How-To: Change Front Brake pads (non srt)

getcrunk88 · Post by **getcrunk88** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 10:23 am

im just stating the importance of torquing bolts no matter how small....I am crazy lmfao

Post by **racer12306** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 10:26 am

ahh got it now.

yeah, i broke a head bolt on my jr dragster when i was 10, now i torque everything.

getcrunk88 · Post by **getcrunk88** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 10:31 am

hahah it happens i guess is that a 87 monte carlo im looking at on ur sig?

Post by **racer12306** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 10:32 am

85, 87's had aluminum wheels

getcrunk88 · Post by **getcrunk88** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 10:36 am

ahhh i love it looks really good 305ho im guessing? Its nice to see a classic in good shape

aperson · Post by **aperson** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 11:35 pm

My dad always taught me to loosen the reservoir cap because on some cars when you go to collapse the piston, it will instead of blowing the cap off if you were to loosen it, blow the reservoir off, they are only held in by the friction of the o-rings that seal it, if you want, try moving the reservoir side to side and you'll see.

yellowpatrol · Post by **yellowpatrol** » Fri May 25, 2007 10:45 am

I hate to ask, but when you say

OB wrote:STEP 10: Replace the rotor, then reinstall the caliper onto the rotor. To do this make sure the little clips on each end of the brake pads are sitting in their proper place on the steering knuckle.

do you mean that you have to get brand new rotors? And what is this business about turning rotors?

cgneon · Post by **cgneon** » Fri May 25, 2007 11:44 am

ob quote replace = put back on i believe, not replace.

you dont always have to get new rotors. only if theve worn down too far, or get warped. or grooves say from not changing pads soon enough and they start grinding, thats when you want to get the rotor TURNED ( they put it on a machine and smooth it down), BUT, it can only be done a couple times since there is a safety issue minimum thickness a rotor should have. so if it cant be turned from being warped or damaged, or if its been turned too many times already, then you would need new rotors..

Post by **racer12306** » Fri May 25, 2007 3:54 pm

you always want to either replace or turn a rotor whenever changing brakes. you will kick yourself if you dont.

OB · Post by OB » Fri May 25, 2007 4:36 pm

Indeed, I meant to reinstall it.

And as far as turning, or 'machining' a rotor/drum, as the others said above me, this is done to create a fresh and smooth surface using a brake lathe. Many shops will do this for a pretty fair price, but if your rotors/drums are old and have seen a few sets of pads and/or have been machined a few times, I suggest replacing them with new ones. I didnt opt to have mine turned when I did my pads because 1. the car only had 15k miles and it wasnt necessary, and 2. I plan on upgrading the brakes next time I do work on them (not for awhile probably).

yellowpatrol · Post by **yellowpatrol** » Fri May 25, 2007 5:07 pm

Okay, so I probably don't need to turn mine since I only have 40k? Also, I know this is slightly off-topic, but what is involved it maintaining the rear drum brakes?

OB · Post by OB » Sat May 26, 2007 6:12 am

At 40k it wouldnt be a bad idea to have them machined. It really depends on how worn the rotors are, and also on how hard your brakes have been used during that 40k. If theyre not smooth, have any kind of lip around the pad surface etc, they need turning.

For the drums, you shouldnt have to worry about replacing the shoes for a bit longer, but it wouldnt hurt to look into it within the next few thousand miles. Again, it depends on their wear and your driving. E-brake drifts daily will fry those shoes and destroy the drums in short order, but responsible daily driving wont wear them down nearly as fast as the front pads. My dad has 60k miles on his neon and has yet to replace the rear shoes (though he's quite due for a set). I plan to change mine out around 30k, just because I like the car to be at its best, no expenses spared.

flamingpinhead · Post by **flamingpinhead** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 9:59 pm

any chance someone can do a how-to on the drum brakes? mine need replaced bad.

Post by **racer12306** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 10:02 pm

You need to replace your drum brakes?????

I'm very surprised.

Mine were still good at 65000 miles.

yellowpatrol · Post by **yellowpatrol** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 12:56 am

Wow 65?

OB · Post by OB » Tue Jun 19, 2007 1:02 am

flamingpinhead wrote:any chance someone can do a how-to on the drum brakes? mine need replaced bad.

dont you drive an srt4?

yeah the drums will last much longer than the fronts. They only handle about 20% of the job during hard braking.

BlackRoseRacing · Post by **BlackRoseRacing** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 6:57 am

please get back on topic of the front brakes please....

tommigun · Post by **tommigun** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:06 pm

Great write-up. I just did mine last weekend and found this to be very helpful.

I also noticed the difference between the driver and passenger sides. On the driver side, the caliper came easily of bottom first, top second and went back on top first, bottom second. On the passenger side the caliper came of top first, bottom second and went back on bottom first, top second. But it could have been just me.

Post by **racer12306** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:05 pm

yeah, it seems like they used the same caliper for both sides, just they are opposite of each other for installation purposes because of that.

gilly02le · Post by **gilly02le** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 12:34 pm

when applying my brakes in reverse, after my car has sat overnight, i hear the driver side brake make a small click sound the first time i apply the brake, and dont hear it again until the car has sat overnight.. any clue what might be causing this? clips too loose on the pads? or something else.. guide pins are torqued to spec as well..

spencersummerfield · Post by **spencersummerfield** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 12:54 pm

gilly02le wrote:when applying my brakes in reverse, after my car has sat overnight, i hear the driver side brake make a small click sound the first time i apply the brake, and dont hear it again until the car has sat overnight.. any clue what might be causing this? clips too loose on the pads? or something else.. guide pins are torqued to spec as well..

pads shifting against the caliper... ALOT of peoples breaks make that noise.. mine did especially after I put in my powerslots and hawk pads. normal.

atom · Post by **atom** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:02 pm

BuBzSxT-4 · Post by **BuBzSxT-4** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 3:53 pm

what size is the big nut that hold the rotor in place?

