Brakes and Rotors - Porsche 911 (997)

[@ItsfunnehKREWfan]

Great job James and the video is excellent showing how to do it start to finish. The onscreen notes really helpful too. Well done 👍

[@AutoAmateur]

Thanks Paul!! Appreciate it! I tried to up my game and improve upon the similar video I made with my 996.

[@beemer1111]

Jonathan asked about the anti seize grease on the hub face, and I concur. I always apply a thin even coat with my fingertips, it really does save these surfaces, and make removal next time easier.

[@mullner88]

Those impact drivers are lifesavers on the rotor set screws!

[@AutoAmateur]

Absolutely!! Such a great tool. I would 1000% strip the screw head if I were to use a regular screwdriver. Definitely a fantastic tool.

[@K1dPhresh1]

First note: A light in the wheel well would help when pointing out the brake components. But you can see them more clearly once you start the disassembly. Great tip about the brake reservoir cap but I would also note that you should keep an eye on it when compressing the pistons. Last thing you want is that corrosive brake fluid to overflow the reservoir and start eating away at paint and whatever else. That impact driver is a pretty nifty tool. Need to add the to my amazon.com wishlist! Overall a good tutorial!!! Nicely done! Looking forward to the wheels and that new steering wheel set up.

[@997GURU]

Text book almost... i use a little bit of special brake lube on the glide surfaces of the brake pads, and on the backside of the pads, i use wurth brake paste

[@mbrunocondello]

Keep going ! Best way to learn more is to learn more !! Top video!

[@AutoAmateur]

Thanks Bruno!

[@smackbikeNZ]

Yay.. now I have the confidence to do this myself.... thanks mate

[@AutoAmateur]

That’s awesome!! I’m glad!!

[@williammorris3334]

Enjoying your figuring out these jobs for me! I’d suggest a cordless impact driver with a right angle attachment to quickly remove screws and bolts once they are broken loose. Saves a ton of time and energy. I’m a technician by trade and I constantly use these in tight spaces or in the wide open as they make things so much more efficient. Most of us out here probably don’t have a or tools and a cordless driver with a few essential attachments/adapters will replace a lot of automotive air tools for a fraction of the cost.

[@leedavey7591]

dewberry firkin to give its correct name, love it, and love all your videos, so informative and helpful, keep posting AA.

[@AutoAmateur]

Haha. Thanks Lee!! 🥳👍

[@MichaelBath]

All of a sudden I feel very inadequate🙄😁. Great job James 👏. You are turning into the 997 Mod king 🙌

[@AutoAmateur]

Haha! Thanks Michael! I got by with a little help from my friends, for this one, as the song goes. 🙌🤩

[@MichaelBath]

@@AutoAmateur You did really well !

[@AutoAmateur]

Thanks! Now just wait for the steering wheel video... this one is turning out to be a real pain in the ***! 😳🤦🏼‍♂️

[@royramdeen8864]

Great job James..

[@AutoAmateur]

Thanks Roy!!

[@paulbergin8756]

Rotor we call it a brake disc in the uk James, I'm in Florida for the winter so I fully understand how they have changed the words, Keep up the good work

[@AutoAmateur]

Hahaha. True! Sadly I’ve also started to spell tyres as tires. 😟🤦🏼‍♂️

[@richc.3195]

I would open bleaders to push pistons back ,may damage master cylinder

[@Eatongee]

Love it. Good to see what the shop will do to my car. ;)

[@AutoAmateur]

Haha. Yes! And charge you $$$$$ for! I figured out that doing the brakes and rotors myself saved me around $1000 to $1250 in labor.

[@Eatongee]

@@AutoAmateur Well, I certainly don't make $125.00 and hour at work, but I would much rather spend the day working than under a car. Then all the greasy cleanup and knuckle busting is someone else's problem. Haha! But yes. They don't do it for free. :)

[@AutoAmateur]

Haha. Fair enough. I used to feel the same way but once I started doing jobs on my car I just love it!! I’m addicted now I suppose. Ha.

[@philgibson2307]

Good stuff - wish you'd published this a year earlier; I made the mistake of not realising that the brakelines were flexible, so thought I had to take them off too (bleeding the system etc...)! When it came to putting everything back together, the brake line got cross-threaded in the soft caliper alloy and caliper needed to be sent to an engineer who could repair the damage (cut new threads) and supply a fatter brake line connection. Absolute nightmare!! Also, I would say that the most-critical dooberry is the punch!!

[@AutoAmateur]

You’re right about the punch! The one part of that entire job I hate is getting the flipping retaining clip in and out of the caliper pin. Arrrrghhh it’s such a ball-ache.

