How to Replace Brakes and Rotors Options

[Overkill]

I searched this site and several others to find detailed instructions on how to replace the brake pads and rotors on my 99 Celica GT, but only came up with bits and pieces from different places. My goal here is to write detailed instructions on removing and replacing the brake pads and rotors for future noobs looking for the information.

Tools
Tire Iron/Lug nut removal tool
Car Jack
(2) Jack Stands
12mm Socket Wrench
14mm Socket Wrench
9/16 Socket Wrench
Torque Wrench
4" C-Clamp
Soft head/Plastic Mallet
Brake Lube
Shop Towels
Plastic Gloves
Replacement Parts

Step One - Tire Removal
Set the emergency brake. Loosen the lug nuts on the front tires, but do not unscrew them or take them off. Jack the driver's side up and use one of the jack stands to hold up the driver's side. Once the jack stand is in place, do the same thing to the passenger side. The front tires should only be about 1-2 inches off the ground. Once the front of the car is lifted and secure, loosen and remove the lug nuts from both tires. Keep the lug nuts for each tire together. Remove the tires from the wheel hub. Once removed, lay the tire on the ground rim side up. Slide the tire under the car, kind of in the middle of the door. It should not touch the car, but in case the jack stand fails, you are protected from the car falling on you.

Step Two - Removing the Brakes
Now that the tire is removed, you can see the braking system clearer. Take the cap off of the brake fluid reservoir. You need to unbolt the top and bottom bolts of the caliper with the 14mm socket. Once the bolts are removed, you should be able to slide the caliper off the brake pads and out of the caliper housing. It is still attached to the braking system by the brake hose. Place the caliper on top of the rotor/rotor housing without kinking the brake hose and secure it so it does not fall. Now you can see the brake pads. There are two springs in the pads. Simply take these out and keep them together - you will reuse these. Gently slide the brake pads out of the groves of the caliper housing. The clips can stay in the caliper housing, however if they fall out simply put them back in the way they were. (If you were just doing a brake change, you would lube the clips, new brake pads (on the side that does not touch the rotor), and the caliper piston face and then put everything back the way it was.)

PS: To get the caliper piston back in, use one of the old brake pads and the 4" C-Clamp to push it back flush. (this is the reason you removed the brake fluid cap so if you are just doing a brake change, make sure you put the cap back on when you are done).

Step Three - Removing the Caliper Housing and Rotor
Now that the caliper and brake pads are out of the way, use the 9/16 socket wrench to remove the caliper housing bolts. Slide the caliper housing off of the rotor and set aside. Most likely the rotor is going to be hard to move. You will notice that there is a cotter pin holding a nut cover and a 30mm nut. DO NOT REMOVE these items (unless you are trying to get the hub off, or change the bearings... totally different how to...). Use the rubber or plastic mallet to loosen the rotor from the hub. Try not to hit anything but the rotor when doing this, and try to hit it from the back side. You actually might have to hit it pretty hard depending on how long ago the rotors were changed. Doing this should loosen the rotor and you can simply pull it off. Some people reuse their rotors. If you plan on doing this, I suggest you mic the thickness to make sure it is in tolerance and most likely have it machined. Pep Boys/Orileys/Autozone does this usually.

Step Four - Putting Everything Back Together
Usually taking everything off is the easy part, however once you get 1 of the wheels done... the rest seems like cake. Get the new/machined rotor and line it up and put it on the hub the same way the old one came off. (If you are using drilled/slotted rotors as your replacement, make sure you have the drilled holes/slots going in the proper direction.) Once you have the rotor in place, put the caliper housing back into place. I found that installing the lower bolt first helped me line up the upper bolt hole. Tighten and torque these back to spec. Once the caliper housing is in place, use the brake lube to lube the clips that the brake pads slide into. Now lube the backside (side that does not touch the rotor) of the brake pad. Once the pads are lubed, slide them into the caliper housing. Replace the brake pad springs into the new brake pads. Using one of the old brake pads and the 4" C-Clamp, push the caliper piston flush with the inside face of the caliper. Make sure to check each of the caliper rubber boots for holes, cuts or slices. If there are any damages to the boots, you should consider replacing the caliper to eliminate any future damage to the braking system. Once the caliper piston has been pushed back into the caliper, slide it back into place over the brake pads. I found it easier to tighten the upper bolt on the caliper first. Tighten and torque the caliper bolts to spec. Put the tire on and tighten the lug nuts by hand in the typical star pattern. Once the car is lowered tighten the lug nuts using the tire iron in the same typical star pattern.

Step 5 - Rear Disc Brakes and Rotors
Basically the rear is almost identical to the front with some minor exceptions. First thing, take the parking brake off and chock the front wheels. The caliper does not have to be separated from the caliper housing. Simply remove the 12mm bolt from the bottom of the caliper, and raise up to remove the brake pads. Notice when you remove the rear brake pads, the inside pad has a tab on it. Remember which way it is orientated so that when you put the new pads in place, they are put in the correct way. To remove the caliper housing from the rotor, use the 14mm socket wrench. Other than that... once you have completed the front brake pads and rotor, the rear is a cakewalk.

Step 6 - Breaking in the new rotors and pads
When you are ready to break in your new brake rotors and pads, please perform these procedures in an empty parking lot or street.
1. Engage hard braking at 40mph. Do not come to a complete stop.
2. Go 50mph and jam the brakes just to the point of engaging ABS all the way down to 10mph. Do not come to a complete stop. Repeat this process 4 times.
3. Then go 65mph and slow the car down to 15mph to finish it all up.
4. Park the car and let the brakes cool down for 20 minutes.

Try not to have log gaps in between the hard stops and DO NOT COME TO A FULL STOP with the foot pressed hard on the brake pedals, as it will imprint the pad on the rotor which will cause vibration. You may notice a blue tint and dark grey color on the brake pad surface of the rotor as the brake pads are embedding into the rotor. You may even hear squeaking sounds, see smoke, or smell an odor; this is normal due to the break in period. It will take approximately 400-500 miles of moderate driving for the pads to be fully embedded into the rotors which will then give optimal performance.


By no means am I an expert. This is just my account of actions taken during my first brake/rotor change. I suggest that anyone doing work on their own car do their own research, but I thought it might be helpful to have this available. I hope it helps.