Front Brake Pads and (possibly) Rotor replacement Protege5 '03
#1
07-07-2011 | 12:04 PM
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 8
Front Brake Pads and (possibly) Rotor replacement Protege5 '03
This is concerning my mom's 2003 Protege5, with just 48K on it. Front pads are close to being used up. First thing I would like to ask is what type of pads everyone recommends? Obviously with the miles she put on it, she is not a hard driver, so OEM pads seemed to have lasted quite some time, but if there are any other good pads out there for around the same price, I am up to hear suggestions please!
I did some searches on this forum as well as Youtube and such, and I think I pretty much just want to clarify with anyone that has done a front brake pad / rotor replacement on a few things.
1. True or False.... The fronts are much easier than the rears (Rears I am not doing anyway)
2. As far as compressing the caliper piston back into the caliper, does the piston need to rotate to get back in or can I just use a clamp with the old brake pad in the middle and just C clamp push it back straight in?
The youtube I found was on another Mazda and was wondering if it is pretty much the exact same style...
YouTube - ‪Replacing Brake Pads and Rotors‬‏
Any help would be appreciated it!
I did some searches on this forum as well as Youtube and such, and I think I pretty much just want to clarify with anyone that has done a front brake pad / rotor replacement on a few things.
1. True or False.... The fronts are much easier than the rears (Rears I am not doing anyway)
2. As far as compressing the caliper piston back into the caliper, does the piston need to rotate to get back in or can I just use a clamp with the old brake pad in the middle and just C clamp push it back straight in?
The youtube I found was on another Mazda and was wondering if it is pretty much the exact same style...
YouTube - ‪Replacing Brake Pads and Rotors‬‏
Any help would be appreciated it!
Last edited by warrior86; 07-07-2011 at 06:30 PM.
#3
07-21-2011 | 05:43 AM
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 5
Replacing pads is easy. I just did mine infact =D. You may want to check to see if the rotors are ok during this time since you will be in the same area.
Ceramic brake pads are best due to their heat dissapation properties. However, if you are a light driver this probably is less important and getting the cheaper semi metalic pads would be fine.
Ideally you would want to open the caliper and remove the brake pads. Remember to get the hardware kit when replacing pads since they help greatly with vibration and only cost a few bucks.
To make removing/installing the brake pads easier, you should clap the brake fluid line and bleed the caliper. Then you can use a wrench and push the piston back.
Hope that helps
PS if your rotors are rusty, probably a good time to replace them
If they won't come off invest in a 3 way puller and remember to put lugnuts on before starting the pulling process
Ceramic brake pads are best due to their heat dissapation properties. However, if you are a light driver this probably is less important and getting the cheaper semi metalic pads would be fine.
Ideally you would want to open the caliper and remove the brake pads. Remember to get the hardware kit when replacing pads since they help greatly with vibration and only cost a few bucks.
To make removing/installing the brake pads easier, you should clap the brake fluid line and bleed the caliper. Then you can use a wrench and push the piston back.
Hope that helps
PS if your rotors are rusty, probably a good time to replace them
If they won't come off invest in a 3 way puller and remember to put lugnuts on before starting the pulling process
#4
07-21-2011 | 12:44 PM
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 172
From: Newark, NY
1. True or False.... The fronts are much easier than the rears (Rears I am not doing anyway)
True. The lack of an e-brake helps, also since they are on the front and take more braking force, the calipers are less likely to have seized - and if they do you're more likely to notice it & fix it soon. when the rears are seized they aren't noticed as much, so they will continue to rust in place by the time you get to doing a brake job.
2. As far as compressing the caliper piston back into the caliper, does the piston need to rotate to get back in or can I just use a clamp with the old brake pad in the middle and just C clamp push it back straight in?
I'm not sure what style the protoge has for the e-brake, but rear rotors can be set up two ways. The more common is to have a lever push on the brake piston from the inside, which self-adjusts by ratcheting outwards when used. This needs to be turned to be retracted.
The second style has a seperate brake drum on the inside of the rotor 'hat', which may or may not auto-adjust but can be more difficult to remove. This is a purely mechanical version too, but does not interfere with the caliper / piston setup.
From the above, ceramics can handle higher heat, but they also create less dust on the rims - depending if that's a problem for you. For light use vehicles, I have had no problem with the wearever silver pads (semi-metallic) from advance auto. Depends what amount of money you want to spend, but I don't think there's a hell of a lot of difference overall. The rears do not need to be ceramic unless it's a performance vehicle, they just don't get the wear or heat like the fronts do.
Do be ready to file down the sides of the pads (metal back plate) to get into the caliper bracket. I have yet to get a replacement set for any vehicle that is a true drop in with no filing needed. If you do just cram it in, they will drag and wear / stick prematurely.
As for rotors, I agree with Syphorus with replacing rotors. The rears are probably ok since they are solid disks, but the fronts are vented and should be replaced - since if you don't they will end up warping before your new pads are worn out - then you need to replace the pads again as well.
Good luck.
True. The lack of an e-brake helps, also since they are on the front and take more braking force, the calipers are less likely to have seized - and if they do you're more likely to notice it & fix it soon. when the rears are seized they aren't noticed as much, so they will continue to rust in place by the time you get to doing a brake job.
2. As far as compressing the caliper piston back into the caliper, does the piston need to rotate to get back in or can I just use a clamp with the old brake pad in the middle and just C clamp push it back straight in?
I'm not sure what style the protoge has for the e-brake, but rear rotors can be set up two ways. The more common is to have a lever push on the brake piston from the inside, which self-adjusts by ratcheting outwards when used. This needs to be turned to be retracted.
The second style has a seperate brake drum on the inside of the rotor 'hat', which may or may not auto-adjust but can be more difficult to remove. This is a purely mechanical version too, but does not interfere with the caliper / piston setup.
From the above, ceramics can handle higher heat, but they also create less dust on the rims - depending if that's a problem for you. For light use vehicles, I have had no problem with the wearever silver pads (semi-metallic) from advance auto. Depends what amount of money you want to spend, but I don't think there's a hell of a lot of difference overall. The rears do not need to be ceramic unless it's a performance vehicle, they just don't get the wear or heat like the fronts do.
Do be ready to file down the sides of the pads (metal back plate) to get into the caliper bracket. I have yet to get a replacement set for any vehicle that is a true drop in with no filing needed. If you do just cram it in, they will drag and wear / stick prematurely.
As for rotors, I agree with Syphorus with replacing rotors. The rears are probably ok since they are solid disks, but the fronts are vented and should be replaced - since if you don't they will end up warping before your new pads are worn out - then you need to replace the pads again as well.
Good luck.
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