REQUEST:Changing front and rear brake pads on stock akebono

tru_Asiatik

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

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Straight6z

Brake Pad Installation - Nissan 350Z & 370Z Wiki

Straight6z

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.

tru_Asiatik

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

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Mike

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.

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spearfish25

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

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tru_Asiatik

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

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m4a1mustang

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

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kenchan

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.

ChrisSlicks

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.

m4a1mustang

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.

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ChrisSlicks

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

m4a1mustang

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.

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kenchan

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.

yubman

Nice detailed writeup of pad replacement and rotor replacment:

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