Okay, so I needed to get some new brake pads on the front wheels the other day. The old ones were pretty much shot. First thing, gotta get the car up and secure.
Getting Started
I chocked the back wheels first, don’t want the thing rolling away on me. Then I loosened the lug nuts on the front wheel I was starting with, just cracked ’em loose while it was still on the ground. Much easier that way. After that, I found a solid spot on the frame for the jack and lifted it up. Slid a jack stand under there for safety – never trust just the jack, learned that the hard way years ago.
With the car safely up, I took the lug nuts the rest of the way off and pulled the wheel off. Set it aside flat so it wouldn’t roll off somewhere.
Dealing with the Caliper
Alright, there’s the caliper assembly. Had to get that loose to get to the pads. Usually, there are a couple of bolts on the back holding the main caliper part to the bracket. I found mine, think they were 14mm or something like that. Grabbed my ratchet and broke them loose. Sometimes they can be a bit stuck, might need a little extra grunt or a breaker bar, but these came off okay.
Once the bolts were out, I could wiggle the caliper body off the bracket and the old pads. Important bit here: don’t just let the caliper hang by the brake hose. That’s bad for the hose. I always keep a bungee cord or a piece of wire handy just for this. I hooked it onto the caliper and then looped it over part of the suspension, like the coil spring, so the caliper was supported but out of the way.
Pulled out the old pads. Yep, definitely time for new ones.
Pushing that Piston Back
Now, the main reason for this whole exercise, besides the new pads, was getting that piston pushed back into the caliper housing. The new pads are thicker, obviously, so you need to make space for them. The piston gets pushed out as the old pads wear down.
I grabbed one of the old, worn-out brake pads and placed it against the caliper piston. This gives a flat surface to push against and protects the piston itself. Then I got my trusty old C-clamp. A big one works best. I positioned the fixed end of the clamp against the back of the caliper body and the screw part against the old brake pad I just placed.
Then, I just started slowly tightening the C-clamp. You gotta go slow and steady. You’ll feel some resistance, that’s the brake fluid being pushed back up towards the master cylinder. Something I always do: before starting this, I pop the hood and loosen the cap on the brake fluid reservoir. Don’t take it right off, just loosen it or maybe take it off and put a clean rag over the opening. This lets the fluid move back easier and prevents pressure buildup. Keep an eye on that reservoir too, make sure it doesn’t overflow. Mine was fine, didn’t get close to the top.
I just kept turning the clamp slowly, nice and smooth, until the piston was pretty much flush with the caliper housing. You don’t need superhuman strength, just steady pressure. Once it was all the way back, I loosened the C-clamp and removed it, along with the old pad.
Wrapping Up
With the piston retracted, there was plenty of room. I put a bit of brake grease on the contact points of the new pads, then slipped them into the caliper bracket. Carefully positioned the caliper body back over the new pads and lined up the bolt holes. Put the bolts back in and tightened them up properly. Don’t want those coming loose.
Put the wheel back on, threaded the lug nuts on by hand first in a star pattern, then snugged them up a bit with the wrench. Lowered the car off the jack stand and the jack. Once it was back on the ground, I torqued the lug nuts properly, again using that star pattern.
Final check: Before even thinking about driving, I hopped in and pumped the brake pedal several times. It felt soft at first, which is normal, then firmed right up as the piston moved out to meet the new pads. Checked the brake fluid level again and put the cap back on tight. Did the same whole process on the other side.
Job done. Took a bit of time, but satisfying to do it yourself. Brakes feel good now.