08-20-2018, 04:44 AM | #1 |
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DIY guide on X5 35d/35i to 50i brake upgrade and rebuild
This is a long diy guide on a full teardown and rebuild of caliper brake caliper, and installation of the 50i brake this guide will breakdown in 3 parts CALIPER DISASSEMBLY, CALIPER REBUILD, INSTALLATION.
All 35d/35i have the standard single piston 330mm (ish) rotors, the 50i has a slightly larger 365mm and wider rotor with dual piston brake caliper. Im still bed-in in my pads and rotors but there noticeable differences when it comes to moderate braking (haven't tested emergency braking still on break in period), everyday braking feels about the same but slightly lesser effort is needed to come to a stop, so far not a squeak or rattle when coming to a stop The full cost of my build including buying a used caliper w/hardware, and new brake rotor, pads, caliper rebuild kit and a shop to sandblast clean the clipper only cost me around $350, It took me a month researching, gathering parts, and cleaning/rebuild/install and it was worth it. ***Disclaimer this is an unofficial/non-professional guide, I'm not responsible for any property/personal injury or death, proceed at your own risk.*** Parts list BRAKE HARDWARE *Brake caliper (LEFT 34116776785) (RIGHT 34116776786) (I bought used on Ebay $120 as a pair) *Brake caliper hardware/ bracket X2 (34116776797) (my caliper that I bought came with bracket) *Brake Rotor X2 (34116886481) (I when with Bosch Quiet Cast rotors) *Brake Pads X2 (34116865868) (I when with Bosch Quiet Cast Ceramics) BRAKE REBUILD INTERNALS *Caliper Rebuild Kit X2 (34116763995) (Do not buy aftermarket as seals will not fit due to incorrect size) *Brake Caliper Piston X4 (UNABLE TO FIND OEM Part #) (I when with Aftermarket CENTRIC part # 1462011) *Caliper Slide pin boot X2 (UNABLE TO FIND OEM PART #) (I when with Aftermarket CARLSON part # 16125) FLUIDS *Brake Fluid (DOT 4 Brake fluid/BMW recommendation) (I when with PENTOSIN DOT 4 LV Brake fluid) OPTIONAL *ATE Brake Piston/Rubber Boot Assembly Grease (Sold in EU, can buy online takes 1-2 month to ship) DISASSEMBLY: This is how it all begin, a very dirty looking caliper from Ebay that I bought for about $120 as a set with bracket and a wear sensor, not bad considering that some were asking for just 1 side for $130-$140. This example though is from an 2012 E70 X5 50i with around 45K miles in New Jersey (E70 50i and F15 50i uses same brake caliper, I can imagine that the salt did a few on corrosion and it been filthy. My caliper appears to be fully assembled so I had to take it apart to Remove the rattle clip, this can be a bit tricky but use a big screwdriver and pry between the brake pad and the clip, (Caution part will go flying) Remove the brake pad Flip the caliper with the rear part facing up and remove the slide pin dust cap/ and use a 9mm Hex bit to remove the slide pin guides, clean them and save it, the bracket will separate from the brake caliper. After wire wheel clean the exterior, the best I could, i took it up to the workbench to tear it down further. First order is to remove the piston, You'll need compressed air or Hydraulic hand pump, as there is no alternative way to do so, My caliper came with brake lines there were cut off so I used a air blower gun with a cone tip place it at the brake line hose (blue arrow) set the air pressure regulator at 20-40 psi (i used 30 psi), place a block of wood (1 inch thick) at the end of the piston and pop the piston out. If 1 of 2 piston pop out you'll need to push it back in use C-clamp to hold the piston in (one that pop out) and reapply air till the other comes out) once its pop out you'll have to carefully shimmy them the rest of the way out. Once you have the pistons out, remove the dust boot Remove the dust boot, there are these notches that you can use to start prying, I use a pick tool, but BE CAREFUL you don't want to mar the seating surface or it won't seal from dust/leak properly. Onces you have the dust boot off you want to remove the Square O ring seal BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO SCRATCH OR MAR THE BORE OR ANY SURFACE WHERE THE SQUARE SEAL IS!! You can use a plastic fork to minimize the risk. Remove square seal on both bores On close inspection on one of the inside of the pistons where your brake pads clips into. That's not MUD, thats RUST and it has perforated though quite some depth and this piston is only 6 yrs old! Its very important to do brake inspections and cleaning every 2yrs or 2nd oil changes at minimum. Back of the piston...If anyone can decipher this pistons part number would be appreciated, its piston is from ATE After disassembly i took it to get it sandblasted. I repainted it with VTH primer and VTH caliper paint silver Last edited by Mr.47; 08-20-2018 at 10:06 PM.. |
