rear brakes
#11
06-20-2007 | 06:08 PM
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4
RE: rear brakes
Needle nose pliers and universal caliper piston reset tools will not work for this job! If I knew how much of a pain in my *** this would be, I would have taken it in to Mazda and had them do the work.The piston must be compressed and turned clockwise todepress the piston.I'm not finished because I am waiting on the part from Snap-on to finish the job (what a bitch this has been). Firstplace jack onyour caronthe rear beam (leave in gear or park w/out the ebrake. Take of lug nuts before the car is raised. Always use jack stands when getting under your car. There are two covers on the back of each rear caliper. Take the covers of with a flat screw driver and use a 7mm hex (allen wrench) to take the callipers off. Remove the pad clips with a flat screw driver and don't pop yourself in the face with the clip. Remove the caliper and used brake pads. Clean parts with brake cleaner. Check for leaks or damaged parts such as rotors and wheel bearings before installing new parts. Compress the piston using the "mazda speciality tool" and install in reverse. I done a ton of brake jobs and didn't have any trouble getting the job done in an hour or less. This has been a real pain in my butt. I let you know the part # from snap on when I get it. Mac tools and other tool companies said that they couldn't get the tool because of the monopoly mazda has on their tools.
If anyone has replaced these brakes any other way, please let me know. I am at the point where I almost want to tow my car to mazda and get rid of my headache. I'll take some pictures when I get the job done and give a step by step for those of you who want to tackle this beast. Brakes should not be this difficult. I always thought the german's were crazy, I'm starting to wonder about the Japaneese...
-Mario
If anyone has replaced these brakes any other way, please let me know. I am at the point where I almost want to tow my car to mazda and get rid of my headache. I'll take some pictures when I get the job done and give a step by step for those of you who want to tackle this beast. Brakes should not be this difficult. I always thought the german's were crazy, I'm starting to wonder about the Japaneese...
-Mario
#12
06-24-2007 | 11:40 PM
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4
RE: rear brakes
I hope this helps. My dad's next door neighbor is a Snap-On dealer and hooked me up with the right tool for the job. I called several other tool companies including Craftsman, Mac, and a few others and they said that the adapter wasn't available to them yet. I also rented a caliper piston from Autozone, and it didn't have the right adapter either. I've read a few other forums about rear brake replacement and they did use needle nose pliers, but they still had a lot of brake pad left and they had to push and turn really hard. The piston is spring loaded and needs to be compressed and screwed at the same time. Make sure that you don't let the piston release. Mine did and ripped my caliper boot. I ordered a new one from Mazda ($40) and had to call several dealers before I could even order the boot. I hope I can fix the boot because a new rear caliper runs about $350 from Mazda and takes a week to order. This tool is a must for this brake job. It took me 2 minutes tops to compress the caliper (I spent several hours doing it the hard way and still didn't get results).
Again, to start the job you'll have to remove the two plastic covers from the rear caliper (use a flat head screw driver). Next use a 7mm hex to take the retaining bolts out (you won't be able to see the head, but you can feel it into place). Next remove the pad retaining spring with a flat head screw driver (it will pop out at you if you're not careful). Next remove the caliper and pads and use plenty of brake cleaner.Inspect the rear rotor and other brake parts for wear. This is also a great time to check the wheel bearing. Compress the piston back into place using the caliper reset tool.Put pads back in place and put everything back together the same way you took it apart. Using the right tool for the job is a necessity.
Generic Autozone tool that will work on most cars:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1427.jpg
Snap on tool for Mazda:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1420.jpg
A few other pictures to help out:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1419.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1421.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1422.jpg
Good Luck-
Mario
Again, to start the job you'll have to remove the two plastic covers from the rear caliper (use a flat head screw driver). Next use a 7mm hex to take the retaining bolts out (you won't be able to see the head, but you can feel it into place). Next remove the pad retaining spring with a flat head screw driver (it will pop out at you if you're not careful). Next remove the caliper and pads and use plenty of brake cleaner.Inspect the rear rotor and other brake parts for wear. This is also a great time to check the wheel bearing. Compress the piston back into place using the caliper reset tool.Put pads back in place and put everything back together the same way you took it apart. Using the right tool for the job is a necessity.
Generic Autozone tool that will work on most cars:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1427.jpg
Snap on tool for Mazda:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1420.jpg
A few other pictures to help out:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1419.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1421.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1422.jpg
Good Luck-
Mario
#14
06-26-2007 | 04:00 PM
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 12
From:
RE: rear brakes
ORIGINAL: mezz4prez
I hope this helps. My dad's next door neighbor is a Snap-On dealer and hooked me up with the right tool for the job. I called several other tool companies including Craftsman, Mac, and a few others and they said that the adapter wasn't available to them yet. I also rented a caliper piston from Autozone, and it didn't have the right adapter either. I've read a few other forums about rear brake replacement and they did use needle nose pliers, but they still had a lot of brake pad left and they had to push and turn really hard. The piston is spring loaded and needs to be compressed and screwed at the same time. Make sure that you don't let the piston release. Mine did and ripped my caliper boot. I ordered a new one from Mazda ($40) and had to call several dealers before I could even order the boot. I hope I can fix the boot because a new rear caliper runs about $350 from Mazda and takes a week to order. This tool is a must for this brake job. It took me 2 minutes tops to compress the caliper (I spent several hours doing it the hard way and still didn't get results).
Again, to start the job you'll have to remove the two plastic covers from the rear caliper (use a flat head screw driver). Next use a 7mm hex to take the retaining bolts out (you won't be able to see the head, but you can feel it into place). Next remove the pad retaining spring with a flat head screw driver (it will pop out at you if you're not careful). Next remove the caliper and pads and use plenty of brake cleaner.Inspect the rear rotor and other brake parts for wear. This is also a great time to check the wheel bearing. Compress the piston back into place using the caliper reset tool.Put pads back in place and put everything back together the same way you took it apart. Using the right tool for the job is a necessity.
