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Brake Job

14K views 36 replies 14 participants last post by  Tomterrific 
#1 ·
I am less than mechanically inclined but am attempting to do the brakes on my 2013 Nissan Frontier 4X4 SV. I feel the slightest vibration when I brake hard and the brake pedal is a little soft so I am planning to do pads all around and rotors in the front. The truck has 42k miles on it now so i feel like it is time. Is there anything tricky I should know about doing brakes on a frontier that is abnormal or less than obvious?

I appreciate any feed back.

thank you,

Forest
 
#3 · (Edited)
Coming from someone with a relatively recent history of being completely mechanically inept and who did a brake job for the first time only a few short years ago, here are the things that come to mind that may not necessarily be thought of:

* When you remove the calipers, make sure you have already lined up a way to secure them, whether that is tying them to the UCA or setting them on a tall sturdy box or whatever (for the rears, you can just set them on the leaf spring). You don't want to hang them by the brake lines.
* Pay attention to the way the little spring clips on the side are holding the pads in place. When you put the new pads in, you'll have to squeeze those little clips together. If you've never done a brake job with a similar style clip, this may not be intuitive...and your brakes will make funny noises if you put them together wrong (ask me how I know...).
* You may already know this, but you'll need a way of squeezing the pistons back to get the new pads to fit over your rotor because they'll be thicker (I use C clamps).
* Apply a very small amount of grease to the backing plates and you may want to add a little more under the slide pin boots as well.
* The bolts for the slide pins are only torqued to something like 20 or 25...I'd have to look it up, but make sure you don't overtorque them.
* Definitely plan on applying anti-seize or blue Loctite (whatever your preference for your climate) to the caliper bolts and torque them properly.
* The brakes may feel really soft the first couple times you apply them after replacing the pads. They should firm up quickly.
* Never top off the brake fluid prior to doing a brake job. If the fluid reservoir is near max, you might want to consider loosening the cap on the reservoir before you start (just make sure to tighten it back down afterward).

I'm assuming you are very new at this and tried to list out the things that the "how to" manuals didn't necessarily mention when I did this for the first time. I hate learning things the hard way. ;)

Brakes are pretty straightforward on these trucks though. The hardest part is usually trying to wrestle the new pads into the side clips.
 
#36 ·
I'm assuming you are very new at this and tried to list out the things that the "how to" manuals didn't necessarily mention when I did this for the first time. I hate learning things the hard way. ;)

Brakes are pretty straightforward on these trucks though. The hardest part is usually trying to wrestle the new pads into the side clips.
Thank you so much for this. Exactly what I was hoping to find.
 
#4 ·
Solid words from Jen.

Also, don't be afraid to watch a few YouTube videos or Google search. I've had great success over the years typing in the vehicle I am working on and the operation I am about to perform in to the Google/YouTube search. I did this just the other day before I went to replace a headlight bulb on my wife's car. Even though I have been wrenching on cars for 25 some odd years, it was still helpful. Without the search, I would never have thought to look for an access panel inside the wheel opening and would have struggled from the top side.
 
#5 ·
Another point on the first use of the brake after the brake job. When you get in the car pump the brakes a couple of times before you start to drive. Since you retracted the pistons all the way it will often take several pumps before the new brake pads contact the the rotor. This has almost cause me to crash as you can have NO brakes the first time you step on the pedal.
 
#6 ·
since no one has mentioned bedding the pads. read the directions and bed your pads.

just as well, pick up some tubing and a boxed wrench to crack open your lines and drain the shitty fluid as you walk the caliper back.
i have this kit and its worked on everything from a frontier to a raptor to a silradooooo. and its cheap and much easier and a smoother motion



i would for sure tq ya bolts down. i was a dummy and on my last brake job one of my rear caliper bolts came loose and it was ****ing with my pedal really bad. it was going to the floor almost and barely stopping.
new bolt in and tqed to spec and the thing stops in the middle of ferguson MO without worries.

good luck, and go slow. its not a race.
 
#8 ·
since no one has mentioned bedding the pads. read the directions and bed your pads.

just as well, pick up some tubing and a boxed wrench to crack open your lines and drain the shitty fluid as you walk the caliper back.
i have this kit and its worked on everything from a frontier to a raptor to a silradooooo. and its cheap and much easier and a smoother motion
https://www.amazon.com/Motivx-Tools...r=1-2-spons&keywords=brake+caliper+tool&psc=1



i would for sure tq ya bolts down. i was a dummy and on my last brake job one of my rear caliper bolts came loose and it was ****ing with my pedal really bad. it was going to the floor almost and barely stopping.
new bolt in and tqed to spec and the thing stops in the middle of ferguson MO without worries.

good luck, and go slow. its not a race.
I was jsut doing a brake job last night and I was able to use some bar clamps to push the piston back. Like Jr mentioned c-clamps work well. Even used big channel locks before. That tool however looks nice. does it work on 2 pot calipers too.
 
