remove the wheel.
Place a sturdy jackstand or other support under the car to support the car
off the ground. Do not use the stock Chrysler jack, as it is not safe, and
could cause the car to drop if the car is bumped or shoved.
The next step is to turn the steering wheel of the car in the direction of the side of the car you are working on. This wil swing the caliper far enough out from under the wheel well to allow the 2 bolts at the rear of the caliper to be removed, effectively allowing you to pry the caliper assembly away from the rotor, giving you access to the brake pads.
Once the caliper has been pried off the
rotor, the inboard (closest to the engine) and the outboard (closest to
the wheel) pads can be removed. The outboard pad should be removed first
by pulling the pad down and out of the caliper. The inboard pad is removed
by pulling it out toawrds the mounting area of the outboard pad until the
clips pop out of the piston. Also, once the caliper is removed, the rotor
will slide right off the hub. Remove the rotor, and go to the next step.
If you do not
have ABS, then your next step will be to open the top of the brake fluid
reservoir atop the master cylinder before you to go the next step. If you
do have ABS, you MUST MUST MUST open
the small drain valve ON THE CALIPER (also
known as the Bleeder Valve) Failure to do so will
cause you to ruin your ABS pump in the next step!
Next step is to compress the caliper using a large C-clamp or a special brake caliper compressor (as seen in photo on right). Compress the caliper very slowly until the piston is completely within the bore of the piston.
Now, reassemble the
brake assembly in the reverse manner in which you disassembled it. If you
opened the bleeder valve as mentioned in the above block, be sure that you
bleed the brakes to remove any air that may have gotten into the brake lines.
When assembling your braking system again, be careful. When I reassembled
mine, I found that one of the wheel studs on the passenger side was bent,
and when I tightened the wheel lug down, the stud broke. So make sure that
you inspect the components while assembling/disassembling, and anything
that looks as though it might not be 100% safe, replace it with a new part
available from your local auto parts store. I got lucky, the stud cost me
$2.
Viola!!
Now, one thing you have to remember whenever you install new brakes that there is a fair amount of time that is required to "break in" the pads and rotors. In my personal experience, the KVR's took a little longer than most to break in, so PLEASE, after installing new pads/rotors, give yourself twice as much distance as would normally be required for a safe stop. BUT, once they break in, and are well seated, the superior braking power of this cross-drilled brake setup is amazing both dry and in the rain! If you are looking for a brake upgrade, I would definately recommend these!
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