Generic Autozone tool that will work on most cars:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1427.jpg
Snap on tool for Mazda:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1420.jpg
A few other pictures to help out:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1419.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1421.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1422.jpg
Good Luck-
Mario
I hope this helps. My dad's next door neighbor is a Snap-On dealer and hooked me up with the right tool for the job. I called several other tool companies including Craftsman, Mac, and a few others and they said that the adapter wasn't available to them yet. I also rented a caliper piston from Autozone, and it didn't have the right adapter either. I've read a few other forums about rear brake replacement and they did use needle nose pliers, but they still had a lot of brake pad left and they had to push and turn really hard. The piston is spring loaded and needs to be compressed and screwed at the same time. Make sure that you don't let the piston release. Mine did and ripped my caliper boot. I ordered a new one from Mazda ($40) and had to call several dealers before I could even order the boot. I hope I can fix the boot because a new rear caliper runs about $350 from Mazda and takes a week to order. This tool is a must for this brake job. It took me 2 minutes tops to compress the caliper (I spent several hours doing it the hard way and still didn't get results).
Again, to start the job you'll have to remove the two plastic covers from the rear caliper (use a flat head screw driver). Next use a 7mm hex to take the retaining bolts out (you won't be able to see the head, but you can feel it into place). Next remove the pad retaining spring with a flat head screw driver (it will pop out at you if you're not careful). Next remove the caliper and pads and use plenty of brake cleaner.Inspect the rear rotor and other brake parts for wear. This is also a great time to check the wheel bearing. Compress the piston back into place using the caliper reset tool.Put pads back in place and put everything back together the same way you took it apart. Using the right tool for the job is a necessity.
Generic Autozone tool that will work on most cars:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1427.jpg
Snap on tool for Mazda:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1420.jpg
A few other pictures to help out:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1419.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1421.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...z/IMG_1422.jpg
Good Luck-
Mario
#15
07-29-2007 | 12:13 AM
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4
RE: rear brakes
The Snap-on rep set me up with another company that he distributes at a much lower cost (but still is very good quality and has a lifetime warranty). I found a link to one online (less that I paid) http://www.brandsplace.com/0246-lis25000.html- buy this tool or if you do a lot of brake jobs, upgrade to the Snap-on set.
The problem is that the discs aren't listed with specific cars most of the time anymore because of the endless variables. Good luck with your brake job if you haven't done it already.
The problem is that the discs aren't listed with specific cars most of the time anymore because of the endless variables. Good luck with your brake job if you haven't done it already.
#16
07-29-2007 | 07:45 AM
Super Moderator
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 8,666
From: Manor, TX (Outside of Austin)
RE: rear brakes
Thanks! They don't look any different than the universal brake tools I've seen, including the universal set from AutoZone you've included in other pictures. Is it really necessary to buy a specific tool for our Mazdas?
Here are a few I found on Amazon. Some as little as $10, but they also include severalsets from Lisle.
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&sear...ool&page=1
#17
07-30-2007 | 01:11 AM
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4
RE: rear brakes
I contacted Mac, Matco, Craftsman, and a few other tool companies and they said that they didn't carry the adapter for the Mazda 3. The one I rented from Autozone didn't work and the set from Harbor Freight didn't work either. It might be better to get a set of measuring calipers and see if another adapter works. The only one that my Snap-on rep told me would work was the set from Snap-on and the Lisle set he sold me. Good luck with the install. Like I said, with the right tool and adapter, this brake job is cake. If you don't have the tool and your pads have a lot of wear, have fun...
#18
11-11-2007 | 06:08 PM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1
RE: rear brakes
I plowed into replacingthe rear pads on my 2005 Mazda 3, needlenose pliers in hand. Ha! Then I read this forum - and was outraged. Went to AutoZone to see what they had... diddly-squat. As I was looking at thecheapogeneric piston compressor thinking how I would modify it to serve in place oftheoverpricedand not readily available "real" tool, an elderly gent volunteered that he had a kit in his car trunk, but upon inspection I found it wasn't compatible. He then offered an idea that turned out to be the solution: use the $9 generic compressor to alternate addingpressure with turning the piston clockwise with channel locks. Worked like a champ! It dog ears the piston a teeny bit, but nothing majorthat affects functionality, and you have to be careful not to injure the rubber boot, but it was not that tough and OH SO GRATIFYING to this weekend mechanic!
#19
11-11-2007 | 06:37 PM
Super Moderator
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 8,666
From: Manor, TX (Outside of Austin)
RE: rear brakes
+1 on that find, T!
I've had EBC green stuff's for a while now, waiting to be installed, but what wondering how I was gonna do it. This just might be the solution... as soon as I get some new rotors that is. ($$$)
#20
06-15-2008 | 10:59 PM
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2
RE: rear brakes
After we spent the day trying to fix the rear brakes on our 2002 P5, we finally figured this out and thought we would write to clarify this for anyone else trying to do so. The part of this thread with the photo about the bolt that "is staring you in the face" is very confusing. This bolt is actually in the back of the caliper next to the bolt holding the parking brake bracket (which is bolted to the back of the caliper). If you have removed the parking brake cable, then you can turn the caliper as shown in the photo and then remove this bolt to see the allen inside of it. If you have not removed the parking brake cable, then the bolt will be on the back of the caliper. It is a5/32 allen. Turn the allen to "loosen" and the caliper piston will retract. From there is easy! Hope this helps someone who may be as frustrated as we were today. Glad this site is here to help.