How-to: Change Brake Pads
 

Someone mentioned they wanted a step by step guide with a few more pictures than that on the ZChickz website so as long as I was changing mine, I snapped a few and figured I'd write it up for the beginners out there. This will allow you to change the front brake pads. I haven't done the rears yet, but will in the not too distant future.

Items needed:
Brake Pads
Jack (can use one included with car)
14mm wrench or 14mm socket/wrench
21mm socket
Torque Wrench
Large'ish C-Clamp
High Temperature Grease
Brake Cleaner

Things to make the job go easier
Electrical tape (to wrap socket in)
1/2" drive 21mm socket
1/2" drive breaker bar
2" long 1/2" drive extender
1/2" drive torque wrench
Roll around floor jack
Trolley jack block from JC Whitney
Large'ish C-Clamp
High Temperature Grease
Brake Cleaner

OK, now onto the actual stuff:

1) Make sure the car is on a level surface before beginning

2) Put on the emergency brake

3) Wrap the socket in electrical tape to keep from scratching the inside of the lug nut wells. (shown is what comes with the car since I couldn't find my extender until I'd already removed the first wheel).

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/gmsjry/Picture025.jpg

4) Break the lug nuts loose while the car is still on the ground.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/gmsjry/Picture004.jpg

5) Look under the car and identify the proper jack point. It will have 2 small indentations in a rail running underneath the car about 1' to 1.5' behind the front wheel on each side (holy mother of god, could I wash up there please! :D):

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/gmsjry/Picture005.jpg

6) Jack up the car in the above location. The jack that comes with the car is suitable for this.

7) Now completely remove the lug nuts (be careful the tire doesn't fall off)

8) Remove the tire (if it hasn't fallen off)

9) You should now be staring at the brake rotor and caliper assembly (note mad photoshop skills)

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/gmsjry/Picture007.jpg

10) On the back side of the caliper there will be 2 bolts as highlighted in the above photo. The picture below is of one of the two bolts, the other is identical but on the other end of the caliper.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/gmsjry/Picture008.jpg

11) Remove the 2 bolts holding the caliper to the mount (they'll be tight so be careful when they break loose) using the 14mm socket or wrench. (A handy alternative to removing both is to remove the one FURTHEST from the shock/spring. You can then pivot the caliper around the other bolt and don't have to worry about it dangling or falling as in step 12

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/gmsjry/Picture011.jpg

12) Don't let the caliper dangle by the brake line. I simply rested it on the top of the rotor. (If you want to remove the rotor, there are 2 more bolts holding the caliper mount on. Remove those, and the rotor should fall off).

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/gmsjry/Picture012.jpg

13) Remove the 2 old pads. I found the easiest method was to grab the wear tab and pull gently. They came right out with no real effort.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/gmsjry/Picture014.jpg

14) Transfer the small metal plates on the old pads to the new ones. Put a small layer of high temperature grease between the pad the shim, then between the 2 shims on the back pad (the one the caliper contacts. The larger shim goes on the inside, with the smaller shim going over it, as seen in the picture/step above As best as I can determine, these are for pads that don't have the wear tabs built into them. I'd recommend installing them since the Hawk HPS pads don't have the tabs on one of the pads on each side. Turns out these do have a function. They protect the face of the caliper piston and keep the pad backing from scoring the piston face.

15) I installed the pad that came without the wear indicator on the rear side of the rotor since it was easier and the one with the indicator on the outside. Installing them the other way could be more useful since you will be able to visually see the pad without the indicator through the wheel without having to remove it for inspection. I get under my car alot, so....

16) Since the calipers auto-adjust to the wear of the pads, it will be necessary to compress the piston to fit over the new, wider pads. I use one of the old pads and a large C-clamp to do this. If the pads are especially worn, you may have to open the brake fluid resevoir under the hood and suck out some of the fluid as it backs up into the resevoir. Refill with appropriate fluid if necessary. Since my pads only had a couple thousand miles on them, this step wasn't necessary. It's best, if you have to push the piston back in, to thoroughly clean the piston and caliper with brake cleaner prior to pushing it back in. This removes any debris that could score the piston while forcing it back in.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/gmsjry/Picture018.jpg

17) Reinstall the caliper and install the 2 bolts which were holding it on. Tighten with wrench very firmly. You may have to slide the portion on the other side of the caliper (the part with the rubber boot) back a little to get the caliper back on.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/gmsjry/Picture011a.jpg

18) You're now done installing the caliper on one side of the car.

