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Rear Brake Replacement?

bonerjamz03

bonerjamz03

New member
Just wanted to see if anyone here has any tips on replacing the rear rotors/pads? I have done the fronts before with no problems but I'm a little unsure on a few things for the rears.

The main thing I'm concerned about is if I need to do anything about releasing the e brake cable in order to get the rotor off.

Also I was wondering if I need a special tool to compress the caliper piston. I've seen that 3/8" drive "cube" brake tool at Autozone and not sure if thats what I need.

If anyone has a link to a write up that would be great too. I searched and couldn't find a decent one.
 


back brakes are the same as front, only smaller. if your 97-03 the e brake cable is not a issue. if you take the rotor off its a good time to adjust the e brake if its not holding, or if your changing the rotors, make sure the e brake is adjusted before you put it all back together.

04 up you need to twist the piston of the caliper back in, not clamp it. not sure if you need to deal with the brake cable on those years.
 
How would I go about adjusting the E brake? Is it as simple as tightening something or it it a bit more involved?

I wish I would have asked you guys earlier, I've put off doing this for almost a year because I wasn't 100% sure how to do it lol.
 


97-03 with the rotor off you will see a drum brake set up like older cars used to have for the rear brakes. inside the rotor is a brake drum.

now at the bottom of the shoes is a star wheel with the e brake off, you turn the wheel to open or close the shoes, open them up till you feel/hear them drag the drum then back it back it off 1/2 a turn, re test for dragging. when it spins freely its good to go. its a good idea for the final test to put two lug nuts on backward, snugged by hand to hold the rotor tight. cheap insurance to know for sure its clear.

just make sure thats clear, you want the shoes as close as possible to the drum but not touching.

they do sell a brake tool to do this from the out side of the brake backing shield, ( its a wide flat tool, like a screw driver really) there's a rubber plug in the hole to access the star wheel. truth is its a pain to do that way. if you got the rotors off nows the time to adjust them.
 


@scottydogs Thanks for the write up man! It sounds like a p.i.t.a either way lol. Would I have to mess with the equalizer nut during any of this?
 
its not hard at all.

not sure what a equalizer nut is......if you mean the brake line banjo bolt on the caliper, not at all.
 
Hey boner done 4 of these so far on a 97 same as the front piece of cake hardest pat of the job is deciding do I want to do this before or after lunch
 
Logan541 said:
Hey boner done 4 of these so far on a 97 same as the front piece of cake hardest pat of the job is deciding do I want to do this before or after lunch
Click to expand...

Awesome. I'll be doing them tomorrow (if it doesnt rain), so I'll let you guys know how it goes.
 
if your not changing the rotors its best to have your old rotors cut if they are still able to do so. they need to be "so" thick. aka resurfaced, most auto parts stores do this in house for around $12 a rotor, sometimes more or less, depends on where you go.

it will make your new pads last longer, and work better. especially if your old rotors have lots of grooves. if you look close you may even see small areas with cracks even if they are rather smooth looking/feeling.
 


alright so if anyone cares I just got finished swapping the pads/rotors out and it went fairly smooth. Now I'm going to take it for a test drive and break em in.

As far as the e brake I just left it as is. I haven't had any issues with it so I figured I'd leave it.
 
bonerjamz03 said:
alright so if anyone cares I just got finished swapping the pads/rotors out and it went fairly smooth. Now I'm going to take it for a test drive and break em in.

As far as the e brake I just left it as is. I haven't had any issues with it so I figured I'd leave it.
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did you see if it works still? i did the same thing and the new rotors had a slightly larger drum and i had no e brake at all. had to take it all back a apart.
 
scottydoggs said:
did you see if it works still? i did the same thing and the new rotors had a slightly larger drum and i had no e brake at all. had to take it all back a apart.
Click to expand...

It seems to be working the same. I'm taking the car in for inspection soon so I'll see if my mechanic can adjust it while he's under there.

By the way thanks for all the help. I'm sure I will be asking more questions in the future as I fix this car up.

Next on the list: motor/tranny mounts and maybe the valve cover gasket if I'm feeling crazy lol.
 
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