What are brake pads?

Rear Brake Pads Image

Brake pads are pucks of high friction material glued or rivetted to a steel backing plate. They are installed in the restriction callipers and squeezed against the brake discs by hydraulic pistons, which are moved by brake fluid that is forced against them by the primary cylinder via your foot.

At one time, many years agone, brake pads were made out of more often than not asbestos, merely because of cancer concerns, they no longer are. However, you should never clean brake dust off with compressed air because the friston material is still not annihilation you want in your lungs. Fifty-fifty carbon ceramic and metalic brake pads exit dust that will irritate your lungs and could exercise worse.

Warning

Rear disc brakes may require a special tool or procedure to retract the parking brake. Your Haynes manual has all the details.

When to change your restriction pads

"Take a look at the edge of the pad inside the caliper for an indication of how worn they are"

Information technology'due south of import that your rear brake pads are examined whenever the car is serviced and replaced when necessary, for safe performance. Your car may have an electronic sensor and warning light for when the pad has worn down, or a metal tab that squeals, but many don't. The all-time way to know for sure is to jack up the car, remove a rear wheel and examine the pads directly. Always check the balance of the brake system when replacing the pads - if the discs/rotors are worn thin, grooved, or warped take them machined smoothen or consider replacing them.

All cars are slightly different, so if it is time to modify your restriction pads, use our before you brainstorm checklist, and find your car for specific instructions.

How to change your rear brake pads

This is a sample video. The full step-by-pace instructions for your model are in the manual.

A very brief summary of the job:

  1. Raise the car, support information technology on jack stands, and remove the wheels
  2. Place a drain pan under the disc, and clean the brakes with aerosol brake cleaner
  3. Retract the parking brake piston electronically or with a retraction tool. See manual for specifics
  4. Remove the caliper mounting bolts and slide the caliper off the disc
  5. Remove the pads from the caliper, and examine the disc for wear
  6. Insert the new pads and any necessary clips
  7. Reinstall the caliper and tighten the bolts
  8. Check the brake fluid level

Why brake pads need replacing

Brake pads are critical for the prophylactic functioning of your car, and should be maintained to avert a potential disaster. If the pads wear down to the bankroll plate, stopping sistances will be a lot farther and may cause an accident.

The friction material on the pads is slightly softer than the steel discs and with time, the pads wear down. Starting with more than than 1/four inch of fabric,  a microscopic corporeality is rubbed off every fourth dimension you cease. You lot'll need to replace them earlier the backing plate are rubbing the discs, or you lot will rapidly need to supercede the discs as well.

Some cars take brake pad vesture indicators, which actuate a light on the dashboard when the pads demand replacing. A simpler article of clothing indicator is a trivial metal tab which hits the disc and starts to squeal when they are 75% worn out. Another way of telling how worn the pads are is to examine the level of fluid in the brake fluid reservoir (which drops every bit the pad wears).

Haynes recommends inspecting the pads and measuring the wear whenever you take the wheels off to rotate the tires. This task requires some experience, but uses basic tools, and will take just a minute per bicycle, if you already accept the wheels off.

Earlier you brainstorm

Each brake caliper has two pads and it's important to change both front wheels at the same fourth dimension, to ensure an fifty-fifty braking force. At the same fourth dimension, you lot should examine the discs and turn or supervene upon them if needed.

Tools you will need

Only bones tools are required for this job, except for a piston retraction tool needed on some cars. Yous will need to raise the car to remove the wheels.

  • Flooring jack and jack stands
  • Lug wrench
  • Ruler to measure pad thickness
  • Wire brush
  • Droplets brake system cleaner
  • Brake piston retraction tool
  • Electronic scan tool (to retract piston on some cars)
  • Ratchet and socket ready
  • Torque wrench

Parts y'all may need

  • Brake pads
  • Pad clips/springs
  • Loftier temperature grease
  • Brake fluid

Every car is different, and so before you view the total instructions, find yours…