I'm pretty sure i know how to do this, but when replacing the front brake rotors basically all you need to remove is the calipers and pry the rotors off by inserting a bolt to push them off correct? This is what my haynes book says but I would much rather here it first hand by someone who has done this

Thanks! The old rotors have over 200k on them and are warping pretty bad.

 

remove two 14mm bolts that hold the caliper
set caliper aside (do not remove the brake hose)
remove brake pads of the bracket
remove the two caliper bracket (19mm??)
remove the rotor (might need some wd-40 or band w/ a hammer a bit or use a screw)
clean are
install new rotor (after cleaning it with brake cleaner)
install caliper braket
install new brake pads (greese with brake greese all contacts that move)
push in the caliper with "C" clamp and install caliper on top of brake pads and bracket
install wheel
pump breaks
perform break in procedure

ENJOY

 

well said above, only thing i thisnk caliper brackets measures 14 mm or 15mm but i can be wrong .

 

And a note when "setting caliper aside"...use some wire to hang it from the spring, that way the brake hose won't have any tension on it.

 

For the A32s you can slide the caliper right onto the bottom spring perch, sits there perfectly. Though if you aren't sure about being able to work around the area without knocking it down, definitely wire or ziptie it in place. Coathangers work wonderfully for this.

 

I like having that extra security of a wire holding it up.

 

At the risk of showing my ignorance, I'll go back to the original question and tell how not to remove the rotors. My fronts had a slight pulsation sometimes, so I wanted to get them turned. They were so stuck, I ended up prying them off with a crowbar against the outer edge. Later, the machine shop guy said they were so warped that they stalled his lathe. It had to be from my removal method. Now I am enjoying a brand new set of Brembo's. I slicked up the mating surface with disk brake grease before I installed them. I also splurged on a set of Hawk HPS pads. The brakes feel great but I have to do the rears yet (pretty soon).

 

Instead of prying them off, you can go to the hardware store and buy two 10mm bolts with 1.25 threads per mm (the label will read 10mm x 1.25). They need to be at least an inch long. Screw them into the two threaded holes in the rotor, and turn them equally until the rotor pops free. The rear rotors take 8mm x 1.25 bolts.

 

In my case the rotors did not have any threaded holes. Believe me, I looked for them. I think the rotors were OEM but I'm not the original owner so maybe not. (2002 SE)

 

You don't need a crowbar. Just take a hammer and give it one good hard hit from the inside. That will free it up. Mine just pulled off without any force at all. I've seen some that had to use the hammer method.

 

At 200K I'm betting the hammer method vs bolts. Bigger the hammer the better - just rotate it around if the first whack doesn't do it.
http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...tips-pics.html

 

That's what it took me to get my front rotors off - but after 10 years and 148K miles, it took MANY hammer wacks. I was just careful not to hit the studs (or anything else), and didn't worry about doing any damage to the old rotors since I was replacing them anyways. I was a little nervous about getting them off, but finally the rusted on rotors broke free.

 

Cool thanks for all the help! Now if I just only had TIME to do the job it would be great Oh well, i'll get to it soon hopefully

 

I have a question on replacing the rear rotor on my 1998 maxima. I have worked on the front rotor before. Is there any different on replacing the rear rotor?

Much appreciate any help/advice.

 

not much. Just replaceing 1 rotor or 2? I rec you do both and pads if you want to get the most out of your rear brakes. Rear calipers screw in not push in also.

 

wow!!! thanks for quick reply.
I am planning to replace both rear rotors and pads. I have a pulsation when braking. I replaced the front rotors/pads but the problem still exist. This afternoon, I checked both rear brakes they look very bad. As I noticed that the rear brake also incorporate of the emergency brake.

 

Usually cutting/turning the rotors run 10-20 bucks per rotor depending on location and shop of course. What I would like to add to this thread however is that I think its kinda pointless to cut/turn rotors when the price of new ones is only a couple dollars more (usually)

 

Help please...
I worked on my rear brake this eveving, it is the 1998 Nissan Maxima. I replaced both rotors/pads. After completed I noticed on the jack, I see that the rear passenger side is turing, but not freely when compared to the driver side which is spinning freely. I did the test drive for about ten minutes, when I get back home the passenger rear wheel smelled like burning, I touched it and it is very very hot while the driver side just little warm. Please help/advise on how to fix.
Thank you in advance.

 

Well, have you taken it apart and seen if anything is wrong yet?

That's what you should've done before even taking it off the stands, if you noticed one dragging a lot more than the other.

 

Well, I was thinking because it is the new pad/rotor it is a little bit sticky and maybe a little bit of driving around it should smooth out and the brake should adjust itself a little bit, and I installed both brakes the exact same way, on the other wheel it is working fine. Any words/suggestions what I should be looking for when I take it a part again.

Thanks.

 

Anything and everything that looks out of place or wrong.

Did you line up the nub on the pads with the slots on the piston?

 

Yes, I did. I looked from the inside, I saw the *** position in the grove. Any way, does the brake self adjusting little bit with some driving? because I know when I adjust the caliper I had the other more lose then the one I have problem with now. The one I having problem with was little bit tight.

 

I wouldn't call them 'self adjusting', but the pistons will take up the slack the first time you hit the brakes.

So the piston was hard to turn in? Most likely it's seizing up in the bore now, hence the brakes sticking.