08-20-2018, 04:45 AM | #2 |
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CALIPER REBUILD
***Disclaimer this is an unofficial/non-professional guide, I'm not responsible for any property/personal injury or death, proceed at your own risk.*** Now that we have our parts cleaned and ready it's time to reassemble our caliper, please note keep this work area as clean as possible and avoid any petroleum based grease or oils during assembly! You'll need your New Piston, New BMW caliper rebuild kit, and some brake fluid. Soak the Piston Square seal O-ring in some brake fluid for 1-2 mins. (CAUTION DO NOT LET THE O-RING COME IN CONTACT WITH PETROLEUM GREASE/OIL THIS WILL CAUSE THE SEALS TO SWELL UP AND BIND UP THE CALIPER PISTON CAUSING BRAKE FAILURE) While the O-ring is soaking Lubricate the the caliper piston bore with some brake fluid (FOLLOW SAME PRECAUTIONS ON PETROLEUM GREASE AND OIL CONTACT). Install the O-ring, this can get quite difficult and messy, take your time and slowly work it in as the O-ring is a perfect fit in to the indent and will twist and bind as you try to push it in. Do not use any metal pick you do not want to tear oring ,use a plastic fork to assist if needed After you've installed the O ring look down into the and visually inspect, make sure its flushed against the indent and its not twisted or sticking out of the bore do this to all bores. After inspecting add 15ml or 1 tbsp of brake fluid into the bore and set caliper up right Next prep the piston and dust boot, besure to clean the caliper piston with some brake cleaner to rid of the oily residue to preserve the piston from rusting, and lubricate the piston and the inside of the boot with some clean brake fluid. Slide the brake dust boot on to the piston till the inner lip catches on to the indent of the piston Then take the piston and slide it into the caliper bore, now there will be slight resistance in the beginning, keep pushing it all the way down as straight as possible, will have moderate resistance. Should the piston stop moving midway, it may have binding issues, do not use a hammer to beat it down, remove the piston (with air though the brake line and pop piston) and inspect the bore and piston. After the piston is in you'll need to press the dust boot on to the lip, the boot has a hard plastic clip around the edge and it creates the very tight seal, This requires a Brake dust boot tool which I dont have. I use a semi circular trim piece and a hammer to tap the seal in. I believe a 1 1/2 in diameter pcv pipe but it has to be thin walled and a hammer should do the same. After you've pressed the dust boot seal check to see if is flush on to the caliper body. Next Install the guide pin boot, use some silicone grease (ie sli-glyde) Lube the bore, the boot and slide it in till it hits the stop Guide pin boot installed Next you'll need to test the brake calipers pistons. We are looking for even rise and drop of the pistons using compressed air. You'll need a 2 inch wood block to prevent the pistons from flying from its bores. What pressures to use for testing? 1.Initially you can use up to 40 psi continuous trigger or 50 to 60 psi for 1/2 second squeeze this will help the seat the piston on to the square seal going the opposite direction. After the piston has rise it should be very easy to push them back all the way down. 2. After the pistons has seated going both direction ideal operating pressure would be around 20-40 psi to observe the piston rise. When you relase air from the caliper the piston should drop a little (around 5mm). A tactile observation would be moving the block of wood that is preventing the pistons from coming out with and without pressure, you can should be able to lift the caliper with the block of wood under pressure and the wood should slide out with no resistance without pressure. Piston should also be tested under low pressure 5-10 psi for rise. And That is all for testing and rebuilding, next is installation. Last edited by Mr.47; 08-20-2018 at 10:07 PM.. |
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08-20-2018, 05:03 AM | #3 |
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Installation
