[B13TTSE]

My car has been making a grinding type noise from the left front side. I finally took a look at my left rotors and notized that I barely have any pads left and that my rotors have a circle indentation from the worn out pads...

I've never changed brakes before, but I've watched friends do it before. Should I tackle this job?? Would it be okay to just replace the left front rotor and the pads on both the left and right sides???

thanks,

Mike

 

[b13nissan]

My car has been making a grinding type noise from the left front side. I finally took a look at my left rotors and notized that I barely have any pads left and that my rotors have a circle indentation from the worn out pads...

I've never changed brakes before, but I've watched friends do it before. Should I tackle this job?? Would it be okay to just replace the left front rotor and the pads on both the left and right sides???

thanks,

Mike

You should always replace both left/right pads and rotors at the same time. It's not that hard to do. If you have a fsm or haynes manual, tackle it!

 

[SergioCR]

My car has been making a grinding type noise from the left front side. I finally took a look at my left rotors and notized that I barely have any pads left and that my rotors have a circle indentation from the worn out pads...

I've never changed brakes before, but I've watched friends do it before. Should I tackle this job?? Would it be okay to just replace the left front rotor and the pads on both the left and right sides???

Hi, it's easy to change front pads... they must be changed on both sides and i think a must is a C-Clamp to compress the caliper cylinder to allow the new pads to fit in.

You have to remove the caliper (2 bolts hold it in place) remove the old pads and put newones in... then re-tighten caliper to about 25 or 30 Ft-lbs (torque) the c-clamp it's practically a must, i did it without it but it's a lot more difficult since it's difficult to compress the cylinder

 

[tsi200sx]

Sergio is right the C-clamp is really important. When you take the calipers off don't disconnect the brake lines going into them. They are rubber lines so you will be able to move the calipers out of the way. I usually bend a wire coat hanger, thread it through the caliper, and hang it from the spring (the suspension spring). Don't let the caliper hang by the rubber brake line. If you disconnect that line, you'll have to bleed the brake system. but be sure to inspect the brake line for cracks. I had one blow out on me once in a Honda. I almost rear-ended a pickup truck.
That anti-squeal disc brake stuff they sell, both as a spray and as a goop-type stuff in tubes, is a must. It is applied to the BACK of the pads and really helps reduce disc brake squealing.
Brake jobs are filthy and not fun, but not hard. With a decent set of tools you should be able to get both sides done in a few hours.

 

[B13TTSE]

I called my local nissan stealership and they offered to do the job for a low $331.00. How much should I expect to pay for my rotors from a parts store such as auto zone??? What kind of pads should I install???? what brand

 

[tsi200sx]

331....save your money and do it yourself. You should be able to get both sets of pads and both rotors for around $100 depending on the brand. I haven't done rotors on either of my Nissans, but I went through a couple sets on the 88 Accord I had in college. They kept warping, until I put Raybestos rotors on it. I also bought a torque wrench and properly torqued the lugnuts. No more warped rotors after that. Raybestos are very good, but a little expensive. You might want to spring for more upscale rotors, and worry less about the brand of the pads, just get whatever the auto parts store shows in their computer for the car. I've never had trouble with cheaper pads, but cheap rotors can screw ya.

 

[dry]

according to AutoZone.com break pads cost 15.59 a set and rotors cost 26.99. This is for the least expensive set and for a 1995 GXE (My car) but I'm sure the prices wont differ too much between the two. I did mine this summer definately worth saving the money.

 

[tsi200sx]

That is a good price....everything for about 85 bucks plus a couple dollars for anti-squeal. Big difference from $331.

 

[B13TTSE]

I'm definitely going to do it myself. Only one rotor is damaged; Do I need to change both, or can I get away with only changing one, while changing both pads?

How many hours should I set aside for this project?

Thanks guys for helping out....

 

[tsi200sx]

Change both rotors. Though only one appears damaged, if you change only one you will have mismatched rotors, they may be of different thicknesses, one may be more glazed, etc. If your budget is super tight, you may be able to get away with only one. But it makes more sense to do both and keep everything even.

 

[M.J.]

Be sure to

make sure that the caliper piston is fully seated into the cylinder
of the caliper before you install the new pads and then the caliper on to the new rotor. Meaning because everything is new, you want to make sure that you have that maximuim clearance. when you use the screw type C clamp to reseat the piston into the cylinder you can shift it around the off center of the cylinder (tighten and then loosen) to make sure you've got it bottomed out all the way.
What ever you do, DO NOT DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AT ANYTIME WHEN ANY OF THE CALIPERS (FRONT BRAKES) OR DRUMS(REAR BRAKES, UNLESS DISC) ARE OFF ,WHILE YOU ARE WORKING ON THE BRAKES.

 

[tsi200sx]

Aww, but exploding wheel cylinders and pistons are so much FUN!

 

[phil_minchoff]

I don't know how much your budget is for this job, but I'd definitely spring and invest here. Lets face it, brakes are an integral part of driving, at least for most of us. I've come to know Autozone rotors for Nissans aren't that good. Invest the extra cash and get something a bit better, I paid 50 a piece for mine with a lifetime guarantee, and they take a bit more of a beating than the cheap ones. As far as brakes go, I went with Endless pads, and they're living up to their name. Granted it might cost you more, but I think its worth it when you can put on your brakes and not worry if they're going to work right-