Replacing s13 Rear Brake Pads

by positronone

Overview:

Difficulty: – **

Time: – 1 hour

Cost: ~ $50

Tools:

– jack and stands
– 14mm Socket wrench and ratchet
– “Disc Brake Quiet” or comparable anti-seize compund
– Brake cleaner
– Clean rag

Procedure:

Support the car on jackstands and remove the wheels. Remove the BMC cap.

Next, use a 14mm socket to disconnect the parking brake from the caliper. I don’t think I had to do it this way. I could have just taken the parking cable with the little cylinder on it and pulled over and out of the bracket on the bottom of the caliper.

The rear brake caliper has two upper and lower pin bolts holding it to the torque member. Remove the bottom pin bolt.

Lower pin bolt.

Now, loosen the upper pin bolt but do not remove it.

With the lower pin bolt removed and the upper pin bolt loosened, you can swing the caliper up to gain access to the brake pads.

To keep the caliper up, use a metal coat hanger or, in my case…I was all out of coat hangers, a small bungee cord to suspend the caliper in the air.

Before you remove the old pads, make sure you pay attention to how the upper and lower pad retainers are positioned. You’ll need to put them back in the same way later.

Pull the outer pad out.

Inner pad next.

Comparo:

Now you can take the Brake Disc Quiet, which should keep your new pads from squealing like a stuck pig, and apply a little on the metal backings of your brake pads and let it dry for a couple of minutes.

This is a good opportunity to take some brake cleaner and clean your retainers, the caliper and the surrounding area which probably has quite a bit of brake dust on it.

Take your retainers and position them on the caliper and insert your pads.

Now comes the part that aggravates many people! In order to get the caliper over the new pads and or rotors which are obviously thicker, you have to retract the caliper pistons. There are a couple of methods to do this, the needle nose pliers or the piston tool.

This can be done with the caliper suspended.

Be careful not to damage the rubber boot.

You can also use a socket wrench and extension.

The piston tool has many different sides for many different vehicles, for these pistons you use the side with small pegs in all four corners.

The piston should be retracted as far as it will go to allow enough room for the caliper to fit over the new pads. To retract, turn the piston clockwise!

With the piston retracted, slide the caliper over the new pads.

Put the lower pin bolt back into place and torque both pin bolts to 16-23ft. lbs. Connect the parking brake cable back to the bottom of the caliper, put your wheels back on and lower the vehicle. Check the brake master cylinder and make sure that it’s full. Pump your brakes to seat the pads, bleed the brakes if necessary and you’re done! When you hit the road, check your pads paperwork for instructions on breaking them in.