#7 ·
Odd that you need to replace the brakes at 40+k. Most frontiers get well over 70k before needing fronts and near 90k before needing rears. Granted YMMV and if you have a heavy foot or a tire tech who doesn't believe in a torque wrench then it's not out of the question that you could have a little rotor warpage starting, just saying it's well outside the norm.
The frontier does have a soft brake pedal, no denying that. And if you share driving duties with another car it's even more noticeable when getting back in the fronty.
As to the job itself, it is a fairly simple procedure. Just follow the good advice above and make sure you pay attention to how things came apart you should be fine. If you're not mechanically inclined and don't have experience with braking systems I don't recommend opening the hydraulic system. If you open a bleeder valve and don't get the air properly bled out you can create a dangerous situation in a hurry.
 
#9 ·
im not saying c clamps dont work.
playing kickball with a baseball can happen, but i bet you have a better time with a kickball.

apply tension to the piston on the lower piston in relation to the bleed screw. Crack the line and push back, close the line and move on to the other piston.

idk on the two pots, never done them.
 
#10 ·
POT=piston. They do make a 2 piston version of the tool.

As for your analogy of the kickball. I have a garage full of tools, and many single job specific ones. I am at the point, in tool storage, where if I do not need to own a specialized tool that a generic one will accomplish all the better. A clamp can easily retract a brake caliper piston thus the necessity for a specialized brake piston retraction tool is low. So more like playing kickball with a volleyball rather than an official "kickball". If I was trying to compress a suspension coil spring with some C and hose clamps...
 
#11 ·
well if you have never used one before you cant really comment on what its like. you can only speculate.

so i dont think you are up to the task of labeling analogies for comparisons when you only have one side of the comparison....
c clamps will work on some calipers for sure, but some you have to turn back to the base. thats something a clamp cant do, hence a specific tool that works better than something that clamps.
but also works better than clamps, but hey keep your clamps what do i know, im only the only guy so far thats used the tool you are commenting about lol....
 
#12 ·
The tool in discussion has been on my "I should get" list for probably 20 years. Each time I pull out my C clamps and fiddle with getting things lined up just right so I don't wedge a piston in it's bore, I tell myself I'll get the tool for next time....

So, yes, C clamps work, but, a dedicated tool that doesn't rely on the outside of the caliper body to line up correctly would be better.
 
#14 ·
I had no idea my C clamp suggestion was going to be such a hot topic. I do like doing things the hard way.

The tool that Andy linked looks like a worthwhile investment. I've only actually replaced the brake pads on my truck once, but I've also taken them apart to reapply grease...and I swear that half the time when I do a completely unrelated front end project, my brake pads fall out of the caliper and then don't want to go back over the rotor.
 
#18 ·
$10.00 at Harbor Freight.

I changed mine a while back. I had 141,000 miles on them. I changed everything Rotors and pads, although I probably could have gone another 10-20K. I saved the rotors because they were not worn enough and I will have them machined for future use.

I got that kind of mileage because of my 105 mile daily commute, I only touch the brakes 16 times in a normal day over that 105 miles and I also let up on the gas way before I need to use them. My last set of tires lasted 91,000 miles.
 
#22 ·
Thanks for the quick response!

So I've been reading a lot about how to do it with varying reasons on why/why not and bedding methods. From what I understand the best way to bed the pads and rotors would be:

45MPH to 10 MPH - 3-4 times and don't come to a complete stop
60MPH to 15 MPH - 8-10 times and don't come to a complete stop
Drive without stopping for a few miles to cool the brakes and then you're done.

My concern is finding a road that I'll be able to go through the process enough without stopping to turn around. If this is how the process should go, how important is it to follow it exactly without stopping at lights or adjusting for other cars on the road, etc.?
 
#23 ·
that process doesnt look bad. the pedal pressure is a big thing to keep in mind. the first few should be about 45-50% stop power, the next set of stop power is around 75% for me personally.

after i gain that much heat, i just dont let my rotors come to a complete stop during high heat. after ive driven around for about 5 minutes or so of constant moving i head back to my house.
i do a heavy bed in process for every brake job i do, im trying to be cautious with you because you arent the one doing the work and its no my truck. if it was my truck i would just take it out and rip around for a bit, drive around for a cool off then park for the night.
 
