REQUEST:Changing front and rear brake pads on stock akebono
 

just wondering if anyone is willing to do a DIY write up switching the brake pads

ive done replacing pads before but never on a BBK
and last car i did i ended up having "bubbles" in the line because i didnt "bleed" the brakes properly...lesson learned of course


now with the z i want to do it right the first time so it would be much appriciated if anyone can do a write up(pics would be helpful too)

thanks in advance :)

it's real easy, the instructions above make it a little harder, if you just unbolt the bottom bolt (on the front calipers) you can just swing it up, instead of taking it off. You gotta take the top bolt of the rears, instead of the bottom bolt, because of a bar that's in the way.
Real easy maintenance procedure.

i think the link you provided shows basic brake changes(which im familiar with-done it a few times) what im not familar with is BBK pad changes
plus proper "bleeding procedures"

thanks tho :)

I'll see if I can write it clearly here.

There are 2 pins that go across the top of the caliper and hold the brake pads in place. Those pins are secured themselves with cotter pins.

Remove the cotter pins and with a small punch, drive the pins out of the calipers.

Once the pins are removed, pull the pads out of the top.

Use a couple of flat blade screwdrivers to push the pistons back into the calipers to make room for the new, thicker pads.

Transfer the shims from the old pads to new ones, and reinsert the pads in the calipers.

Replace the pins and cotter pins and you are done.

For bleeding, there are many DIY that you can google. I've been doing some research on it as well, as I want to bleed mine soon (****haven't done it yet****).

The process is as follows:
1) place car on jack stands and remove wheels (unless you can work through your spokes)
2) remove as much old brake fluid from the reservoir as possible and fill with your new fluid. You will have to top off the reservoir a number of times during your bleeding. Just be sure the reservoir never empties enough to pull in air.
3) Starting as far from the brake fluid reservoir as possible (Passenger rear), remove the rubber nipple on the brake caliper (there are two, you'll do one at a time). Attach the hose from your brake bleeder kit to the nipple. I've read that you should have the bleeder bottle filled with a touch of brake fluid to keep any air from being sucked in the other direction and into your brake system.
3) With the hose on the bleeder nipple, have someone else inside the car. Tell them to 'push down' on the brake pedal. As they push, you gently unscrew the bleeder valve 1/4 to 1/2 turn, just until brake fluid start to come out the bleeder valve. After 1-2 seconds, you close the valve and then tell them to 'lift off'. (or say Up/Down, whatever...just work it out first). You should repeat this process until there is no air coming into the tubing, or your fresh brake fluid starts to come out. You then do this to the second bleeder valve on the same caliper. Make sure the 'helper' knows the pedal will go to the floor, and they should not lift off until you tell them to (meaning you've closed the bleeder valve first).
3) Repeat this process for the driver rear, passenger front and driver front calipers.
4) When you're done bleeding, make sure the reservoir is full of new fluid.
5) You can leave the car on jack stands, start it up, and test the pedal feel at this point. If it feels nice and firm, go ahead and replace your wheels, drop the car down, and go for a very cautious test drive to ensure the brakes are working correctly.

6)let me know how it goes since I haven't done it yet :)

thank you for the replies....will check out and replace the pads soon

Yeah, I need to get around to replacing my pads as well.

on these 4 and 2 piston calipers, used my larger channel-lock pliers with those rubber tips and used the old pads to push the pistons back into the calipers. works great.

as for bleeding the brakes, it's not necessary for just pad change but those miityvac replienish bottles work great long with their extractor pumps. :)

if you recently bled your brakes and doing a pad change, always a good idea to put towels around your reserve bottle. sometimes it will spill over if you dont pay attention.

:iagree:

It's really a piece of cake. Hardest part is grabbing the cotter pins with needlenose pliers. I use a medium phillips head screwdriver instead of the punch, you only need to push the pin a few mm and then you can grab it with your hand or pliers if it hot after a track session. You can use just about anything that's not too rough to push the piston back in, I often carefully use the old pad as a lever.

I have done valve spring installs but I have never, ever worked on brakes. For some stupid reason they scare the crap out of me.