 

If it is seized up in the bore, did I damage the caliper and a new replacement is needed or can I take the brake apart and reinstall?

thanks for your help.

 

Assuming it is the piston sticking, you can either rebuild or replace the calipers.

It happens, most often the rear calipers because of the integrated e-brake.

 

Again thanks for all your replies. I was trying to save some dollars in bad time, I hope I did make it worst. I will re-do the brake tomorrow, I will report back tomorrow. Good night.

 

Worst case is you throw in a rebuilt caliper. Most auto parts stores have them in stock. Takes about 1/2 hour and approx. $100.

 

Compare the e-brake cable tension between the sides. Press down the top caliper part where the cable connects. Is there enough give to almost pull the cable off without removing the nearest brake line bracket? Let's make sure the e-brake isn't binding up unevenly.

Try lubing and compressing that caliper back with a needlenose plier or caliper tool (best). If you can get it to turn and compress by hand it might not be siezed. Check caliper pins, they're not rusted and floating freely right?

Autozone's got Fenco calipers for $74.

 

The ebrake line bracket had to be removed, so that the pad can be installed, the ebrake line do not have a lot of slack on this car. And for the lube, is there a certain kind I need to use?

For the worst case, if I have to install a new caliper, that means I have to disconnect the oil line(sorry can not think of the right term now). Does that mean I have to do the bleeding after installation, right? Any steps suggestion I need to follow to install the caliper?

Thank you everyone for the advise.

 

My3D
Didn't see any mention of this...did you verify that the caliper is sliding freely laterally?Your calipers are floating, meaning the calipers have some lateral play..as the calipers get older the 2 sliding pins on which they are mounted can lose grease and become corroded, the end result being they won't slide well and may stick in a position where the pad on one side or the other will stay in contact with the disc, effectively braking even if you do not apply pressure to the brake pedal. Happened to me,and I replaced the whole caliper, but you can obtain only the pins and rubber grease seals from the dealership(P/N 44139+A I think). If it is the problem and you replace only the pins, make sure you clean the holes the sliding pins are inserted in..there will likely be corrosion there too.
Good luck

 

Hello everyone,
I fixed my break!! ))
I took off the assembly and gave the caliper afew more turns, spray it with a little bit of lubricant. Put everything back and test drive for about 1/2 hour, came back home feel all four wheels all feel just a bit warm.

 

You may have to much brake fluid in the reservoir, I had this issue on my civic, I came home and the pad was rubbing smelled like burning, since the pads where gone, someone thought they would top off the reservoir yet it wasn't low just the pistons were way out to compensate for the worn pads, take some fluid out may help.

 

as long as your fluid is not above the max line, this should not be an issue,

 

Well, I just had a successful rear brake adventure with my 2002's 108,000 mile originals. I had to douse the rotors with WD-40 and spin them while banging the center hub and outer perimeter back and forth with two hammers, and gently pry on the back of the hub area. There were no threaded holes in the old rotors. Turns out, (no pun intended) that they were too thin to turn, so I went with new $56 each Bremdo's from O'Rieley. A nice match for the Hawk HPS pads ($71.00 from "Place for Brakes" online).

Three note worthy things:

1) The old pads had about 1/8" remaining, but they were almost fused to their clips. The sliding surfaces had a coating of hard black crud, probably burnt grease. I had to tap the pads out of the clips to remove them. Once I chisled the crud off, the clips were still shiney so I could grease and re-use them. I doubt that the pads were squeezing and releasing properly for a long time. In fact, one outer pad looked like it had stuck partially, and just leaned into the rotor for a while, because part of the surface was worn extensively at a funny angle. Then the pad must have straightened itself out, becaude the rotor was rusty where the worn part of the pad no longer made contact. I've never seen anything like it before, but I intend to check for stuck pads, and regrease them periodically in the future.

2) When turning the pistons in (more on that next), the rubber boots were stuck to the pistons and started to to get all twisted and bound up. I had to carefully work a small screwdriver under the boot and slide it all the way around the piston to free it up.

3) It was hard as heck to turn the pistons in. I used the "free rental" deal at Autozone and got a caliper tool. Still, I couldn't budge them free hand. I had to install the extra piece that came with the tool (involves driving a pin out and taking the tool apart). Then I could spin a nut on the tool and get it to wedge itself between the caliper frame and the piston which pushed the "protrusions" on the tool firmly into the "indentations" of the piston so they wouldn't slip. Then I had to halfway remount the caliper to hold it still, and use a pipe to help turn the tool. Is that normal guys? I put a piece if wood in front of the piston to prevent it from blowing apart, then applied moderate pressure to the pedal and the pistons drove back out, so I think they are working OK.

How do those crazy things work anyway. Once the pads are installed, they can't spin, so they must push straight out, but they can't be pushed back in. They have to be turned in. I just can't quite picture what going on inside of them. If anyone has rebuilt one and has a little time to explain it, I'd love to know.

 

So helpful

 

I have both my front and rear brake pads/rotors replaced about a week now. So far, when applying the brake I do not feel pulsation as before, it is smooth. But, for the last couple of days, I can hear the grinding noise when I am driving a speed between 30-40mph. Could this grinding noise coming from the brake? And is there anyway I can get rid of this grinding noise.

Thanks.

 

It could, yes.

Have you not actually looked at the brakes yet? That's the only way to determine exactly what needs to be done to fix it.

Did you have them replaced at a shop? If so, just bring it back.