19) Put the tire back on and hand snug the lug nuts (I hold the tire with one hand and tighten with the other once snug).

20) Lower the car to the ground and tighten the lugs in a star pattern to 80 ft-lbs. Basically, once one is torqued, don't torque the one right next to it on either side. Example below:

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/gmsjry/Picture004a.jpg


Note the word of caution in step 11. If not heeded, you too may need the Mandaid. The crappy adhesive in the stock bandaid didn't work so I supercharged the little bastard with some elctrical tape.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/gmsjry/Picture023.jpg

Hope this helps any of you out there considering it. It took about 45 minutes from start to finish. I'd HIGHLY recommend cleaning your wheels inside and out while you have them off the car. I live in a new development and had about 8 lbs. of asphalt cinders stuck to the inside of the wheels.

Feedback is welcome. I have other pictures in case someone has questions about any of the other steps involved.

Edited (things in italics) after some helpful feedback from droideka. Thanks to him for pointing out some helpful suggestions/errors

thanks for the nice instruction~! =)

Excellent guide. Thanks!

Thanks for the lesson. I've got Hawks still in the box and will be installing soon.

thanks
 

Thanks for taking time to post this.

Do the Hawks give off as much dust as the OEM pads?

WayneTN

I had Hawks on now for at least 5000 miles, by far less dust. But I do recommend putting some squeal stop on the back of the pads, they were driving me nuts at first.

I put them on for 2 reasons,

1) Hopefully less dust
2) Less intial bite when first hitting the pedal.

The stocks seemed to grab excessively when first struck and I had the impression of if I wanted to stop that hard, I would have hit the brakes harder in the first place. First impressions are they do in deed have less intial bite. Dust remains to be seen. We're forecasting 5-7" of snow, so it may be some time before I test that one out but others impressions have been favorable.

Excellent guide!

HokieZ,

How would you rate this on the difficult chart 1-10 and 10 being the most difficult. Esp. for someone that never change brakes before.

BTW how many miles did you had before you had to change your front. I know it is base on your driving but just wondering.

and for those of you with BREMBOS you will find the change EVEN EASIER... as you do not have to un-bolt the caliper you just pull the clips and retainer pins - then slide the pads right out!

EASY AS CAKE!

Another reason the BREMBOS ROCK!

In reality, I'd rate it about a 3 for anybody that is the least bit handy. Out of the 3 cars I have, the Nissan is by far the easiest to change the pads on. The pads are floating with the tabs on the pad backing sliding in a couple of grooves so even they aren't affixed to the caliper. Everything just comes right apart, not pushing, pulling, prying and hoping.

I'd only put 4,000 miles on the car (4,079 to be exact) before changing the pads. There was still tons of material and had I been satisfied with the performance/dusting, I would have kept them. I wanted something that dusted less and had less initial bite which time will tell if these do.

Awesome! I've been looking for instructions for us non-Brembo owners.

Thanks much!

This was great! Even though I changed my brake pads 2 weeks ago I found your instructions far better and you included answers to one of my question of how do you remove the brake rotor...now I know! Thanks.

I have a question for you: do you have step-by-step instructions on up grading brake lines too? :D

I'm kinda "iffy" bout this one...maybe cause there's nothing on this subject. Wouldn't it be great if there was a "DIY" (Do it Yourself) catagory here..somewhere?

Thanks again for the great instructions HokieZ!

Thanks for the words. I haven't done the break lines yet, but probably will in the future. When I do, I'll take pictures and write it up again. Biggest part will be bleeding the breaks to get the air out but the lines themselves shouldn't be too bad.

Cheers for the detailed instructions! I second that vote for a DIY section--great idea!

Waiting for my pads to arrive; can't-handle-break-dust-any-more! :D

Wow... thats awesome that you did a whole how to guide on it! Thanks for the info. Too bad I'm too lazy to do it myself :P

Thanks for doing that man, I'm up for a brake job pretty soon. That'll help a lot. Does anyone know how long on average the stock brake pads last? Is there a way to check how much more pad I have left? I want to use the stock pads for as long as I can. I don't really care about the dust because I wash my car like once a week. I do notice the initial bite problem though.

thanks for the guide, i dont remember how much the dealer charged me when i had to change my stock pads (at 15000 miles. is that too soon? my parents got angry and said i drive bad) but i remember thinking it was a lot. next time, ill do it myself. is this the same for the back or are there any differences? is anything, ill send over a PM when the time comes

I have less than 15,000 miles when I changed out the OEM brakes to Hawks HPS..I think Dealers charge way too much for dropping a couple of pads. Last brake job cost me a couple of hundreds..that included cutting the rotors too I bet and greasing the bearings.

