Hey, great video, but I feel you left out some important steps: 1. Open the bleed screw before pushing the piston in to drain out that dirty brake fluid from the caliper. It was collecting dirt and moisture since at least the last service. This prevents this tired, dirty fluid from getting upstream into the brake lines and causing problems later on. There is a simple process you need to follow so you don't let air into the lines - not difficult, plenty of videos out there on this... 2. It is important to emphasise to only use silicon based grease on guide pins to prevent swelling of the pin rubber boots later on. 3. Check piston is not seized, it needs move smoothly (if in jerks = it is getting stuck) with only reasonable force. If not, most likely it is pitted or rusted - replace cylinder and seal. 4. Inspect boot for signs of tears, rust deposits, or fluid/water coming out when compressing. If compromised, replace the boot. 5. Top up break fluid when done. Also a good practice is to spray the pad and disc breaking surfaces with break clean spray prior to final assembly to de-grease them. Stay dirty, have fun DIYing!
Don't know why I watched this on a Saturday morning, but it was really good. I'd add that compressing the pistons displaces brake fluid. Taking the cap off the reservoir makes that easier but risks causing overflow. So, put a rag under the reservoir to catch any fluid that may flood. Alternatively you can loosen the caliper bleeder during piston compression being careful not to allow air in during the process. That can get rid of some nasty old fluid. Be sure there is enough fluid in the reservoir to allow this and keep an eye on the level.
The fluid over flow had never happened to me in all the brake jobs I had previously done, but my most recent one it did. It didn't come out of the reservoir though. It came out from between the bolts holding on the master cylinder. No leaks since then though and everything works as it should lol
Pro tip! Open the bleeder when pressing back the caliper pistons. Especially on older cars. If this step is ignored, you might end up replacing your ABS module. I learned this the hard way. A simple diy brake change turned into months of headache for me. Research thoroughly. That's the advice for the jack of all trades like me. 👍
Excellent video! I've rebuilt my own brakes for years and years, but am always open to clever ideas that will make a job go easier. Here in central British Columbia, Canada, the road salt in winter really trashes our brakes, lines etc. I have found any way to stop this. Brand new brakes soon look as if they've been on the vehicle for years, backplates rust right off. It's very discouraging.
You might mention about Cleaning the Mating Surface of the Spindle to the Rotor and after completion to Break In the Pads to the Rotor . Like your Channel !
on older vehicles never having had brake fluid changed sometimes if you push old fluid back into system you will cause problems with the master cylinder from the contaminated oil safest way i know is to always vent old fluid thru the bleeder must be aware of fluid level before touching pedal but no contamination happens thank you for this vid and an old mans rant
The other situation I’ve seen is when pumping the brakes back up, going to the floor will cause the master cylinder to fail. The extra pedal travel drags the master cylinder piston over corroded areas of the bore and tears up the seals. To avoid this, I try to keep the pedal stroke close to where it is applying the brakes until it feels firm again.
Nice reminders. The twist in caliper pistons are usually on rear brakes as the have the built in parking brake, That's why you have twist them in. On the slides you can only use caliper grease or sylglide , not just any grease. It 's easier to pump the brake pedal before you start the engine as the pedal returns faster without the engine vacuum. it will still go to the floor the few times but comes back faster.
Number 8: When you squeeze in your brake's caliper piston, the brake fluid will ooze out from the reservoir!!! Make sure to have the reservoir open AND not suck out *some* (NOT all) of the fluid during your brake job.
Greetings from Ireland! Excellent easy to follow video. My Toyota Avensis has EPB and rear brakes need doing soon. Any chance of a video on changing pads on an EPB??
Besides from dirt, rust, dried grease and other debris. For those types of slide pins, trapped air can be another reason for pins to stick or be unable to be fully pushed in. Easy fix is to take a hook and without damaging/puncturing the slider boot, peel/pull it back while pushing the pin fully in.
Surprised you guys missed this about the slide pin. Before replacing the pin, clean out where the pin goes. Use a brass pistol bore brush (9mm or .357) and a little brake cleaner to get the old dry out grease, then when you grease up the pin, it's not pushing the old grease to the bottom.
Before pushing the pistons back, I take out the bleed screw, clean the threads and apply antiseize. I leave the bleed screw about one turn open so when pushing the pistons back the old brake fluid gets expelled from the caliper and is not forced back up into the brake master cylinder and the reservoir. So when doing all four brakes this way you also get a brake fluid flush, of course you have to keep topping up the reservoir or you get air in the system .
