BRAKES

1 The calipers on the X-Type are the single-piston sliding design found on most modern cars. First step in removing the pads is to unbolt the caliper sliders... 2 ... after which the caliper can be lifted away, leaving the pads in the carrier. It was here that we discovered the problem, since the outboard brake pad took some force to remove from the carrier. 3 Early X-Types like ours have a hex socket cast into the caliper piston which means you can get away without using a special tool to wind the piston back – just squeeze it as you turn it with a big hex bit. Doing this proved that the piston wasn’t seized, while winding the piston back a touch makes it easier to reassemble the caliper afterwards. 4 The carrier bracket is held by two 13 mm bolts on the rear face. 5 Even with the carrier unbolted, the outboard brake pad was still stuck in place, which explains the burning smell. 6 You can see here how the sliding faces are covered in a build-up of corrosion and grot, which is preventing the pads from moving freely.

7 A hefty dose of brake cleaner and a wire brush kicked off the clean-up... 8 ... followed by a half-round file to really clean up the curved sliding faces. 9 A drop of threadlock was used on the carrier bolts when reassembling before torqueing them up to 70Nm. 10 A thin coating of copper grease was used when reinstalling pads and they were moving properly so everything could be reassembled, with the caliper sliders torqued to 32Nm. It’s been fine since, even with a heavy weight on the back of the car.