[@AutoAmateur]

Sorry to hear about your troubles!! I’ve found that some 911s have flexible brake lines and others have a combo where the line becomes rigid where it meets the hub and caliper. So many little variants from year to year within the same models even.

[@philgibson2307]

I tried screwdrivers, even bought a new one to try to knock out the pins. All failed, as they never seemed to transfer the force from my slug hammer onto the pin on one wheel in particular. Eventually I found a set of punches from Screwfix (here in the UK), and that damned pin was out in one hit!!

[@AutoAmateur]

Nice!! I don’t remember screwfix. I remember Halfords and B&Q. If you couldn’t find what you needed there, it didn’t exist. Haha. Where in the UK are you? I miss home. Was back in Liverpool late last year. Looking forward to another trip this summer maybe.

[@philgibson2307]

@@AutoAmateur I'm a Geordie up in Newcastle. Screwfix been around a good 10 years now, although most customers are from the trades. You sound fluent in US-english now, saying "rotors" without hesitation - ha ha!!

[@xkrnxboix]

I believe Porsche came out with a bulletin advising folks to torque the lug to 118ft/lbs now after reports of some wheels falling out instead of the previous 96ft/lbs.

[@ItsPinecone_911]

Saving this for when I get to my 996.2 breaks and rotors........Im gonna need struts also

[@hakimghelab5922]

Love it ! Thank you 🙏🏼

[@Porschee944]

Good work, helpful video. Thank you I'll be back in a few years

[@AutoAmateur]

Glad it was helpful!

[@FrankPajonk]

What kind of jack stands are you using? I would really appreciate a basic video on jacking up the 997.1...

[@AutoAmateur]

Great suggestion Frank! I’ll make a video about them for sure. I’ll get you the deets too.

[@AutoAmateur]

www.jackpointjackstands.com/

[@FrankPajonk]

@@AutoAmateur Great stands. Love how they work. Ordered. Do you have the source that the rotors and pads you ordered are Porsche OEM. The price of the rotors is really at the low end of the spectrum...Any complaints so far? Efficacy? Noise?

[@AutoAmateur]

Hey Frank. That’s so cool!! Glad you like the stands. I’ll have to look into the rotors for you. I read it online somewhere. I’ll see if I dig it out for you. No issues though for me. They perform well and I don’t have any noise issues.

[@laurentbenoit9080]

Nice job, just a small remark, you probably should "lcean" your rotor (barke disc) with some isopropilic alcohol to remove the kind of oil applied on it during the manufacturing (and for anti-rust purpose), but maybe you've done it off the record.

[@AutoAmateur]

Great point!!! Yes, I did give it a wipe down before installing it. I didn’t think to include that in the video. Good one!

[@jonathanl2748]

Hey bro! What about smearing a bit of anti-seize onto the axle hub before putting on the new rotor? I believe it is supposed to help prevent the rust from bonding the rotor to the hub for the next brake job. Not sure it is necessary, though. Thanks and I applaud your working on the job yourself.

[@AutoAmateur]

Hey! Yeah, I did all that last time with my 996 and I’m sure it’s useful, but this time, time was against me. I could tell the rotor removed in this video didn’t have any on previously. With a little tap of the rubber mallet though it came right off.

[@laurentbenoit9080]

Hello, hope everything goes right. I've just seen the weather information in Minnesota and think about you. Give us some news

[@AutoAmateur]

Merci mon ami!! It’s unbelievably cold here. Wow. Schools have been cancelled, offices and business closed. It’s a beautiful day though! Clear blue skies and sunshine. Unfortunately too cold in the garage for working on my car. 🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶 Great hearing from you!!

[@laurentbenoit9080]

nice to read you. Yeah, it seems polar vortex is not just cold, it's a giant deep freezer...

[@AutoAmateur]

True! Cattle are freezing to death and today the train tracks got so cold they cracked when the trains went across them! Steel! Breaking because it’s so cold!! Madness.

[@laurentbenoit9080]

I would love to see you doing the pants challenge in your next video ... :D

[@AutoAmateur]

Hahahahahah. No one needs to see that. 😳🤣

[@josec.7402]

I am probably not far from having to replace mine. This video has helped me a lot so I am sure I'll come back to it when I get ready to replace my brakes and rotors thanks. I love the Jack stands those are great. I might have missed it but did you end up doing the rears? Anyway keep up the good work on the videos.

[@AutoAmateur]

Thanks Jose!! I haven’t done the rear wheels yet. Because I can’t drive my car for a few more months I’m taking my time. ☺️ I’ll get to them in the next week or so.

