How to Replace Brake Pads
How to Replace Brake Pads
Have you ever been curious and wanted to learn how to replace brake pads? Look no further, we are here to help!
Replacing brake pads is one of the easiest jobs on the car, but repair shops don’t want you to know this, because brake jobs are easy money! As a technician, anytime I hear a car with brakes squealing/grinding it usually sounds like a money machine cashing out haha.
You will need to determine what tools you need to complete the job, but I will add a small list below of tools that are used on most brake jobs.
Tools needed:
-Sockets(some vehicles will require Torx /Allen sockets)
-Wrenches
-Pliers
-Brake piston compressor
-Prybar
Supplies needed:
-Brake pads
-Brake Cleaner
-Slide pin lubrication
-Brake fluid
-Drain Pan or Spill Mat to catch Brake Cleaner
Start by lifting the vehicle up and securely supporting it on jack stands. Once you have the vehicle lifted then it is safe to remove the wheel/tire assembly.
Remove the wheel and tire assembly. When it is taken off you will have access to the brake caliper assembly.
Brake Caliper/Bracket and Rotor assembly
Once you have access to the brake caliper assembly you will need to remove the caliper retaining bolts, they will be the two bolts that hold the caliper to the caliper slide pins, remove these and you will be able to remove the caliper assembly.
Caliper Slide Pin Bolts
After you separate the brake caliper assembly you will be able to compress the piston back into the caliper using the piston compressor tool. There are two types of pistons, pistons that push directly in, or pistons that need to be spun back into place, be sure to have the proper tool for the type of pistons you are working with to prevent damage.
New Brake Pad Hardware in Caliper Bracket
Slide Pins moving freely with fresh Grease
After getting the calipers compressed you are ready for reassembly. Install new brake hardware if it was supplied with the pads. Inspect and lubricate the caliper slide pins as needed, these are a vital part of the proper braking operation and you want to make sure they keep smooth functionality and don’t dry up.
Install the new brake pads and check for proper piston clearance, if everything looks good then you are ready to push the caliper over the pads and tighten the slide pin bolts.
After you have everything reinstalled go and apply the pedal to add pressure back to the system. Inspect the work you did to make sure everything is tight and free of leaks. If all is good take it out for a test drive to verify proper brake operation. Make sure the pedal is firm after the first start-up. If everything drives and sounds smooth then you are all done!
If you are curious and want to learn more about the braking system click here!
Use these affiliate links to order your own piston compressor tool and disc brake service set!
Very accurate and full article, I had the feeling that even I can learn how to replace brake pads myself, so from there comes a question – Do you think that someone that has no experience or just a little with repairing cars should get involved in this process without having a professional mechanic next to him?
Great question Victor! It would depend on how comfortable you are with mechanical work and tools. I have found that as long as you have a bit of mechanical aptitude then the jobs like this are pretty simple. The first time I ever did a brake job I had no clue what I was doing, but was able to piece it together like a big puzzle
Oh wow! Now this is a really helpful and cool site. I wish I new more about cars and how to fix them. I have always been fascinated by them but I am intimidated on figuring the car parts out. I also feel that cars are very different from one another. This post is a step in the right direction for me and I feel what better place to start with then the brakes. Brakes are super important and if I can figure this out then I can save a lot of money configuring my own brakes own my own car once my brakes have worn out. I look forward to more car help in the future. Thank you for the help.
You are very welcome Eric. My goal is to help people understand more about vehicles and in doing so maybe help give them to take on some repairs themself. Keep an eye on the site for future posts and see what you can learn 🙂
Hello; wow, interesting lesson on how to replace brake pads. I am scared to do it myself. I always take my vehicle to the auto repair to replace my Brake Pads.
Even though I have gone through this training in the Road Code manual your tutorial on how to replace brake pads is so real, let me feel as I am getting the information for the first time and it is so easy to follow.
Do you suggest after following this guide, one should be brave enough to replace one’s brake pads without fearing something might go wrong after reassembling?
DorcasW
Yeah, it can be an intimidating job for sure. I have learned that most people who are mechanically inclined a little bit will be able to get it done no problem. As long as patience and attention is used then brake pads are a pretty user friendly repair
Slick presentation. I think being able to do these things is very important, and as you say, it’s a simple job and easy money for repair shops.
After reading your instructions, I feel reasonably confident that I could get the job done having never done it before. I used to be a mining electrician/mine mechanic, so I am used to tinkering with machinery.
What did you mean by brake hardware? And what are the caliper slide pins? Also, do you need to put any grease on the back of the brake pads to prevent squeaking?
I suppose there will be many who will appreciate this post.
Awesome, I am glad it helped your confidence a bit 🙂
The brake hardware is the metal clips in the photo, the clips that attach to the caliper bracket and secure the pads in place are known as the hardware, thanks for asking, I am going to edit and make that a bit more clear.
I have not ever used grease on the back of the pads, usually, only on the slide pins and maybe a little one the pad/bracket surface area, I have worked with techs that swear by using grease on the pads and I have not seen any issues arise from that. I try to use OEM brake pads and seem to have minimal noise complaints by doing so.
Hello, the first thing that i noticed when i opened this page is the beauty of the website. i am sure you have put much effort into creating this article and the details are really clear here. the clarity and explicit explanation makes it easier than it is supposed to be. thank you very much for this post.
Wow! This is one of the coolest sites to me because I have got information from this site. I have a garage and I fixed the car. But last time when I was fixing by that time, I faced a lots problems because I did not face this type of problem before. When I found your article, I got amazing information from your article. How to change brake pad; I don’t have any idea about that sector. So, I follow your instruction which was helpful and beneficial to me. Because you have described step by step.
Finally, I would like to give you thanks again for publishing this article which is on the valuable subject. Obviously, I will discuss this post with my friends and my buddy so that they can get some information and finding a better solution. Can I share your article on my social media?
Awesome! I am glad you found some helpful info 🙂
Yes please do share!
I would love to create a website like yours as the template used is really nice, simple and brings about clarity of the write ups, but then you wrote a brilliant article on how to replace brake pads. sometime when our brake pad fails on the highway or we are been charged too much, this will really help us.