#24 ·
Yea I hear ya. Again I really appreciate the info and quick responses. I could always call the dealership back b/c I forgot to ask if the broke them in yesterday, however this particular dealer has been difficult. I don't really trust them anyway. Is there an easy way to check if they bedded by looking at them? Didn't seem to see a build up of any new brake dust and the rotors still look silver where I've read you can have a bluish tint after bedding. Guess it's more 4Runner until I can find some open road early AM to bed.
 
#25 ·
they easiest way to tell would be to gauge your stopping distance with how much foot power you use.
your last set of brakes although likely toast will have better stopping distance than a set of brand new pads and rotors. within a week of driving at least 20 miles a day they should feel like you are throwing a 1 ton weight on the pedal lol.

im not sure if there is a visual inspection you can do, since i do everything on my own thats never been something ive thought about.
 
#27 · (Edited)
OK...I kept the brake bedding process simple and so far so good:

Hit the breaks hard at 45mph to 5 or 10mph. I did this four times. Hard braking could be described as braking for an emergency. The pedal doesn't have to be slammed, but you want to stop as fast as possible.
Then I drove around for about 4-5 minutes to cool them down. Coasted as much as possible to avoid stopping.
Did not come to a complete stop until I parked my truck for the night.
Didn't use the parking brake when I parked.
 
#29 ·
O
Hit the breaks hard at 45mph to 5 or 10mph. I did this four times.
This is typically what I do. Maybe a little higher top speed.


45MPH to 10 MPH - 3-4 times and don't come to a complete stop
60MPH to 15 MPH - 8-10 times and don't come to a complete stop
Drive without stopping for a few miles to cool the brakes and then you're done.
I find this to be too aggressive and will smoke your brakes. I feel that doing so is more detrimental then beneficial.
 
#28 ·
I have done it both ways. I always "bed in" my performance cars, but the Frontier, I just drove it and it's fine.
 
#30 · (Edited)
Lots of good advice.

I have done the fronts twice and the rears once on my Frontier in 85k miles. I tow fairly regularly and it is my first automatic transmission in a truck, ever. No compression braking, sadly, to smooth the transition. I like to have the Nissan shop manual at hand and watch a couple youtube videos on the process. You can always learn something new. Not sure if it was for the Frontier or my wife's sedan that the DIY youtuber was wearing a clown wig whilst changing brake pads. You just can't find that sort of entertainment everywhere.

Fronts
1. Replaced pads and rotors with best OEM-ish parts from NAPA, turn factory rotors for future use.
2. Another set of best OEM-ish pads from NAPA, turned factory rotors back on.
NOTE: Caliper pin rubber booties (the ones ON the pins INSIDE the caliper, not the outside ones that keep out dirt) getting soft and a pain to put back in on second go 'round. Next time will replace them, too.

Rears
Replaced pads & rotors with best OEM-ish NAPA parts. Caliper pin booties again were overly soft and a pain to re-insert. Will replace next time.

If I have the time, I also like to replace the outside bootie deals.


C-Clamp vs Dedicated Tool Kit.
I'm a C-clamp man going way back. Like another poster wrote, use an old pad to get even pressure. Then my wife's sedan had the screw-pistons and I bought a 6-sided dice-like thingy that fits on the end of a 3/8" socket extension. It has different patterns I think on each face of the dice. So, I use the special tool when it is absolutely necessary. I am the last guy to criticize someone for buying yet another tool. You may have more tools than you can use in any given moment, but you can't have too many tools.

Forgot to mention that I do a mild bedding. The routine posted is about 2x to 3x more than i do. Maybe more a test to make sure things are working, but has mild bedding side effects.
 
#35 ·
The 2-piston brake question is simple: when it's time to push the pistons back in, use one of the old brake pads and stick it back in the caliper. Then you can use a pad spreader, c-clamp, or whatever your tool choice is to push on the old brake pad, which will in turn push both pistons back at the same time. This is how I've done 2-piston brakes for years with a single pad spreader like this:

 
#37 ·
I have not read through this entire thread but here are a few tricks I've picked up doing brakes on many different types of vehicles.

Suck the dirty old fluid out of the brake reservoir and pour in New fluid first thing. Check the level as you pump up the system after the brakes are done.

Open the bleeder on the caliper to push back the piston. You might be able to use your hands. You do not want to back pressure the system.

Note where the "cricket" is placed when you remove the old pads. One of the pads will have a thin metal piece that contacts the rotor when the pads are worn giving an audible indication.
 
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