DIY: Gen 3 Front Brake Pad replacement

[ASG14]

This is from a 1996 Camry, but should be the same, are very close, to most others.

Dave (Rininonfumes) reminded me that I should add to take off the Master Cylinder cap when pushing the piston's back into the calipers just for ease.

Originally Posted by Novice_cardude

Should also get some high temp grease (NOT anti-seize) and lube the slide pins ... if nothing else. It's also a good idea to take the torque bar and rotors off and have them machined at a shop to get rid of the old friction material buildup, or any thickness variation.

1: Jack up the car and remove wheel. Place Jack Stand under car for safety.

2: Unscrew the bottom slide pin caliper screw as shown:




3: Pull up the caliper. It may be a little tight, but just wiggle it a little and it will slide off. It's best to tie the caliper up EVEN if it looks like it will stay. Just a precaution to make it easier.




4: Take note at which way everything is together. Circled in red is the ware indicator for when the pads get low. Put it back in the same place on the new pads. There should be a little notch that it clips into.




5: Push back the piston to allow for the new thickness of the pads. Shown is the easiest tool to use for this. You can get them cheap.




6: Put the backing plate(s) and ware indicator back onto the new pad. Yous may differ slightly.






7: Pop the Pads back in just how you took them out.




8: Put back the springs that push the pads apart. If your car has over 60k miles, I'd suggest getting new ones from the dealer. They are cheap. Mine after 85k miles lost a lot of their spring.




9: Pull the caliper back down, and tighten the slide pin caliper screw.

10: The brake peddle will go to the floor when pumping until they readjust to the new calipers. So pump the brakes until hard BEFORE you start driving.

[eyeball96]

Excellant...Thanks for the information!

[Novice_cardude]

Should also get some high temp grease (NOT anti-seize) and lube the slide pins ... if nothing else. It's also a good idea to take the torque bar and rotors off and have them machined at a shop to get rid of the old friction material buildup, or any thickness variation.

But for a quick pad slap, that's a really good writeup!

[ASG14]

^ Thanks, added to the DIY at the beginning.

[sig998]

Pics not working

[RningOnFumes]

Pics work fine, make sure you have it enabled in your options.

Do this:

Control panel> Edit Options> Under "thread display options" make sure the box for "show images" is checked.


Dave

[FishyMan]

does brake fluid have shelf life?

[hooRAH]

Originally Posted by FishyMan

does brake fluid have shelf life?

Only if you open it I believe.

[MetropolisPt31]

Great guide!

I managed to get one side replaced today but I spent a good chunk of time trying to figure out how to replace a broken wheel lug. Oy, if it ain't one thing it's another.

[bplubell]

Thanks! Changed by brake pads and rotors for the first time, and the guide was perfect.

[mpvue]

just a tip: get a can of anti-squeal to spray on the back of the pads or you WILL have noisy brakes.
and, not all replacement pads are the same. my wear indicator had to go on the inside pad, wouldn't fit on the outside. and lastly, not all have the spring clips, or at least my '93 LE Camry didn't have them.

[NapalmFTW]

Also - can I just say.

Go to autozone and buy the Duralast Gold Cmax brakes. It's really stupid not to. For $50 you get brakes for the life of the car (then just buy a new car that takes those brakes and you're golden)

Yes, I admit I work for AZ however the warranty on those brakes is stupidly good for the customer. You wear your brakes out in normal usage, guess what. Bring them back, we give you brand new ones off the shelf. For life. No quibbles, no arguing. It's THAT SIMPLE.

Why buy anything else... Seriously. Everyone at my store does the same thing.

[jtex2717]

^Discounts?