So how do we get a DIY section? :D

I haven't done the rears yet, but if memory serves, they are almost identical, but there is a hub/shoe for the emergency break and sometimes (my Jeep has the same configuration) the hub can be a little snug on the shoes. Usually a little persuasion with a rubber mallet is enough to take care of it if it's a little tight.

moved

Very well written How-2!:D

But this is only part 1. New pads NEED to be bedded in properly. A "Coating" of the new pad material needs to be burnished(not sure if that is the right word) onto the rotor. I'm tired, so do a search, or check out Stoptech's site.

PS......loved the electrical tape band-aid!:D :cool:

hey Bruce, have you changed your front pads yet? I'm planning on putting the NISMO pads on when the weather is better.

My question is how do you compress the pistons? A C-clamp won't fit between the caliper.

Well Danny.......I've got BIG Boy Stoptechs, And U have BABY Brembos, Sooooooo, I'm not sure I can advise.:D


BUT.....I'll teach U my tricks at Mid-Ohio.:D :D :D


BTW.....I don't know enough about the Nismo pads, but, from what I've read, don't waste your money. Give Matt at Carbotech a call.


BTW 2....I might have a connection for some rear track Brembos.........:D

Take a look at write up#16 and the picture. There is a notch bout 1-1/2" by maybe 2" clear opening on the opposite side of the piston. The C-clamp (threaded part) goes in there and seats on the piston itself. I have a 5" C-clamp and it was really more than enough to do the job. I do suggest using either the old pad or a small peice of wood to distribute the the pressure over the piston when depressing it into the piston housing.

Are there detailed instructions with pictures for changing the pads on Z's with the brembo brakes??? I couldn't find any on this or other sites. :-/

While I search for one I'll wait for HokieZ's write up on changing the brake lines :D

you are correct. Sorry, i should have been more specfic. I have brembo's on my touring.

You might have big boy Stoptechs, but last time i checked Stoptechs aren't racing in F1!:eek: ;) :D

Agh....i already bought the NISMO's. oh well.

Can you elaborate more on the rear track brembo's?

Dan, a friend has found his OEM Track Brembo's......uhm.......insufficient for his needs (he runs HUGE Hoosier's & Blackhawk is a b*tch on brakes). Soooo, he'll cut me deal on the rears when he gets his HUGE Brembo set.

That's my plan, and I'm sticking to it!:D

Nice write up, and I loved the 'mandaid'. I still have to ge tin there and change my pads....I bought the pads about 3 months ago and haven't had the time....good thing the Brembos will be really easy to change!

Don't Bother with the Nismo Pad as hawk makes the Nismo pads. Just get a good hawk, Carbotech, or Ferodo pad and you will be much better off... I personally perfer Hawk HP+ or HPS (these are more streetable) Our Brembo calapers us the same pads as The R34 Skylines do!

What fluid is he running???

I am having problems with boiling my fluid and I might have to go to bigger brakes if I can't control my heat problems... I am pretty harsh on brakes at the track

Jtree, we both run Motal 600 with no problem. The lack of cooling air is what's killing us. He has Burnt his brakes, I've just way over-cooked mine!:eek:

The Carbotech Panther +'s are a true RACE pad, but they're also work great on the street......if you don't mind a few extra squeaks!:D

Here is an ugly pic of mine:

Four things to add...

1. You DO NOT have to remove both slider pins from the caliper. Removing the top slider (bolt) allows the bottom pin to act as a hinge and you can rotate the top of the caliper off of the assembly allowing access to the pads.

2. Before you go pushing the piston in to make room for new pads, thoroughly clean off the piston and dust boot with brake cleaner. Make it look like new. The build-up of brake dust will score the pistons if you go forcing it back in.

