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When deciding to buy a new car, loads of consumers settle with crumple zones, airbags, and a few other features as their primary concern. However many underestimate the car brakes which is one of the significant safety units in a vehicle. Most cutting edge cars contain disc brakes on four wheels. However, a few vehicles still have disc brakes in front and drum brakes in the back. On a vehicle with disc brake equipment, a set of safe pads which is heat-resistant grasp the turning brake rotor when the brake pedal is pushed, utilizing friction to back the wheel off and bring the car to a stop. This is why it is important to change brake pads whenever it’s necessary. But this does not mean you have to go to the mechanic every time your car’s brake pads are changed. Although brake repair is often left to the experts, you can just change brake pads in your garage – as simple as that. This article will discuss more on the how-to of changing brake pads which is a do-it-yourself task that saves you money and time getting to the mechanic.
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Consider this: it is risky to change your car’s brake pads between long intervals. Brake pads are gradually worn down whenever they are repeatedly used for thousands of miles which reduce their function in effectively stopping the car. Fortunately, it is fairly easy to know when your car is ready for some brake maintenance. Locate your disc brakes’ wear indicator which is a small metal that’s attached to the brake pad. You might notice a squealing noise whenever the brakes are applied. This is because the wear indicator is in grinding contact with the rotor. The squealing noise is an indicator telling you to have the brakes examined. Other signs for brake pads change include worn down brakes that have deep, circular-shaped marks (or scores) on the rotor. If you notice that the rotor is significantly deep caused by irregular maintenance, the brake rotor should be replaced with a new one. Inspecting brake lines for apparent holes and cracks is also highly recommended. Malfunctioning brakes could happen if there’s fault or leak in the brake lines. Your car’s brakes are supposedly sealed in the fittings area so a drop of fluid near the wheel may indicate the need for repair.
?by Kokandr
Fixing the brakes does not need to be a difficult job. Correct preparation can make brake maintenance go faster and secure your safety as well as your passengers. Start placing blocks below the wheels to make the car steady while you are working on its repair. Loosen but do not remove the wheel’s lug nuts, treat it as if you’re changing the tire. Use your car’s jack in order to lift the car. Then use jack stands to secure it. The vehicle should be safely secured as the tire jack is not enough to support it while the brake pads are being changed. A floor jack may also be useful in this step. You can then lower the car once the jack stands are secure until it is resting on the stands. Refer to the owner’s manual for placing the jack stands properly. Make sure to give the vehicle only a little shake to see if the jack stands are in place. Now that the car is secure, finally unscrew all the lug nuts and then take wheel and tire off to expose the brake calliper, brake pads, and brake rotor.
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The tools that you need to change your vehicle’s brake pads are C-clamp, Allen or Torx wrench, lug wrench, gloves, safety glasses, a dust mask, and of course new brake pads. First remove the calliper then use the wrench to loosen the bolts that hold the calliper. Afterwards completely remove the bolts. Now the calliper has to be lifted away from the brake rotor. Be careful not to let the calliper get stuck by the brake line as this may cause brake failure. Secure the calliper in a nearby suspension by using a bungee cord and also don’t pinch or slack the brake line. Then retract manually the calliper piston before you reset it. But before this, the brake fluid reservoir cover should be removed. Otherwise, brake fluid pressure will develop. You will use the C-clamp to install the new pads. Keep turning the screw until the new pads fit into the calliper. Then recap the brake fluid reservoir. Replacing old brake pads with new ones is just a matter of literally inserting the latter into the former’s slots in the brake system. Move the calliper back and tighten the bolts. Lastly, put the wheel back by tightening the lug nuts and then remove the jacks. Lower the vehicle to the ground.
This video will show you a step by step procedure of the things written in this article. Check it out.