How to Change the Rear Brake Pads on a Miata

The rear brake pads that come equipped on some Mazda Miata models (also known as the MX-5 Miata) only account for about 30 percent of the braking power for the compact import. Therefore, the front brake pads do more of the work and will require more frequent service. However, the rear pads will eventually have to be replaced since theyre smaller and not as thick as the front brake pads.

Instructions

1

Remove one-third of the brake fluid from the master cylinder in the engine compartment after parking the Miata on a hard level surface suitable for lifting and supporting the vehicle. Discard the fluid.

2

Ensure the parking brake is not engaged and place a tire block in front of one of the front tires.

3

Loosen the rear wheel nuts with the jack wrench by turning them one-quarter turn counterclockwise.

4

Lift the rear of the Miata with the car jack, one side at a time, and then support the car on jack stands in a safe and secure location. Finish removing the wheel nuts and wheels.

5

Locate the manual caliper piston adjustment gear plug on the back side of the caliper housing and pull it out of the housing by hand.

6

Insert a metric Allen wrench key and turn the piston adjustment key counterclockwise until the caliper piston is fully retracted within its bore. Replace the plug after the piston has been retracted.

7

Remove the lower caliper bolt with a metric hand wrench and lift the caliper upward off of the brake pads.

8

Remove the old brake pads from the caliper mounting bracket and then remove the brake pads upper and lower hardware clips from the bracket.

9

Install the new hardware clips onto the bracket and then apply a light coat of silicone brake lubricant to the brake pad contact points on the clips.

10

Insert the new pads onto the hardware clips in the mounting brackets.

11

Pivot the caliper down over the pads and rotor, align the lower caliper mounting bolt and then tighten the bolt to 30-foot pounds with a torque wrench and metric socket. Replace the pads on the opposite side.

12

Replace the wheels and wheel nuts and then tighten them flush to the wheel and hub. Raise the Miata up just enough to remove each jack stand and then lower the Miata slowly to the ground. Torque the wheel nuts to 80-foot pounds with a torque wrench and socket in a crisscross pattern.

13

Ensure the master cylinder cap is secure and then pump the brake pedal several times until it feels normal. This will seat the new pads to the rotors and extend the caliper pistons outward.

14

Recheck the brake fluid in the master cylinder and top off as necessary with new brake fluid only.

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Dodge Neon Rear Door Window Installation

A damaged rear door window in your Dodge Neon can be a serious issue depending on the extent of the damage. If the window is broken it may lead to someone cutting their hands on the shards of glass. A damaged window should be replaced immediately before next taking your vehicle out on the road. You can purchase a replacement window to install in your Neon from your local auto store.

Instructions

1

Place a tarp or old bed sheet underneath the door that has the broken window to collect pieces of glass that may fall.

2

If the window is heavily damaged, use a hammer to gently tap loose sections of glass from the door, while wearing thick work gloves and safety glasses.

3

Open up the door fully and use a Phillips-head screwdriver to remove the screws which hold the interior door panel in place. Lift the door panel away from the door and move it to one side.

4

Use a hex wrench to remove the hex bolts which attach the broken window to the window regulator. Put on a pair of protective gloves and carefully lift the window out of the window frame.

5

Place a new window in to the door frame. Align the bottom edge of the window with the top bracket of the window regulator. Install the hex bolts to secure both together. Reattach the door panel by placing it on to the door and reattaching the mounting screws.

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How to Replace a Rear Brake Rotor on a 1996 Explorer

If you have noticed track marks or prominent wear on your brake rotor, it may be to replace it. Squealing brakes or a soft response when you press on the brake pedal are other clues that replacement may be in order. Replacing the rotors on the rear brakes on a 1996 Ford Explorer is a task that the average owner can perform. Its relatively quick and just takes the right tools and a little elbow grease.

Instructions

1

Put on a filtered face mask and safety glasses before you begin operating on your brakes, since brake pad dust may contain small amounts of asbestos.

2

Jack up the rear end of your 1996 Ford Explorer, place it on jack stands, and remove the wheel. Inspect the rotor for track marks or prevalent wear to confirm it does indeed need replacing.

3

Remove the rear brake caliper by loosening and removing the mounting bolts with a socket wrench. Lift the caliper gently from the caliper mount, paying extra attention to avoid damage to the brake fluid line.

4

Remove the brake pads and hardware. Loosen and remove the rear brake caliper mounting bolts with a socket wrench or another appropriate tool. Remove the caliper mount gently from the vehicle.

5

Remove the retaining screw from the disc mounting hole and tap the rotor with a rubber mallet to release any rust buildup between it and the bearing hub. Lift the rotor away from the vehicle with both hands, being careful not to drop it. If the rotor is extremely rusted, turn and pull simultaneously while applying more force.

