# Brake Pad Replacement



## brooks6277 (Jan 19, 2006)

I have a 2000 Maxima and I am changing the rear brake pads. I have changed pads many times on North American vehicles but never on an import.On North American vehicles in order to make room for the new thicker pads I would pry with a srewdriver between the pad and the rotor, making sure not to damage the rotor, and the piston on the callipers would retract with the fluid going back into the resevoir. I would do this with the calliper still bolted on. With this vehicle I could not get the piston to retract. I don't know if it is just sticking or if there is a one way ckeck valvle that prevents fluid from returning to the resevoir. Do I have to open the bleeder in order to get the piston to retract. Can anyone help?


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## DaveH (Dec 30, 2005)

*brake pads*

hey i did mine 6mo ago and u need to turn the pistion with a c-clamp or if you can get or rent the right clamp from your local auto parts store but you need to push and turn at the same time it works well and most of the time smoothly


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## 02MaxUpgrade (Jul 19, 2005)

Speaking of brake pads, any reason to consider aftermarket for just regular driving? Any good low dust options?


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## brianw (Feb 25, 2004)

IIRC Raybestos Quietstops or Ceramics, I think, are supposed to be good choices for that.

I personally run the most aggressive pads I can get away with on the street; as of late that's been Porterfield R4S or Axxis Ultimates, although they dust worse than crazy...


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## Puppetmaster (Mar 28, 2005)

From what I've heard, Raybestos pads are low dust and work pretty well. Another more aggressive alternate are the Hawk HPS pads, but those dust quite a bit. I have a set sitting here right now and can probably give more feedback on em at a later date.


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## brianw (Feb 25, 2004)

IIRC, Hawk HPS and Hawk HP+ pads don't dust quite as bad as Axxis Ultimates, but they still dust pretty bad. Porterfield R4S's are even worse than Ultimates... I have 10K+ miles of experience with Ultimates and 50K with R4S's....


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

brianw said:


> IIRC, Hawk HPS and Hawk HP+ pads don't dust quite as bad as Axxis Ultimates, but they still dust pretty bad. Porterfield R4S's are even worse than Ultimates... I have 10K+ miles of experience with Ultimates and 50K with R4S's....


HP+ is a TRACK pad just to specify.


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## Outkast (Jan 29, 2006)

The rear caliper on these Maxima's are screw type. You'll need a special tool to retract them.


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## 02MaxUpgrade (Jul 19, 2005)

I just had my fronts changed, and now I can "hear" them braking, if you know what I mean. Is there a break-in period, after which they will be quieter? FYI these are OEM.


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## RLLOGY81 (Feb 1, 2006)

Outkast said:


> The rear caliper on these Maxima's are screw type. You'll need a special tool to retract them.


what kind of a special tool?


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## brianw (Feb 25, 2004)

Go to any auto parts store, it's readily available. The caliper has 2 indentions for the tool (or a really, really steady hand with pliers) can retract it by rotating it.


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## RLLOGY81 (Feb 1, 2006)

ok another question, I have done a couple break jobs on some GM cars will this break job be much more difficult than thoes, one was a blazer, and the other was a older buick


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

the front pads are cake. 10 minutes per side usually.
the rears, you just simply unbolt the caliper from the torque arm, then turn the piston while you're pushing to shove it back in. stick the new pads on the torque arm, slide the caliper over it all, then bolt the caliper back into place.

yank up on the parking brake handle a few times to reset the parking brake, then bleed brakes as you would any other car.

it's really very simple to do brakes on these cars.


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## RLLOGY81 (Feb 1, 2006)

Do you always have to bleed? now exactly how is that done, never did it before


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## 02MaxUpgrade (Jul 19, 2005)

*Update*



> I just had my fronts changed, and now I can "hear" them braking, if you know what I mean. Is there a break-in period, after which they will be quieter? FYI these are OEM.


Well I went back to the garage and they re-surfaced the rotors again, solved the noise issue.


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