3. Step 14 (swapping shims) is NOT optional on the inboard (piston facing) pads. The shim on the inboard pad protects the piston face from scoring when it deflects. The bare backing plates of pads will wear down that single piston face. This is not an issue on mulitple piston calipers (StopTech, Brembo). In addition, when transferring the shims from one set to another they need to be thoroughly cleaned and re-lubed with high-temp grease. I use High-temp Silicone found at NAPA. You should first apply grease to the pad backing plate, put the first shim on, apply another layer of grease on top of the shim you just replaced and affix the second shim. There are two shims on each pad. If you don't re-lube the shims, you should encounter a lot of squeaking because the shims will be shifting on the backing plate.

4. If you want to do all for corners at once, you can lift the entire side of the car on that one jack point. I DO NOT recommend doing so with the **** jack that comes with the Z. Get a good floor jack with low clearance (I recommend the Harbor Freight aluminum racing jack) and lift the car just enough to slide two jack stands under at their lowest height.

Hmm, thanks for the info.

Someone at work described #1 as well which is handy (no worrying about the caliper falling.

#2 wasn't even necessary on mine since I didn't have to push the piston back in (is only there for illustration) but is very wise on worn pads where the piston has extended significantly.

#3 - 2 shims on each pad? I only recall one. I didn't realize their purpse (My Jeep and VW didn't have either) but I'll be putting the car back up and installing them. :) I'll update the procedure and thanks for the guidance. Learn something new every day....

Agree with you entirely on #4.

The shims are very thin and probably stuck together.

Could be, I'll be putting it back in the air in a few minutes (the snow has finally melted enough to drive the car) to make the necessary corrections.

Thanks again for the write up droideka & HokieZ! Excellent post!

Great instruction, now I got no excuse not to replace my pads since its been making funny noise when the weather is less than 20F.

Thank you, seriously. I've trying to get more into DIY car care. Did my first oil change on my Jeep last summer. Installed my grounding kit and side-markers on the Z. Oh, I also changed the fan-belt on the Jeep.

Besides crappy installs of stereo equipment, that about sums up my experiences with doing my own work on any of my cars. I guess you could count helping a friends dad install an alternator on my Blazer back in college, but all I remember doing was to hand him tools. :D

This was so easy I wondered if I'd done everything right afterwards. I would've never attempted this without such a good walkthrough, but now that I'm done, I left wondering what my concern was in the first place.

Thanks. I didn't want to pay alot to change the brake pads when bigger brakes are just around the corner for me. Granted, I probably spent more than it would've cost for some of the tools, but it's not like they were purchased for a one time thing.

P.S. I didn't check the lug sizes before buying the 21mm sockets, but for those with Volks, 19mm sockets instead of 21's. My box went up to 19 so luckily I didn't need 20mm, lol.

great pics! thanks!

Thanks for the write-up and pictorial. This thread is now bookmarked for when the time comes... ;)

Good idea on the bookmarking. You sure can't use the search to find it. :D

For those like myself who simply will not do anything without the proper torque settings for projects; the rear 14mm bolts get torqued to a max of 22 ft-lbs and the fronts to 36 ft-lbs. :)

Dumb question of the day: How do you apply the brake cleaner?

Do I just spray it over the caliper and pads and then wipe it off with a clean towel. The shop manual talks about cleaning the dust with a vacuum dust collector and do not blow with compressed air.

It also says to replace shims and shim cover as a set when replacing brake pads. I thought we could simply reuse the old shims on the new pads????

Thanks in advance, guys.

BTW: Great write up. Stuff like this makes this forum a goldmine.

K just replace the stock brakes with Hawks HPS, can someone tell me why transfer over the old black plates since the new brake pads already have metal plates on them. All I transfer over was the silver plate for the back side, thx.

what happen to the steps where you have to bleed the brake? or did i miss something here????

No need to bleed the brakes for a simple brake pad change. Bleeding the brakes is needed when removing the entire caliper which is necessary when removing the rotor.

hawks pad
 

wtf!!!

I just got the hawks hps and it already has the shim on it...I tried to put the oem shims on it and it wont fit...in addition, I didn't have to put any quiet grease on it whatsoever.

I was kinda confuse at first but after installing the pads, there's no squeaking or squealing sound.

I follow the break-in of the pads as close as possible...and still no sounds or any viberation.....

This hawks pad is awesome!!

I will test it out again Saturday just to make sure.

Not bad for $45 of this front hawks pad:)


Thank you Rhonda of www.bonesenterprises.com

thanks , gonna use this in a ccouple days, as for the person worrying about 15000 miles being soon, im at 8k and squealing away.