6

Clean the mating surface on the wheel hub and place the new rotor into position. Reconstruct the brake system in the reverse order. Put the wheel back on and check the rotor on the opposite side (often brake systems wear quite evenly).

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How to Change the Rear Brake Shoes on a Lincoln Mark V

Changing the rear brake shoes on a Lincoln Mark V requires time, concentration and patience. Though the process itself is not overly complicated, the steps required must be followed precisely or you could damage your brake system or even injure yourself if the system fails while youre operating your car. Consequently it is not recommended that you change the brake shoes on your Lincoln without first consulting a knowledgeable mechanic.

Instructions

1

Crack the lug nuts on the rear wheel of your Lincoln before lifting onto a jack. This will enable you to use the pressure of the tire on the ground under the weight of the car for leverage as you try to loosen the nut.

2

Lift your Lincoln with a 5 ton jack and support its rear end with two jack stands.

3

Remove the lug nuts from the rear wheel youre working on first and then remove the tire from the brake drum.

4

Spray the brake drum with penetrating oil. Penetrating oil is a low-viscosity lubricant that allows you to unscrew rusted or otherwise stuck bolts and nuts. It can be purchased at a local car parts store.

5

Remove the return spring from the brake drum using the speciality return spring tool. The return spring tool looks like a pair of pliers and can be purchased at a car parts store.

6

Remove the spring retainer clips using the clips speciality tool by holding the rear of the retaining pin down and inserting the specialty tool over top the front of the clip and turning the tool counter clockwise. The retainer clip specialty tool looks like a screwdriver and can be purchased at a car parts store.

7

Hook up a line wrench onto the brake line connected to the rear drum and loosen the fitting to remove the line.

8

Unscrew the bolts mounting the wheel cylinder so you can remove the wheel cylinder itself.

9

Remove the wheel cylinder so you can remove the old brake shoes.

10

Replace both the brake shoes and the wheel cylinder.

11

Reattach the brake lines.

12

Reassemble the rear wheel brake drum system in reverse order.

13

Adjust and test your new rear brakes. The new brake shoes should lightly contact the brake drum.

14

Bleed the brake system to ensure that it is free of air and leaks.

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What Kind of Impact Would Shatter a Rear Windshield

The rear windshield glass is tempered to increase protection for people in the vehicle. Tempering the glass makes it about five to 10 times stronger than normal glass, meaning it can withstand impact and extreme temperatures.

Tempered

The process of tempering reheats the glass to a temperature where it reaches a near-liquid state. The glass is then cooled and compresses, increasing its strength against impact.

Compression

In order to shatter tempered glass, the impact would have to overcome the compression of the glass. When tempered glass is broken, the breakage pattern, also known as dicing, results in tiny pieces of glass rather than large shards, which could do considerably more damage to the individuals within the car.

Causes

Some common causes of glass shatter includes acts of vandalism, when the windshield is smashed with blunt objects such as a baseball bat; rocks or other debris kicked up by other vehicles, especially on highways; and fallen tree branches.

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How to Replace the Rear Brake Rotors in a 1994 Toyota Celica

The rear brakes on a 1994 Toyota Celica do just a small percentage of the braking in the car, but over time, the rear brakes wear down just as fast as the front. With rear disc brakes, this means getting the stock rotors turned, or replacing them. If your rear rotors have already been turned once, chances are good that youll need to replace them first, which should take about 30 minutes a side.

Instructions

1

Raise the rear of the Celica using the jack and set the car down onto the jack stands. Take off the back wheels with the tire iron.

2

Unbolt the brake caliper from the rear suspension using the 3/8-inch ratchet and socket, then hang the caliper from the rear spring using the bungee cord. Install the two 8mm bolts into the threaded holes on the face of the rotor. Tighten them in place with the ratchet until the rotor pops off of the hub. Pull the rotor off with both hands.

3

Slide the replacement rotor onto the wheel hub using your hands, then install two lug nuts using your hands to keep the rotor on the hub. Install the brake caliper onto the rotor with the 3/8-inch ratchet and socket.

4

Remove the wheel lugs with your hands, then reinstall the rear tires using the tire iron. Lower the Celica off the stands with the jack.

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How to Adjust Hyundai Rear Brakes

The rear brakes on Hyundai vehicles are self-adjusting. This means that the rear brakes will adjust over time as you use them. However, a manual adjustment can and should be done initially to ensure that the pads "bed in" or adhere to the rotor properly during braking. "Bedding in" is the process of adjusting the brakes so that some of the brake pad material coats the surface of the rotor and "sticks". Then, when you apply brake pedal pressure, the brake pads will have a better grip on the rotor surface.

Instructions

1

Turn the engine on and put the Hyundai in "Reverse."

