Hi everyone,
I am looking at DIYing the rear brakes on my boys' Mazda 6. Pad fell out on one side. Massive grinding down the caliper and rotor. So, I am planning to buy a kit with rotors, pads, calipers, clips, etc.
So, I am looking for any tips or advice on what I can do to make this as easy as possible. The car is not running now, so I can definitely put the rear end up in the air, take of the wheels and soak whatever I need to soak before I get started.
I was looking at a Powerstop OE replacement kit as a option. There was also a Raybestos kit (minus hi temp lube) on Rock Auto as well. Any opinions?
Any tool recommendations? Do I put any sort of anti sieze on anything when I put it back together as a preventative (except for the rotor surface?
Anything else I need to look out for. I'm looking at ~300 for the rear kit with shipping and some budget for miscellaneous stuff. I'm recall being quoted $800 to have someone do it. It is tempting, but I am reluctant to spend THAT much given other stuff I know the car may need in the not far future.
Thanks for any advice/help!
EDIT: Don't miss the RockAuto 5% Discount Code which I didn't factor into the prices below.
I went out to the rock site and saw the Powerstop kit ($196 and then send back caliper core) and the Raybestos kit ($244 no core) Each of these is before shipping so add $20-ish or $216 or $264
I avoid Rock for core items because I think you are charged shipping for the return core. That's probably $15 or more. The $216 then becomes $231
I then went out on Rock shopping individual pieces. I like the Rock feature called, "choose for me to minimize cost" Given that this is rears (which don't do the majority of the stopping) I was willing to not be picky but I kept all my choices away from the Economy choices and stayed with Daily Driver choices. I am in a rust climate so I wanted coated rotors, etc.
This then resulted in me getting:
Calipers: $61 each, new coated Ultra-Power (house brand)
Rotors: $15 each , coated Durago (house brand)
Pads: $20 Bosch quiet cast with Hardware
$172.29 before shipping of $22 = $194.27 delivered to me. Above, the kits, were net $231 or $244.
I generally see the Rock kits as a convenience purchase, not a value purchase.
Do you have a Parts Authority location near you? I just went through the same buying rear brakes for my F250.
In my case, I replaced only one rear caliper. Do you need two? If just one, your Rock bill could be $113 before shipping or probably under $135, delivered.
The "choose for me" function of RockAuto might give you different pieces. The "choosing" largely takes into consideration shipping charges and trying to ship as many parts from one location. Different parts might be closer to you, in Mass. than they are to me in Ohio
These words come from the Bosch pads details on Rock Auto
Installation Tips
- Always work on one side of the vehicle at a time. For front brakes, turn the steering wheel to the side you are working on to increase access to the caliper bolts
- Suspend the caliper from the suspension using a Caliper Hanger to prevent damage to the brake hose
- Apply Brake Lube to caliper pins, clips, the edges of the brake pad mounting tabs, and the back side of the brake pads to ensure noise free braking. DO NOT apply lube to the friction side of the brake pads
- Use a Caliper Piston Compressor to retract the caliper piston(s) and make room for the new, thicker brake pads
- Open the master cylinder reservoir during piston compression to prevent pressure buildup. Keep an eye on the brake fluid level to ensure it does not overflow
- After the job is complete, pump the brake pedal several times to push the caliper piston back up against the pads to ensure proper brake function
These Bosch pads seem like they come with some brake lube included. For a piston compressor, I just use a c-clamp. Any old wire or a bungee can be a caliper hanger.
In reply to John Welsh :
Any clean up/anti sieze use when mounting the rotors back on the hubs to make things better for next time? Or not even worth it?
I make a sauce of grease and engine oil for the rotor/hub interface. Consistency of a thin gel. It's easier to spread and easier to keep from using too much, compared to grease.
I hate antiseize with a passion when anywhere near brakes. Brake heat turns it into a kind of sticky clay, and rust can form under antiseize anyway. Some people also use it on the slide pins, where it jellies the rubber, making it swell and make the pins stick in place.
I have a 5/8" carbide scraper to clean the hub faces with. Doesn't remove any parent material like abrasive disks will. I've seen plenty of hubs destroyed for runout by people "cleaning" them with abrasives...
(I got opinions!)
Wxdude10 - Mike said:
In reply to John Welsh :
Any clean up/anti sieze use when mounting the rotors back on the hubs to make things better for next time? Or not even worth it?
A few years back I was given some very good anti seize which made me a snob about the stuff, as detailed here. Yes, I use the stuff around the lip and on the surface of where the rotor touches the hub. Both in the round hole of the disk as well as on the back side of the rotor where it flat meets hub. I also apply a little to each lug nut so the lug nut can be removed in the future.
For the bolts that hold the caliper to the knuckle, many people use loc-tite. I just let nature do the job, here up north and put them back on without anti-seize or as called in this climate, definitely-seize.
For the slide pins and ends of pads, years ago I spent on some good stuff, this CRC synthetic and I'm sure it will be a lifetime supply.
I *think* you need the cube brake tool to push those pistons back in. I believe they need to be rotated while being pressed to get the piston to retract iirc.
Or, alternatively, use all of your hand strength and a pair of needle nose pliers....
One thing I will say is that every set of rear pads I bought for our 2006 Mazda 6 required a trip to the angle grinder to trim up the edges of the pads. Other wise, they would not fit without being forced into the pad holder. I didnt trim them once and got about 6 months out of a set of pads because they would stay somewhat stuck against the rotor.
In other words, make sure the pad can "float" a little in the pad carrier.
Oh yeah, Cube Socket is often needed on rear disk brakes. On front disks, the piston can usually be pushed back with a c-clamp but on the rears, the piston needs to be twisted in order to get it to retract. There are small notches that a universal tool like this can grip into so it can be turned.
IIRC, Mazda rear calipers with integral parking brakes have a plug in the back of the casting. Remove the plug, and there's an Allen screw inside that retracts the piston.
wvumtnbkr said:
One thing I will say is that every set of rear pads I bought for our 2006 Mazda 6 required a trip to the angle grinder to trim up the edges of the pads. Other wise, they would not fit without being forced into the pad holder. I didnt trim them once and got about 6 months out of a set of pads because they would stay somewhat stuck against the rotor.
In other words, make sure the pad can "float" a little in the pad carrier.
This has become more and more common as aftermarket pads are typically produced on old tooling, and the tolerances on aftermarket pads are nowhere near as well-controlled as they are on OE parts.
