Who says replacing worn brakes if difficult? If you like to replace your brake pads to save money, you’ll need a lug wrench, a c-clamp, an open end or adjustable wrench, Allen wrenches (depending on your car), a hammer, and a small bungee cord.
Make sure you have everything before you start this. More importantly, think of safety. You’ll be taking the wheel off so be sure your car is parked at a safe place and resting securely on jackstands.
If you loosened the lugs while the car was still on the ground, they should be pretty easy to remove. Do this from the bottom up, leaving the top lug nut to be removed last. This keeps the wheel in one place while you remove the rest of them and makes it easier to safely catch the wheel once you remove the last nut.
On most cars, the next step is to remove the brake caliper so the pads will slide out through the top. On a few cars, the pads will come out without removing the caliper. You’ll see the brake caliper in the 12 o’clock position just above the lug bolts, riding atop that shiny brake disc.
On the back of the caliper you’ll find a bolt on either side. It will either be a hex bolt or an Allen bolt. Remove these bolts and put them aside.
Hold the caliper from the top and pull upward, wiggling it around to loosen it up. If it’s stubborn, give it a few taps (taps, not Hank Aaron swings) upward to loosen it a bit. Pull it up and slightly away, being sure not to put any stress on the brake line (that black hose that’s still connected).
If there is a place to safely set the caliper back there, do it. If not, you’ll need to take your bungee cord and hang the caliper from something, the giant coil spring staring at you is a good spot. Don’t let the caliper hang by the brake line; it can cause damage and lead to brake failure.
Before you pull out the old brake pads, take a second to observe how everything is installed. If there are little metal clips around the brake pads, note how they are positioned so you can get it right when you put things back together. Better yet, take a digital picture of the whole assembly.
With the caliper out of the way, the brake pads should slide right out. I say should because in a new car they probably would. Since our cars are not always new, you may need to coax them out with a litter tap of the hammer to loosen them up. If your car has little metal tabs holding onto the brake pads, put them to the side because you’ll need them in a minute. Put the new pads in the slots with any metal clips you removed.
At this time, it might be a good idea to inspect your brake discs. As your brake pads wear out, the caliper adjusts itself so that you will have strong brakes throughout the life of the pads. If you look on the inside of the caliper you’ll see a round piston coming out. This is what pushes on the brake pads from the back.
Problem is, it has adjusted to match your worn out pads. Trying to get it over the new pads is like parking a Cadillac in New York City. You can do it, but the damage level will be high. Instead of destroying your new pads, push the piston back to the starting point.
Take the c-clamp and place the end with the screw on it against the piston with the other end of the clamp around on the back of the caliper assembly. Now slowly tighten the clamp until the piston has moved far enough so you can easily plop the caliper assembly over the new pads.
With the piston compressed, you should be able to easily slide the caliper assembly over the new pads. Once you have it there, replace the bolts you removed and tighten them snugly. Press the brake pedal a few times to make sure you have solid brake pressure. The first pump or two will be soft as the piston finds its new starting point on the back of the pad.
Put your wheel back on, being sure to tighten all of the lug bolts. Now double-check your lug bolts just to be sure.
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