How to Replace Car Brake Pads (Illustrated)

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   Purchase the proper brake pads. Pads can be purchased at any auto parts store or at your local car dealership. Simply tell them the year, make, and model of your vehicle, and they will recommend a pad within your price range. In general, the higher the price, the longer they last.

   • Some very expensive pads with higher-than-desirable metal content may be aimed at the 'Rally' market for use with performance rotors. You should probably avoid these because they are likely to cause premature rotor wear. Furthermore, some people believe that cheaper pads are noisier than "brand name" pads.
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   Check that the vehicle has cooled down. If you've recently driven, your brakes, calipers, and rotors may be extremely hot. Before proceeding, ensure that these parts are safe to touch.

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   Remove the lug nuts. Loosen the lug nuts that hold the wheels onto the car about two-thirds of the way with the lug wrench that came with the car.

   • Don't try to loosen all of the tires at once. Depending on your vehicle and how evenly the brakes wear, you should replace at least the two front pads or the two back pads. So begin with the front or the back.
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   Jack up the car carefully until it can be removed comfortably. To determine the proper position for the car jack under your vehicle, consult your owner's manual. Place some blocks behind the other wheels to prevent the vehicle from rolling forward or backward.

   • Place a jack stand beneath the vehicle's frame. DO NOT rely solely on the jack. Repeat on the opposite side of the car to ensure that both sides are securely supported.
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   Take off the wheels. When the vehicle is raised, finish loosening and removing the lug nuts. Pull the wheel straight out towards you to remove it.

   • Before refitting the wheel, clean the studs, stud holes, rotor mounting surface, and rear mounting surface of the alloy wheel with a wire brush and apply anti seize compound if the wheel rims are alloy.
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   Remove the caliper bolts with the appropriate size socket or ring-spanner. [1] The caliper is a clamp-like device that fits over the brake rotor and uses hydraulic pressure to slow the wheel. The brake pads will rub against the rotors, slowing the vehicle to a stop. Calipers are typically one-piece or two-piece designs that are secured with two to four bolts on the inside of the stub axle housing, where the tire fits onto the axle. Spray these bolts with WD-40 or PB Penetrating Catalyst to help them come loose.

   • Examine the caliper pressure At rest, a car's caliper should move back and forth slightly. If not, the caliper is under tension and may fly off when the bolts are removed. When checking, take extra care to keep your body to the side of its path, even if it is loose.
   • Examine the caliper mounting bolts and the mounting surface for shims or performance washers. If there are any, remove them and keep track of them for future replacement. To replace the brake pads, refit the caliper without them and measure the distance from the mounting surface to the brake pad.
   • Many Japanese vehicles use a two-piece sliding caliper that can be removed by simply unscrewing two forward-facing slider bolts with 12-14mm heads. It is not necessary to remove the entire caliper.
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   Secure the caliper to the wheel well with a small piece of wire. Because the caliper is still connected to the brake line, hang it up with a small piece of wire hanger or other scrap metal so it does not hang and put pressure on the flexible brake hose.

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   Take out the old pads. Finally Take note of how each brake pad is attached. They usually snap or clip in with metal clips attached. Take off both pads. They may require some force to pop out, so be careful not to damage the caliper or brake line while removing them.

   • Inspect brake rotors for warping, heat damage, or surface cracks and replace as needed. When replacing brake pads, it is recommended that the rotors be replaced or resurfaced.
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   Put on the new pads. Spread anti-seize lubricant on the metal contact edges and the back of the pads at this point. This will eliminate a lot of squeaking. Do not, however, get any lubricant on the inside of the brake pads. If any lubricant comes into contact with that material, the brake will no longer provide friction and will be rendered useless. Attach the new pads in the same manner that the old ones were.

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   Examine the brake fluid Check the brake fluid level in your vehicle and add more if necessary. When finished, replace the brake fluid reservoir cap.

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   Change the caliper Slide the caliper back over the rotor slowly, taking care not to damage anything. Replace and tighten the bolts that secure the caliper.

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   Replace the wheel Slide the wheel back into place and hand tighten each of the lug nuts snug before lowering the car

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   Loosen the lug nuts. Tighten the lug nuts in a "star" pattern once the car is back on the ground. Tighten one lug nut, then the one across from it, until each nut is fully tightened to torque specifications.

   • The torque specifications for your vehicle can be found in the owner's manual. This ensures that the lugs have been tightened sufficiently to prevent the wheel from coming off or over-tightening.
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   Begin the engine. Pump the brakes 15 to 20 times while the vehicle is in neutral or park to ensure the pad is properly seated. Top off brake fluid levels or proceed to the section on bleeding brakes to flush out old fluid and replace it with new fluid.

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   Put your new brake pads to the test. Going no faster than 5 mph (8 km/h) 0 km/h) on a quiet residential street, brake normally If the vehicle appears to stop normally, repeat the test at a speed of up to 10 mph (16 km/h). Rep several times, gradually increasing your speed to 35 or 40 mph (56 or 64 km/h). Check in reverse as well. These braking tests ensure that your brake pads are properly installed, give you confidence when driving on busy streets, and help "seat" the brake pads into place.

   • Look for problems. The new pads may squeak slightly, but if you hear a grinding, metal-on-metal sound, you have probably reversed the brake pads (i). e , the inside surface is facing the wrong way) This should be corrected right away.

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   Remove the brake master cylinder cap. [2] Brake fluid will become contaminated by dirt and other particulates in the air and from the car's mechanics. It will also absorb moisture from the air, lowering its boiling point dangerously. Before changing your pads and calipers, you'll need to bleed the brake fluid from the system, but you'll also want to make sure the fluid is topped off (perhaps counterintuitively). Check the fill line and add more if necessary. While bleeding the system, leave the cap off.

   • Because you're bleeding the fluid from the calipers themselves--the fluid trapped in the line--you still need a steady supply in the master cylinder.
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   Determine the bleed sequence. In general, you should bleed the brake furthest away from the master cylinder first, so consult your owner's manual before proceeding. The specific order of each car varies. Check with an auto parts store if you don't have the owner's manual.

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   Attach a small plastic hose to the bleeder nipple. This works well with inexpensive aquarium tubes. To catch the fluid, put the other end of the hose in a small bottle or pan. To prevent air from entering the system, hang or hold the bottle above the calipers with gravity on your side. [3]

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   Have a helper pump the brakes. With the engine turned off, have your friend repeatedly pump the brakes until they encounter resistance. They should shout to you if they feel resistance, at which point you should unscrew the bleeder screw slightly and tell them to hold the brake down.

   • At this point, the fluid should drain down the hose into the bottle or pan. When your friend's foot touches the floor, replace the bleeder screw.
   • Repeat until there are no more air bubbles in the tube. [4]
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   Check the system for air bubbles twice. There are still air bubbles in the system if pressing the brake pedal causes the fluid in the master cylinder to gurgle. Begin bleeding them again before continuing.

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