[@AutoAmateur]

Thanks for the continued support too, appreciate it!! 🙌🙌🙌

[@projetosdepobre8773]

Where can I buy ceramic discs for Porsche 911 ? I'm from Brazil, thanks

[@mariopereira6391]

Hey James. Thanks for great content. Just got my 996 C2 and I’m soon up for a wheel change. Where did you get your wheel holder thingy and what is it called? Cheers, Mario.

[@AutoAmateur]

Thanks! Do you mean the metal pin that screws into the bolt hole in the hub to help take the weight of the wheel? You can find them for about $10 from Pelican Parts or Suncoast Parts.

[@mariopereira6391]

@@AutoAmateur Thanks for such a quick reply James. Yes the metal pin. Sorry for the dumb question, but what is it called?

[@AutoAmateur]

@@mariopereira6391 You bet! It's called a Wheel Mounted Guide Bolt: www.suncoastparts.com/product/99957107430.html

[@mariopereira6391]

Found it! Cheers!

[@beemer1111]

The rotor looked good. How many miles did you put on these pads and rotors? Excellent video as usual. I am like your friend Chris, when I do a job like this, I always do a major “spring cleaning” of everything in the wheel well. I have one of the Center lock wheels off my Turbo for the first time, and considering what a pain in the ass it is, I am going to fully detail everything. My brakes appear fine, but I have a small paint repair to do on my wheel. I had the car shipped via enclosed truck, but they scuffed one, on the wood rails they used.

[@AutoAmateur]

Hey Rick! Thanks!! This was a fun video to make. I didn’t know how many miles were on the rotors so that was part of the reason I was keen to replace them. I didn’t see anything in my vehicle’s service history that suggested they had ever been changed. Plus, let’s face it, I was just keen to make a brake video. I maybe didn’t need-need to replace them. 😆👍

[@rikkertlive9502]

im going to buy a 997 4s soon

[@AutoAmateur]

Ohhhhh very nice!!! I drove my friend’s C4 the other day and remembered how nice the four wheelers are. The added S is going to be amazing!!

[@rikkertlive9502]

@@AutoAmateur i hope so have a nice weekend

[@AutoAmateur]

You too!

[@billtong9385]

Hey Auto Amateur great vids!!!!! Thanks for sharing. I’ve always kept my past 911’s bone stock but have reconsidered .....Fister coming in a couple of weeks then perhaps some mods on the suspension.Since you seem to know quite a lot of vendors in the Twin Cities was wondering if you know a reputable dealer that can repair wheel rash? Scraped one of my wheels on my wife’s car yesterday. Anyway thanks for channel hope to run into you at the next C&C

[@AutoAmateur]

Hey Bill! You’re a Twin Cities local?! Nice to meet you! Do you think your wheels need a full refinish or just a touch up? My go-to vendors of choice are LaMettry’s of Chanhassan (ask for Brandon), Imola Motorsport of Plymouth and Adrenaline Customs of White Bear Lake. For a touch up or some solid advice as a starting point I would ask Brandon at LaMettry’s of Chan. Let me ask my friends at the local Porsches and Pancakes group though, I’m sure they have some ideas too. Speaking of which, look us up on Facebook! We have a group page. Hope to see you at C&C some time! Cheers.

[@billtong9385]

Auto Amateur Thanks for the leads!! The wheel just needs a touch up . I’ll hit up Lamettry’s in Chan since I’m located in EP. Let’s hope for an early spring and get back on the road!!!!!!!

[@jasonpelletier4693]

Another great video. What trim removal kit did you buy again?

[@AutoAmateur]

I have this trim removal kit... Cal Hawk Tools CAPTR11 Trim Removal Tool Kit www.amazon.com/dp/B009QLBDSW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Ix9sCb8SJV8A9

[@rickwintheiser5621]

You amaze me... such bravery to tear your baby apart... this seems difficult but the steering wheel will be intriguing to watch.. Good luck!

[@AutoAmateur]

Haha. Thanks Rick!! I don’t worry about the brakes too much, maybe I should. I’m also super nervous about doing jobs on the interior of the car. I think because I’m so tall, the working space inside the car is so small and the smallest little scrape or scratch on the leather surfaces will be expensive to repair or if left, a painful constant reminder of failure. 😳😆😆😆

[@rickwintheiser5621]

@@AutoAmateur BTW, good that I am not independently wealthy because as much as I love Porsche, I love small airplanes! There is a channel that is particularly well done, and one you may want to look over, just for the video he does. You do a great job, this guy is next level... You might glean some ideas from looking through someone crazier than us.. :) LOL kzbin.infovideos

[@AutoAmateur]

Very cool!! Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll check out that channel! Cheers!