I guess it's because I know that if my engine blows I can still stop. :)

Brakes are pretty simple and logical hydraulic systems, so doing simple work like replacing pads, lines, bleeding etc. isn't a big deal as long as you check you work to make sure there are no leaks. As long as you stay away from the tricky stuff like ABS systems you'll stay out of trouble. Complete brake failures are pretty rare, you would have to screw something up really really badly. A seized engine on the other hand could send you catapulting into the nearest tree :eek:

I don't know about catapulting, but I could imagine rear lockup and a flat spin out to sea. :)

I need to do it sooner or later. I think my first test of brakes will be changing the pads on my girlfriend's CLK 500.

it's a tad more tedious than doing an oil change but it's about the same difficulty level.

make sure you get some brake quiet if you're going to do the pads and put a good amount on the back side between the pad and shim (if your pads use shims).

here's that channel-lock with the rubber cap thingie. this is my G's rear brembo calipers which are pretty much the same design as the akebono's. the red gooey crap is CRC's brake quiet. no noise.

http://www.northamericanmotoring.com...ear_brembo.jpg

Nice detailed writeup of pad replacement and rotor replacment:

2009 Nissan 370Z: DIY Brake Pad and Rotor Change, Part 1

Do the non akebono brakes (non sports pkg) allow for the same easy pin out brake job procedure?

No

Nice find. I like having the pictures to refer to. I'm going to change my pads this weekend to Hawk HPS pads.

One more question. Will a caliper spreader fit in the top of the caliper? I have one that I used on my Corvette when I changed the pads. I also like the idea of changing one pad at a time. That should make the job easier.

not sure if it will fit or not, depends on the design I guess. I just use two large flat blade screwdrivers, and I do it before I take the worn pads out since it doesn't matter if they get a little chipped up.

Thanks Mike. I am going to try the spreader first, but if that doesn't work I'll try the old pads or screwdrivers. The caliper spreader worked great on the Corvette, but you had to unbolt the calipers to change the pads on it.

So you pry against the old pad to push the calipers in, and then just slide the old pad out? Do the calipers stay retracted once you press them in?

You can also use the old pad itself as a pry by using it on end. The piston you push on will stay retracted until you push on the piston next to it in which case it may pop out a little again (fluid following the path of least resistance). Just go back and forth on the 2 pistons a couple of times and it should be fine. If you are increasing thickness significantly it will be a good idea to suck out some brake fluid first.

The right tools make this very easy:
http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/a...cSpreader4.jpg

yah, but you dont need fansy tools just to open up the caliper. like in my earlier picture, just use large channel-locks with the rubber protective tips (sold at sears).

What size wrench do the Akebono bleeder valves use?

Of the top of my head I think it is an 11mm, but it could have been a 10mm.

10mm for sure. Just bled mine last weekend.

This one might be a bit fancy (but I love it).
But I would defintly use a spreader instead of the channel-locks you had.

Reason being that you don't want to put uneven pressure on the piston as this can lead to the piston to bind up or the seal to start leaking in the long run.

10mm it is. Just got back from Home Depot (got myself a nice little set of wrenches). Thanks guys.

Forgot I had speed bleeders, those were 11mm.

Hey Chris,

Do the old pads get F'd up if you use them to pry the pistons back in? I plan to swap back and forth with some Carbotechs, but I don't want the OEM pads trashed in the process.

You can nick them.

yes, they can chip on the edges if you aren't careful.

So it can be done cleanly...and if it's not, no big deal for a few nicks in the street OEM pads?

If you do it carefully you shouldn't have any problems, I swapped mine back and forth a few times.

Cool.

I've seen c-clamps mentioned a number of times for pushing the pistons in, but I can't for the life of me envision how a c-clamp would fit in there. Is that for calipers that have to be removed to change the pads? If not, anyone used them?

Yes, you can use C-clamps on the open single piston calipers where the entire caliper is removed or pivoted off to change the brake pads. This would be the technique to use for the base model (non-sport) brakes.

I changed my front and rear pads today from the OEM pads to Hawk HPS pads. It was a piece of cake thanks to this thread. :tup: It took more time to jack up the car and remove the wheels than it did to change the pads.

Did you push the pistons with the old pads? That's the only part that has me balking. I'm just trying to get my ducks in a row for when I do it next month. Carbotech is making my pads as we speak :)!

How do you like the HPS compared to stock? I have a set sitting in my garage that I plan on installing after I get my moneys worth out of the stock pads.