Replacing your Front Brake Pads

[obex26]

So I will post up some pics because there is always some one who has never done it. It is very simple I will just add some pics for direction.

The obvious of course is jacking up the truck and removing the tire. Once that is done you should be looking at the caliper. And rotor do a quick inspection of the rotor for gouges or uneven wear marks.

From the back side of the caliper you will notice the two pins that are held in by a clip and between the pads is a tensioner spring.

 

[obex26]

Closer view of the caliper. Now for the record you DO NOT need to remove the caliper to replace the pads...

This is the clip you need to remove prior to pulling the pins. The tensioner spring will come out after the pins have been removed.

 

[obex26]

Now a helpful tip when installing new pins I recommend buying two sets of replacement spring tensioner and clip packages so that you will have even wear of the pads. If you noticed my pads have worn unevenly in the above pictures. The tensioner spring is for retracting the pads from the rotor.

Once you have removed the clip You can use a pair of needle nose to remove the pin from the Caliper.

 

[obex26]

 

[obex26]

Next I would recommend that you remove the cap from the brake master cylinder and place some sort of absorbent towl around the open cap to prevent brake fluid from leaking everywhere for the next part of the process.

 

[obex26]

If you notice I used a pair of channel lock pliers and apply pressure to each part of side and corner of the caliper to push the pistons back in slightly in order to remove the pads from the caliper.

 

[obex26]

 

[obex26]

Now I use the needle nose once again to slid out the pads themself out of the pockets. The other reason that you need to apply pressure to push the pistons in is to ensure room is available for the new pads since they will be much larger then the old pads as far as the meat goes.

 

[obex26]

As for reinstallation it is just a matter of the same steps. There is a lube or bond that you are to apply to the back of the pad and also a metal shield that are optional to reduce squeaking. I did not use them personally but if they are already on there go ahead and put them back on. The new pads if you pushed the pistons in far enough should slide right in. Once both are in Slide in the tensioner springs which I recommend using two of for even wear between the pads. Follow this with reinstalling the pins. Make sure the holes line up in the pins so that you can reinstall the new clip as well. Both front calipers can be done in the same way. Once you have everything back in. You can then place the cap back on the master cylinder. It should only be a matter of pumping your brake pedal one or two times to have a solid pedal again.

Now for clarification. THIS method was intended to make it a quick process of changing your pads. If you have loss of pedal pressure you may need to bleed your system accordingly. I myself found in the process that I had a seized piston in one of my calipers and ended up replacing it. (actually I replaced all 4 and the brake booster and master but that was my problem). Once you have the tires back on and torqued take it for a quick spin if you have pulsation your rotors probably need to be turned which of course will require more work then just a quick pad swap.

 

[tcpoob]

thanks for the detailed pictures. very useful.