***Disclaimer this is an unofficial/non-professional guide, I'm not responsible for any property/personal injury or death, proceed at your own risk.*** Now that you have all of your parts ready its time to install. Pictures are limited on this run because there was a massive storm brewing and I only have 2 hrs to install and document before hell runs us over, it so bare with me! Here's a rotor thickness comparison (LEFT 50i) (RIGHT 35d) First thing you wanna do is to prevent the brake fluid from leaking out of the brake line, per BMW they advise you to use a fancy brake holding mechanism, I use a crutches extension peg and the power chair to help depress the pedal and hold it, It works just fine. Next you want to release the pressure from the brakes since you depressed the brake pedal, use a 12mm wrench to open the brake bleeder, use a hose to collect the fluid and make sure you control the spill. Next remove the brake anti-rattle clip, pry on the front end of the clip and watch it go flying!! Remove the 2 guide pins that are holding the caliper on to the frame you need a 6mm hex socket Use an 14mm wrench to JUST CRACK LOOSE the brake line to the caliper, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO UNSCREW THE REST OF THE WAY WITH THE WRENCH OR DAMAGE TO LINE WILL OCCUR! Now that the line is loose Rotate the entire brake caliper while preventing the brake line from twisting! Cover the brake line and protect from dust/sand/debris Remove the 2 14mm E Torx (aka Female Torx) from the bracket Remove the rotor holder hex bolt 6mm, a wack with a hammer from behind and and it should come out easily Removing the rotor can be a PITA especially if its corroded, however a spray of PB blaster (see red ring) and you're good to go. Give it a good couple of soft wacks in the back and rotate the rotor and it will eventually fall off...Watch out your toes! Clean the hub with wire brush and put a VERY VERY THIN layer of Sly-Glyde so your future job wont be so difficult Clean the rotor with some brake cleaner, make sure it's free of oil/rust prevention grease Now that everything is cleaned and ready to go install the new rotor with the 6mm hex bolt that holds the rotor. 11nm or 8lb/ft just a hand snug is good. Install the caliper bracket, the 14mm E-torx are tighten to 110nm or 81lb/ft Install the brake pads, place brake grease on to the green highlighted side Install the caliper, be sure to rotate the caliper into the brake hose and tighten to 22nm or 17 lb/ft. Tighten the guide pin to 55nm 41lb/ft Release the brake pedal holder and bleed the brakes, watch the brake fluid level, I use a pneumatic bleeder tool for initially bleed the brake caliper then i use a one man bleeder tool to pump the brakes. Install the wheels torque to 110lb/ft and enjoy your new 50i brakes on your 35i or 35d. No brake coding is required for this swap. https://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/at...1&d=1534820598 Last edited by Mr.47; 08-20-2018 at 10:03 PM.. |
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08-20-2018, 07:39 PM | #4 |
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Hey man just so you know you've posted most of your pictures twice. They can be edited and deleted easily! Looking forward to the rest of this!
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08-20-2018, 10:05 PM | #5 |
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The picture appears twice because i upload the image to bimmerpost servers, then use generated urls to place them on to the post. I wish there was a way to disable attached picture.
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08-21-2018, 06:36 AM | #6 |
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Nice work. For your reference, the ATE ECat is here: ATE E-Catalog
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08-21-2018, 08:24 AM | #7 |
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Nice work!
I have a complete set of 2018 50i f/r take-offs (7 miles on clock at time of removal) calipers, rotors, pads, bolts, etc. PM me if you're interested. D
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08-22-2018, 09:30 AM | #8 | |
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09-10-2018, 08:15 AM | #9 |
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Does the brake shield needs to be replaced - are they different between 35 and 50?
Never mind. I found the answer on real OEM. 50 and 35 share the same shield. 03 Protection plate left 1 34116857977 03 Protection plate right 1 34116857978 Last edited by W37V; 09-10-2018 at 08:25 AM.. |
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09-10-2018, 08:21 AM | #10 |
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09-29-2018, 10:57 AM | #12 |
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Did you end up replacing only fronts? When bleeding the system, did you use ista or just pressure bleed them? Did you notice any difference in stopping power?
