Brake Pad Removal Question?

[mikeralph]

Nissan Pathfinder 2001

 

 

I haven't done a brake job in about 10 years. Little apprehensive about working on newer cars.

 

So far i've removed the 2 bolts holding the brake caliper. I've slid the Caliper out of the Caliper Mount and swung it up out of the way.

 

http://www.2carpros.com/how_to/how_to_replace_brakes.htm

 

now according to the link above it says I should be able to pop out the old brake pads from the Caliper Mount (while it's still in place), but the pads don't want to budge.

 

I am thinking i need to remove the 2 bolts (22mm?) that are holding the Caliper Mount and pull that off in order to get the old pads out.

 

Is this correct?

 

I tried removing these two bolts (22mm?) but they wouldn't budge. Put a torch on them????? I read somewhere else on the net that another guy busted the head of the bolt trying to get them off. I want to avoid this so that's why i need to know if this step is necessary.

 

thanks mike

Edited April 3, 2008 by mikeralph

[Simon]

Nope....you should be able to remove the pads without taking off the caliper mount. Get a prybar in there and use some leverage.

 

Oh, and removing those big bolts holding the caliper mount to the knuckle the first time can be a real pain in the a$$. A big breaker bar, or impact gun is your friend there.

[XPLORx4]

If all you're doing is replacing the pads, you don't need to remove the caliper mount. In fact, you don't even need to remove both caliper bolts. You should be able to get the pads off with only the lower bolt removed; you just swing the caliper upwards and secure it in that position with a wire hanger or bungee or whatever.

 

The pads should be pretty easy to remove. They're just held in place by spring clips. Pry them away from the rotor, as if they're hinged closer to the center of the rotor. (Don't try to slide them out.) If you have to, use a slotted screwdriver or similar implement and a few light taps with a hammer to pop them loose. Brute force is not necessary. You don't want to accidentally damage the rotor.

[mikeralph]

thanks guys. gonna give it another shot right now. spent a half an hour last night trying to get them out. don't think they are coming out. i think the corrosion has them sealed in too tight.

[mikeralph]

thanks for the help guys. i really appreciate it.

 

just got finished with the front brakes. you saved me a lot of time by telling me the caliper mount didn't need to come off. i ended up having to work pretty hard with the chisel to get all 4 pads off. surprisingly the new pads went on fairly easy

 

unfortunately i spent 2 hours going around town to buy the 22mm socket that i thought i needed to remove the caliber mount.

 

QUESTION:

 

the pads were all worn in an uneven manner. is that normal? i noticed one of the sliders doesn't move nearly as freely as the other.

 

also i didn't catch the front left wheel in time. it went metal to metal and i have a nice 1/2" worn groove around the outer perimeter of the rotor. it's not deep at all.

 

i didn't bother replacing the rotor because i didn't have time. i took it for a test drive and the brakes work good and no noise. could this scoring of the rotor cause me problems down the road?

 

again thanks for the help.