Front Brake Replacement

[cgray]

I am going to be putting in new front rotors and pads tonight on my '06 SE 4x4. Any tips from someone that has done it on the R51 before? I have done a few brake jobs on other cars in the past and there are always a few things different about every car.

Anything special to look for or helpful tip from anyone who has done this in the past? Thanks for the help!

[wizeguy]

Just did mine.. Very easy to do.
caliper bolts are 14mm(?)... Before pushing pistons back in, I like to clean the calipers and pistons with brake clean (make sure the cap is off the master cylinder)
Caliper bracket bolts are 17(?)mm.. I use a breaker bar or impact gun on those.
Make sure to use new pad/caliper hardware kit. Or if your going to reuse, clean them well.
Lube the caliper bolts and pads on the shims...
Good luck!

[jspitz]

Haven't done it myself, but it looks straightforward. Elpeede posted a very thorough video a week or so ago. Look for it about 10 threads down, or here: http://www.thenissanpath.com/viewtopic.php?t=6771

[smj999smj]

I did front and rears about 6 months ago; no different than any other Nissan brake job. I used Akebono Ceramic pads that I got from Rockauto.com; Akebono is an original equipment supplier of brake pads and shoes to Nissan and they came with shims and hardware. Performance is as good as original equipment so far. I avoid using cheap pads as you will likely encounter squeaking and/or excessive brake dust issues.

[cgray]

Things went pretty easy last night. Other than the large 19mm bolts. Those were a pain in the butt even with a breaker bar and 3 foot extension. A little WD-40 helped a lot!

[disallow]

I used impact on mine. Good work!

[volvite]

PB blaster works great. Used it alot on my old JEEP.

[cgray]

I have not tried that stuff before. I am going to be putting in a suspension lift soon and will be trying PB Blaster out for those bolts.

[volvite]

I'd spray some PB blaster the night before and then right before you begin. It's worked great for me.

[doctahjones]

just did mine as well. it's a typical brake change, no overly funky springs or weird things to do.

the caliper 'float' bolts are easy as pie. almost no effort (kinda concerned me at first, but the other 3 calipers are the same).

for the front caliper holders....jeeeeeeezz those were a pain. even let one soak for awhile with liquid wrench and i still couldn't get 2 of them off with my breaker bar. ended up using a hammer on the breaker bar to crack them loose.

on my '08 the rear were 14/17mm, and the front were 14/19mm bolts.

[dawgn86]

what does the little V shaped wire at the bottom of the caliper do?

[doctahjones]

as far as i know it's supposed to keep the pads off the rotor while you're not braking.

[smj999smj]

That's exactly what it's for...it helps push the pads back off of the rotor when you release the breaks to help reduce/eliminate brake squeek.

[david_banks1330]

Just did mine.. Very easy to do.
caliper bolts are 14mm(?)... Before pushing pistons back in, I like to clean the calipers and pistons with brake clean (make sure the cap is off the master cylinder)
Caliper bracket bolts are 17(?)mm.. I use a breaker bar or impact gun on those.
Make sure to use new pad/caliper hardware kit. Or if your going to reuse, clean them well.
Lube the caliper bolts and pads on the shims...
Good luck!

I’ve done this recently tried to do it on my own but I’ve discovered that my brake master is broken or what so ever damage it is. So after installing the new pads, I purchased a to fix things up. I would just like to remind you to clean things first so you won’t grease up the discs.

[Tzvier]

Any good recommendations for getting that little PITA spring back in there? I've never had very good luck with it.