[@simonh3807]

I do like watching your video. But just a couple of points. There is a 10mm bolt holding the hardline brake pipe, when you forces the Calipers you could have broke it. Also I see you where tightening the Calipers initially. Could have easily damaged the threats in the hub, lucky guy didn’t use a larger bar to try brake them loose.

[@jesperp9081]

Do you feel the same difficulty with the 996 you had or was it harder?

[@AutoAmateur]

Overall the job was exactly the same in terms of the different tasks. I think it was much easier this time though. I did the one wheel in the video in about 45 mins, including filming. On the 996 I was averaging about 1 hour per wheel.

[@jesperp9081]

@@AutoAmateur Im gonna do it soon on my 996 c4 :D Love ur vids

[@AutoAmateur]

Thanks so much, that’s very kind!! Good luck with the job and if you get stuck please hit me up here or at [e-mail] !

[@jamesoades4089]

I always thought you were running PCCB...

[@AutoAmateur]

To tell the truth, I thought they were PCCBs when I drove my 996 to Chicago to buy the car and do the trade! Suffice to say, I was a little sad to realize it wasn’t the case once I travelled the 6 hours to get there... 🤣🤦🏼‍♂️ But at that point I was in all the way, I wanted the car and its spec badly, and I got a great price for my 996.

[@jamesoades4089]

Auto Amateur It’s a shame I can’t share an image of my 997 with you on here. It is black, with PCCB and Lobsters, it would give you a nice visual to how your setup will look shortly... I have to say you have great taste 😉

[@AutoAmateur]

Shoot me an email! [e-mail]

[@AutoAmateur]

Ps. Thank you! 🤩😆🙌

[@xkrnxboix]

Your caliper pin wasn't completely seated like before. Also, did you happen to put it in backwards?

[@AutoAmateur]

Keen eyes! The pin only goes in one way. It has a slightly thinner end on one side than the other. However you’re right, the pin isn’t quite 100% across. I ran out of time and plan to go back over the caliper, take it off and give it a thorough clean when I install the new wheels. Thanks!

[@xkrnxboix]

@@AutoAmateur I noticed because the head of the pin was yellow before and now it is not!

[@ericmwalsh]

Nice video! It looks like you're getting more comfortable with working on your car, the more projects you take on the better you will become. A couple years ago I couldn't even take the tires off my S2000, now I'm comfortable with handling pretty much everything except engine internals. Now that you've changed out your pads/rotors you should do a brake fluid flush! The Porsche dealership charges close to $300 but you can do it for $40 (brake fluid) + 2 hours. If you're feeling extra special, you should add stainless steel brake lines as well... these are the ones you want: www.essexparts.com/spiegler-stainless-brake-lines-porsche-front-and-rear I am glad that you make these videos! I just got my 2005 997 C2S a month ago and have been using your videos as a guide for what I want to do with my 911. So far I've added an LaPower Bluetooth adapter and the Numeric Racing shifter + shifter cables. This weekend I'm going to be doing fluid flushes and installing my stainless steel brake lines... I love this car!!

[@AutoAmateur]

Hey Eric, thanks so much and that all sounds awesome! I had a brake flush in the summer but I’d love to try it myself next time. I would do the new brake lines at the same. I’ve got a few other things in the pipeline like maybe some lowering springs and coil overs. We’ll see. I’ve got to get through the rims, spacers and steering wheel first. 🤔 Thanks watching and commenting!

[@ericmwalsh]

​@@AutoAmateur that steering wheel install is going to be interesting, it's always scary playing around with a loaded airbag... The rims and spacers should be pretty straightforward. I recommend being careful when it comes to lowering springs or coilovers. Lowering the car without correcting other parts of the suspension geometry can have some adverse effects... examples are things like "bump steer" or exaggerated understeer/oversteer. From what I understand you'll probably want to accompany the lowering springs/coilovers with adjustable sway bars and adjustable sway bar end links. That being said I would recommend consulting with your local/favorite Porsche 911 specialty shop. I am fortunate to have huge names nearby in SoCal including BBi and GMG Racing. The advice about the sway bars + end links was given to me (while inquiring about coilovers for my own 911) via Allen Ward, the head Porsche specialist at GMG Racing.

[@ericmwalsh]

Note... I am an avid track enthusiast and I daily my 997 and plan on taking it to 5-7 track days per year. The sway bars + end links may not be necessary for your usage/needs so again I recommend consulting with a specialist.

[@AutoAmateur]

Eric Walsh that’s great advice. Thanks!!

[@ItsfunnehKREWfan]

Hey Eric. Great choice of make and model. Have the same year and model. Have been working my way inside out. I was considering the numeric. Is it as good as you thought it would be? Also considering the Lapower. Happy with it?