2

Slowly back up and apply the brakes. Repeat this process several times. Each time you do this, the pedal pressure should become more and more firm. You should only need to do this three to four times.

3

Drive the Hyundai at 40 mph. Apply the brakes in a controlled and normal fashion until you slow down to 10 mph, but do not stop the vehicle.

4

Increase speed to 40 mph again and apply the brakes until you reach 10 mph. It is important that you do not come to a complete stop during the adjustment period or you may improperly bed the pads to the rotor surface.

5

Repeat Step 4 one more time. Your brakes should be properly adjusted at this point.

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1987 Z31 Rear Brake Caliper Loose

1987 Z31 N/A Rear Passenger side brake loose. Bottom sliding pin tight, but upper bolt is obviously loose. Can tighten the bolt but it never stops spinning.

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How to Replace the Rear Brakes on a 2003 Ford Focus

The rear brakes on the Ford Focus are drum brakes with shoes that work with the parking brake as well as the rear wheels. These types of brakes are assembled onto the drum assembly using multiple springs and levers. This makes replacing brake shoes more difficult than replacing front brake pads.

Instructions

Accessing the Brake Shoes

1

Block the front wheels, release the parking brake and put the car into first gear. Raise the cars rear end, support it on axle stands or jack stands and remove the front wheels.

2

Disconnect the ABS wiring connector if one is present.

3

Disconnect the rear drum and brake assembly by unscrewing the four bolts at the rear of the hub assembly with a wrench.

4

Clean the entire assembly with brake cleaner, letting the residue drip into a drain pan, and wait for the assembly to dry. Take note of how the brake shoes and springs are installed as you do this.

Removing Old Shoes

5

Depress the ends of the hold-down springs on the brake shoes with pliers so you can withdraw the springs from the pins. Remove the pins from the back of the plate.

6

Disconnect the shoes top ends from the wheel cylinder; install an elastic band or wire over the cylinders/pistons to keep them from ejecting. Pull the shoes bottom end off the bottom anchor.

7

Pull back the parking brake cable spring from the operating lever at the back of the rear shoe and unhook the cable end from the lever with pliers. You can now remove the brake shoes.

8

Unhook the lower return spring from the shoes by moving the bottom ends of the shoes together, then pull the front shoe from the strut and brake shoe adjuster and unhook the upper spring. Take note of the holes the springs are in.

9

Disengage the adjustment strut by pulling it to remove it from the rear shoe. Remove the strut support spring.

Installing New Shoes

10

Clean the backing plate with the brake cleaner and apply a small amount of high-temperature brake grease to the brake shoe contact points and the sliding components of the brake shoe adjuster.

11

Assemble the new brake shoes by connecting the strut support spring and adjustment strut to the rear shoe, connecting the leading shoe to the strut and brake shoe adjuster and connecting the return springs.

12

Install the shoes by connecting the parking brake cable to the rear shoe, inserting the shoes bottom end on the bottom anchor and then connecting the top ends to the cylinder. Set the eccentric cam to its lowest position before connecting it to the rear shoe.

13

Re-connect the shoes hold-down pins and springs.

14

Install the brake drum back on the cylinder, tightening the bolts to 49 foot-pounds.

15

Replace the wheels and lower the car once youve changed the brakes on both sides.

16

Press the brake pedal several times to set the shoes at their normal operating position.

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How to Repair the Rear Disc Brakes on a 2004 Ford F250 Super Duty

Replacing the brakes on your Ford F250 Super Duty is a great way to solve a problem and save money on an expensive trip to the repair shop. The rear brakes are smaller than the fronts because they are not used as much during braking, so dont be surprised if the replacement pads look a little smaller than the pads for the front brakes.

Instructions

1

Park the vehicle in a flat area and chock the front wheels. Loosen the rear lug nuts but dont remove them. Raise the rear of the truck off the ground, remove the lug nuts and remove the wheel.

2

Remove the two long bolts holding the caliper in place. Once these have been removed, the caliper will swing off the wheel. Be careful not to let it hang on the brake line as this may damage the line.

3

Slide the pads out from the caliper. The pads are not attached by anything, but they may have become sticky, so pull them firmly.

4

Compress the caliper piston with the clamp. This will raise the level of brake fluid in the reservoir, so make sure you dont make it overflow. If you need to, you can siphon off any extra fluid.

5

Swing the caliper back into place over the rotor and the new brake pads. Gradually reduce the pressure on the caliper piston and the caliper will accept the new pads. Check the level of brake fluid in the reservoir and top it up if you need to.

6

Replace the two bolts that hold the caliper in place.

7

Replace the wheel and hand-tighten the lug bolts. Lower the car from the jack stands and torque the lug bolts to spec.

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