------ I just picked front calipers from 50i and am planning on doing this upgrade in next few weeks. Debating if I should do rears at the same time as pads need to be replaced on them. Per my estimates my cost of this is following: New Zimmermann discs - $109 each - $220 New pads - (calipers came with pads that have 1000 miles on them, so I am debating if I should reuse them) - $120. New Calipers from 50i (both front sides) - $140 Brake fluid - $20 Grand total of $520 just for front conversion. For rears it would be similar - $120 for calipers, $100 for pads, $150 for both discs = $470 For grand total 4 wheel conversion of $990 - with lifetime warranty on discs and pads from FCP. |
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09-29-2018, 11:47 AM | #13 | |
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09-29-2018, 02:35 PM | #14 | |
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Im planning to do the rears too, I still have more then 1/2 rear pads life remaining, so onces that wear down it will get swapped over to 50i's rear brakes. I'd probally reuse the brake pads, if there's not scored, cracked, or any visible or tactile damage, and if its BMW OEM it be even better. As far as bleeding I initially used the vacuum bleeding via compressed air and venturi brake bleed tool to fill the caliper chamber up with brake fluid then I used conventional way to bleed the rest and perform brake fluid flush, No ista needed, a power bleeder would be better and easier. Another caution, on your first drive after swapping you will have significantly decreased braking power especially on the Zimmermann brake rotor or any zinc coated rotor, until the coating is rubbed of by the brake pads, you may want to keep your speeds < 10 mph and do a dozen short braking sessions before heading out to main roads. |
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09-29-2018, 09:51 PM | #15 |
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Here's a pic of my take-offs (7 miles) for anyone who may want to take on this DIY upgrade. Listed in classifieds. Duke
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10-01-2018, 03:14 PM | #16 |
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True... but that might be overkill. This is wife's primary and our daily. Upgrade is just to be on the safe side to boost our confidence in stopping power. There are many very distracted drivers during rush hour in DMV. This mod is still overkill...
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10-01-2018, 03:15 PM | #17 | |
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This is fair price for the kit, considering everything you get is brand new. If I was local, I would've definitely consider getting this. |
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10-01-2018, 03:27 PM | #18 | |
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I checked the pads and they look brand new. So I will be reusing them. I have the pressure bleeder, so hopefully that will be sufficient. Thanks for the reply. |
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10-04-2018, 09:42 PM | #19 |
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W37V, did you complete the project? Make a difference?
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10-05-2018, 09:49 PM | #20 |
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Your work and photo-documentation are first rate. I teach engineering - this ad hoc chronology is practically a term paper. I want to clean up my brakes (2014 x5 3.5i)- and this is wonderfully useful: background images and data, technical info- thank you ! This is seriously first rate work. I'm not going this deep (at first at least..) but this is going into my reference file!
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10-06-2018, 07:49 PM | #21 |
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10-27-2018, 02:59 PM | #22 |
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UPDATE 10/27/18
So last week I installed the rear brake caliper and rotor out of a 2015 X5 50i thus completing the conversion, I was kind a in a hurry and didn't have much time to take pics however the installation is no diffrent than the front with exception of don't engage the parking brake. Part numbers in for references (parentheses is what i used) *Rear brake caliper (L)34216776789 (OEM) (R)34216776790 (OEM) [B*]Caliper Bracket/Carrier[/B] (Both)34216776801 (OEM) *Rotors 34216793246 (Bosch quiet cast rotor part #15011500) *Pads 34216857117 (OEM) The rest of the parking brake mechanism ie brake shoe, actuator, mechanical arms tensioner ect, and dust shield are identical to the 35i/35d. Here's the complete setup installed, the rear rotor is very close to the dust shield so make sure the lips are not intruding into the rotor Here's the 50i's caliper, its bigger in size and the pads are also 1.5x larger then 35i/35d My brake caliper came with a very serviceable brake pads, caliper only had about 20k miles on it. However there were some surface oxidation build up, as seen in pic and there are some groove/scoring on the pad. Wearing N95 mask and some gloves I initially used 80 grit sandpaper to remove scoring and groove on the pad, then follow up with 120 grit to even the low spots and smooth it any roughage from the 80 grit. I took a digital measuring caliper and measure the pads for bilateral uniformity. Impressions: Im still breaking in the rear rotor and pads in, but I can tell from coming to a stop at moderate effort, brakes bite hard stops relatively quickly without a sweat. So far it's been good will update when its broken in at 1000 miles and and see if i can do a hard braking test. |
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