How To Change Brake Pads

Wondering how to change brake pads? If your car’s brake pad isn’t functioning properly you will have to change it. You can take your car to a mechanic or you can be cheap and check the brake pad yourself. Follow these steps to safely change the brake pads to your car.   

Items you will need:

• Maintenance gloves
• Lug wrench
• Bolt wrench
• Flathead screwdriver
• New brake pads

1. Slightly loosen the lug bolts while the car is still on the ground. It will be hard to take off the lug bolts if you don’t loosen them first because the wheel will continuously spin, making your job harder.
2. Place the car jack near the tire where you wish to change the brake pad. For safety precautions, place a jack stand or thick wood underneath the car in case if the car jack fails.
3. You will have to remove the four or five lug nuts using a lug wrench depending on the size of the wheel. Spin the lug wrench counterclockwise to loosen them. If the tire is unable to come off because of rust, plac one hand at the top of the tire. Use the palm of your other hand to strike the bottom of the rubber tire. Roll the tire out of the way.
4. You will have to take off the caliber. The caliber looks like a “C” and holds the brake pads into place. They’re two bolts behind the caliber system, which connects the caliber to the spindle. Unscrew the bolts using the bolt wrench. Pay attention to which bolts go where. There some bolts that are not the same size.
5. Take your flathead screwdriver and place it between the caliber. Use some force to pop open the caliber.
6. Using your fingers, slide the inner brake pad of the caliber out of the piston. Use your hands to remove the outer brake pad out of the caliber.
7. Take your C-clamp and place it over the immediate part of the piston. Tighten up the C-clamp until the piston slides into place.
8. Take the inner brake pad and clip it back into place. Take the outer brake pad and snap it into place.
9. Place the caliber on the rotor. Place the two bolts you’ve taken out back into the caliber. Reassemble the wheel. You’ve now changed the brake pad to your car.