Post by **racer12306** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 4:33 pm

that does not need to be removed. in order to remove the rotor, you remove the caliper and then that little tiny piece of sheet metal that is pushed over one of the studs.

OB · Post by OB » Wed Sep 12, 2007 2:17 am

^Correct, the rotor is actually held down by the wheel, and is free to be removed once the caliper is off.

kevo · Post by **kevo** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 10:21 am

does anyone have the pics saved from this thread? Gotta change my pads this weekend and i just wanted to see some pics to clarify the instructions.

OB · Post by OB » Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:36 pm

I still feel like an idiot for accidentally deleting those pics.

2001DodgeNeonSe · Post by **2001DodgeNeonSe** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 11:55 pm

EDITED: Added some pics!!!!

I finally got around to changing out my front pads, here's some pics and info from my experience. Note this is on a 05 neon sxt, all brake systems are not exactly the same (you'll find out why below).

TOOLS NEEDED:

10mm socket and ratchet
Needle nose pliers (optional)
Regular pliers
Chisel/wedge (optional)
C-Clamp (4" opening will do)
Jack and stands
whatever else u might feel u need!

STEP 1: Drive up on some 2x4s if your car is low like mine. Park car in gear and pull ebrake up all the way. Begin on one side of car by jacking it up just enough to get a jack stand under it. Check to make sure you are safe to work, then proceed.

STEP 1a: Take the cap off your brake cylinder to relive pressure or it might create back pressure and start leaking out by the cap. (like mine did)

STEP 2: Remove wheel/tire by removing all five lug nuts, and set them aside and out of the way. Be sure to keep track of lugs.

*At this point it is a wise idea to wear gloves if possible ( I couldn't find mine)

STEP 3: Remove rotor retaining clip by gently prying open the small arms, then using a wedge type device to pry them away from the rotor surface. I used a chisel and removed it easily. Needle nose pliers work great for prying back the little arms that hold onto the threads. ( I didnt have the retaining clip on my 01 brakes) Some have it and others don't.

STEP 3: Remove caliper guide pin bolts from the inboard side of the caliper (wheel well side). They are 10mm and fairly easy to reach. Be sure not to remove the lubricant from these bolts, as they need to be returned the way they came out. SEE PIC--

STEP 4: Loosen the caliper by gently wiggling the rotor back and fourth, then grab ahold of the caliper and it wiggle it off.

*Be careful not to damage the piston or the guide pin boots when removing the caliper.

**DO NOT let the caliper assembly hang freely from the brake lines! Use something (like a jackstand) to balance it and be sure not to create any tension on the fittings of the lines.

STEP 5: Set the caliper on its backside so that you can easily access the brake pads. Remember not to let the brake lines twist or deform in any way, keep them as stress free as possible.

STEP 6: Remove the outer brake pad first, by prying the clamps off one side at a time. SEE PIC

STEP 7: Remove the inner brake pad next, by first pulling the top portion of it towards you, then pulling the bottom. There isnt really a perfect way to get them out, but i found this to be easiest.

STEP 8: Use C Clamp to depress the piston. Be very careful not to damage the piston or overtighten the clamp. Once the piston is depressed, you can remove the clamp and it will remain open.

STEP 9:Use some brake lubricant and lube the caliper ring and guide pin bolt opening on both sides. Insert new pads, starting with the inner one, working exactly reverse from the way they came out.Do the same for the outer pad (very simple) by slipping the clamps over the caliper, right into the little grooves that hold them in. No prying is necessary, but it might help if its difficult.

STEP 10: Replace the rotor, then reinstall the caliper onto the rotor. To do this make sure the little clips on each end of the brake pads are sitting in their proper place on the steering knuckle.

***My left knuckle was different that the right one, causing incredible frustration when attempting to reinstall the calipers. I was lucky enough to have pics of the install to match up against the finished left side and show that they were indeed different. I did not, however, take any of the right side after this point. This is why there are no more pics of the reinstallation portion of the job. Do yourself a favor and TAKE A PICTURE of both sides, at least once while they are fully assembled and once when taken apart, and use them as a guide to reinstall the calipers.

From what ive been told, not all neons have symmetrical knuckles, so check and be sure to keep track of which is which so u can avoid the immense frustration me and my assistant (my gf! ) had to deal with.

STEP 11: Put everything back together. Once the calipers are in, the rest is cake. Just replace the guide pin bolts, making sure the rotor has clearance before tightening them all the way down. Replace the rotor clip, pry down all the arms, and replace the wheel and tire combo.

BREAKING IN THE BRAKES>>>

Make 3-4 moderate (firm pedal pressure but not hard) stops from 30-40 mph, then make 3-4 hard stops from 20-30 then 30-40 mph, allowing the brakes to lock up if necessary. After this the pads should have seated and are ready for normal operation.

Check for rubbing sounds or anything that feels out of place and address it. IF the brakes feel mooshy at all, bleed the lines and replace the fluid.

DONE!

Attention: I 2001dodgeNeonSe added some pics after doing mine this weekend, the original pics of the how to got deleted some how so I added some, so you can get the idea. My car brakes are from an 01 SE. And the oringinal how to was written for an 05. Pretty much the same though. )

Addicted2Boost · Post by **Addicted2Boost** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 5:30 pm

i need pics please im going to do this, this weekend

2GN.ORG

How-To: Change Front Brake pads (non srt)

Re: How-To: Change Front Brake pads (non srt)