W163 ML270 Brake disk replacement advice

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MOZ

Active Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2014
Messages
146
Location
Knaresborough,North Yorks
Car
W163 ML270 Inspiration, Leon Cupra TDI
Hi Guy's,
Sorry if this has come up before (I have searched a lot but not got the info I want).
My brake warning lamp has come on on my 2003 ML270 W163 (an expected frequent occurrence if other ML owners brake wear is true).

I'm pretty mechanically minded and happy to DIY - done brakes on a number of previous cars no problem, so am happy to take on the ML.

As its new to me and the disks look reasonably worn I am going to bite the bullet and do all 4 corners. I have found a couple of good DIY's for the front disks and pads which look simple enough, but very little for the rears.

1) am I correct in thinking the ML rears are similar to the front, but that there is likely to be a hand brake/parking brake set of shoes as well as the disk, and that the tension on this needs releasing by turning a star adjuster (accessible through a peg hole)? before removing the disk.

2) if so is that the only complication over and above the front disk removal method?

3) Can the disks be removed without taking the caliper off (front and back disks if the pads are out) and the rotor at an angle)? or do the calipers have to be removed too (if so I guess it will be 2 x 19mm type bolts and support the free caliper procedure.

Is there anything else that is tricky that I need to be aware of or is it pretty straight forward?

Any one know of a detailed DIY for doing the rears - I have found info on Pelican Technical Article: Mercedes Benz - Rear Brake Pad and Disc Replacement
which is good but is for the W210, not the W163 ML and I don't know if they are essentially very similar or completely different.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Moz
 
I replaced all (F&R) pads on our ML a couple of months ago, I also removed the rear discs to check condition of parking brake shoe pads and investigate a parking brake problem - erratic amount of clicks on foot pedal - turned out that one of the parking brake shoe liner pads had come adrift on near side.

Procedure for the jobs are as you've described, discs are/can be removed by removing calipers first - be sure to hang them out of the way without straining the flexible hose.

Rears are removed by backing-off the star adjuster (quite a way in some cases and awkward to see thru' bolt hole on hub) because of the rusty lip inside the hub.
Parking brake adjustment is first done at each wheel then under the tunnel there's a 'Y' mechanism you can alter if the park/foot mechanism needs resetting.

I got one of these... Mercedes ML Diesel CDI 1998-2006 New Owners Workshop Manual Service Repair | eBay

it's not overly comprehensive and only half the size of a Haynes manual but certainly helps.

Good luck.
 
Thanks, just as I thought. I will give it a go sometime in the next couple of weeks( when the snow goes) the warning light is intermittent and has only just started so I'm sure I've got a week or 2's grace especially since the Ml only does 3k miles a year.

Any thoughts on whether different brands last longer or are better, GSF have some Brembo's and Euro car parts have Pagid, but is there a massive difference between those and some of the cheaper options like Jurid, Bosch, textar, or even cheaper (yet still premium brand claim) like vtech,and eicher.

If ml brakes need replacing as often as everyone says is there a massive difference between a so called cheaper premium brand to the top notch ones?

I'm airing to buy the Brembo's ones but don't really think I need to go that extreme for 90% town driving, but not prepared to risk budget for safety, thanks again for the good advise
Moz
 
Try MB for prices, you maybe surprised. You will be guaranteed a correct part that fits first time.

Out of interest, why do you consider Brembo "extreme"
 
Thanks DSM,
I had already priced them at MB, the rear pads were competitive but not the fronts, but neither were near GSF with the 35% discount.
Brembo disks and pads allround £250.

I don't mean the brembo's to be extreme, just wondering whether they are really worth nearly double the price of something like the Jurid.
 
Worth trying here:Mercedes-Benz Parts, Inchcape

A genuine MB dealer selling on -line.

I have Pagid discs and pads fitted to my C320 (not as heavy as your car although a little faster :) ))and have had no issue with them, others on the forum have mentioned vibrations / warped discs .

It is imperative with any new disc that the mating face of the hub is properly cleaned before fitting..
 
If you get a price from your local main dealer ask them if they can offer any discount. Mine offered 10% off discs and pads when I asked.
 
MOZ I know this was a few months back but how did it go? I just changed my front pads and after pumping the brake petal back up took he for a drive, about halfway through I noticed she was struggling and seemed sluggish stopped, and when I let off the gas she slowed down as if I was applying brake pressure. I pulled over and realized my brakes where stuck partially on. I let them cool and drove the rest of the way home. Been searching online since last night and can't find anything about the caliper style my ML has but seems to be like your pad aren't the slide in/pinned down style but mounted to the caliper style. The only thing I've seen was a reference to opening a "bleed" valve before pushing the piston back in? Didn't know if I messed something up.

I figured it was a back pressure issue so this morning at about 35-40 mph (on a clear road) I slammed the brakes to the floor to fully engage the abs, front wheels locked up and squealed intermittently, then I did it again and now wheel squeal abs worked flawlessly so
I think I fixed it but I won't know for sure till this afternoon when I take her out for a longer drive. I.e. Same path as when I noticed them locking up.
If you have any suggestions I should look at please let me know. Got a long drive this weekend and I want her in gwo before I go. Thanks.
 
Hi wearethesound,
Funnily enough I didnt end up changing them when I originally posted it a few months ago(not sure why my warning light came on then but it never came on again after that and the pads looked ok). I had bought Jurid Discs and pads for all 4 corners.
I actually bit the bullet and changed them all about 3 weeks ago (still no light, and when I changed them there was still plenty of pad left but I wanted to get it all done for peace of mind.

Mine are actually the ones with the 2 retaining pins that just knock out and the pads can be removed without removing the caliper, so I guess different to yours.

If you look through some recent posts you will see one thread I started about my parking brakes being loose cables (and in the end I changed them too), in that I mention how easy the disk and pad change was for me and to be honest I have had no problems with mine at all since changing them.

The only things I can say is were the pads definitely the correct ones for your calipers?

did the piston seem particularly stiff when you pressed it back in to the caliper? possibly piston sticking and as such when brake applied then released possibly a stuck piston not releasing? that might be why the ABS banging in clears the fault- although you would be unlucky to get both sides sticking at the same time.

The thing about cracking the bleed nipple when you push the piston back in is to release the fluid out of the nipple rather than push it back into the reservoir (the wrong way back through the ABS etc. It is probably the correct thing to do but I have never done it on any of my cars and have never had a problem.

Were your pads hard to get in and tight to the caliper, and did you apply any grease to the pad to caliper interface to ease it to slide in the caliper housing, if that interface is too tight it may be sticking on (especially with some heat expansion).

Apart from that, I'm not really sure- unless as you say there is some back pressure still in the fluid path.

Good luck.
Moz
 
Yeah I for one didn't see how both sides would start sticking just because of the ABS, was leaning towards corrosion causing binding. Figured I must have either "broke" through the corrosion on the rt side after slamming the brakes a few times or "reset" the ABS. Which could be the case, but as for the lt side, I think it's fixed. I was about to rebuild the calipers but I noticed when brake pressure was applied then released the piston would retract ever so slightly (barely noticed it) and a tiny bit more with pressure from my thumbs (don't try at home possibility of thumbs getting swished) (no brake pad installed) so I make the call it mustn't be the caliper but the mounts. Pulled the mount bolts and they where so tight I couldn't push them through with my hands so I shaved a few mills off them, rounded them out and gave them a good polish (about 1.5 hrs per bolt due to them being such a hard tempered steel) a little copper grease and all good. So far seems I was right took her for an extra long road test and found the wheel area warm to the touch but touchable as to where before It was visibly smoking after a much shorter drive.
 

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