Can you do a video on all the ticking sounds a car would make, I have a Dodge ram 2500 and when I start the truck it ticks up until it is shut off and I don't know what it is
i had a '99 ram with the 12v cummins years back and noticed while under the hood one day as it ran idling about every 4-5 seconds a single but very audible snap/pop/tick noise. No idea to this day what it was but it was always there. 300k miles on the dash already when i inherited it and leaked at least 3 different types of fluid but never let me down or left me stranded. Cold starts every morning before work in temps as low as -19 (air not talking any windchill bs) cycling the ignition an extra time or two before turning engine over is all it ever took. I can only assume the block heater worked, never bothered using it ever. Anyhow, point is it I wouldnt lose sleep over it especially if its an old 2500 as I had. Mine still runs im sure but got parked after the clutch(likely original) started slipping.
Good video, but you missed a step. With many brakes that are similar in style to yours where the pads fit into the assembly & the caliper then closes over the pads, there are often times when the new pads are very tight and won't fit where they belong. I've seen some people hammer them in. STOP. The cause of this is often dirt, debris, and corrosion. Remove the pads, remove the metal pieces that snap into the caliper assembly, and thoroughly clean the assembly, especially the channels where the pads travel. LIGHTLY lube (you don't want this to ooze onto the rotor or the new pads). Use new brake bits wherever possible - they sometimes are included with the new pads. Depending on where you live, it may be necessary to remove the pads & clean everything about once a year (common in the rust belt). This will always ensure your brakes are working as they should, and they will always wear evenly. Not only should the caliper be able to move freely back & forth, but the pads also need to be able to move inwards with ease as they wear. In the rust belt, it's common to have pads seized in place & if they need to be hammered out, you know you have some cleaning to do. This probably isn't much of a problem for people living in the southern U.S. Caliper pistons - additional comment. For the push-in style, these should move inwards relatively easily & smoothly. If you find extra effort is required to push them in, you will want to consider a rebuild kit, or possibly replacing the entire caliper as the piston is likely ready to seize. For the screw-in style, they should spin without too much effort with a tool. If a lot of force is required, again, you will want to consider rebuilding or replacing the caliper. Drum brakes: Don't be afraid to service these if you are mechanically inclined. Some people go crazy when they see all the springs. Best thing to do is to take a photo of the assembly as soon as you pull the drum. Do one wheel at a time - if you mess up & your photos don't make a lot of sense, you can always refer to the opposite wheel as it'll be a mirror image from the one you are working on. There are different styles of self-adjusting drum brakes - best advice here is to refer to a manual for your specific vehicle for initial adjustment. Worst case scenario with drums - you run into rotted springs or possibly a leaking wheel cylinder. Just buy a spring kit & you're set. The leaking wheel cylinder could give you a bit of a fight, but it's not a difficult task (just sometimes a pain to remove). Brakes: While not difficult to do, and almost anyone can do it, or be taught, there are some people who just aren't very mechanical. If you aren't confident in your abilities, it would be best (and safest) for you to have your brakes serviced by a professional. No need for PTSD over brakes.
I have seen this twice so far, some do not install the brake pads in correctly. They were installed backwards metal to metal. There is also when they put on new calipers and install them on the wrong side and cannot get the brakes to bleed with the bleeder screw on the bottom.
Wouldn't it be a good idea to clean the bore that the caliper slide pin goes into? Seems like it would be full of the same bad grease that was on the pin itself. Brake cleaner or a rag on a screwdriver would do the trick.
Question. The slide pin with the rubber O ring seal. Does it go on top or bottom? I DIY my cars and family and friends. I see these pins in all locations, top or bottom. I can't trust that the location is correct, maybe the previous repair just shoved it in a hole. What is the rule on those?
Remember when BudgetMechanic correctly stated the brake wear clip goes on the 'leading' side of the caliper? The slide pin with the rubber ring normally goes on the 'trailing' side of the caliper. To understand leading vs trailing side of the caliper, place (or just imagine) a mark on the rotor and rotate the caliper as if the car is going forward. Where mark enters caliper is the leading side. Where mark exits caliper is the trailing side. Some calipers are mounted forward of the axle and some are mounted aft. If mounted aft, the trailing side is on top. If mounted forward, the trailing side is the bottom. Another important point regarding brake wear clips is they are normally mounted on the inner pad as that tends to wear out first. I am not an ASE certified technician but have been doing brake jobs for over 50 years. There could be exceptions. If in doubt, consult the service manual.
When the car has ABS don't push the piston back and The sluge damage the ABS unit and open The bleeder valve and and then push the piston to reset the ABS unit to reset the unit have ign Red lights on and pump The brake 5 Times depree brake pedel and turn Off The ign
I was kinda confused with that whole brake drum in a rotor setup like how does the caliper squeeze pads to be a ebrake if cable goes into huh what whats these tiny little shoes inside huh oh ok lol
Want some caliper hooks for FREE while cleaning up the neighborhood ? Go pull up all those crap signs on the corners & parkways carpet cleaning, roofing voting. The wire frame into the ground is solid & bendable & the sign makes great pads for sitting on & laying on. Neighborhood looks alot better Toooo !
Excellent video!! I have seen mechanics use gray anti-seize compound on the pins. Is this OK?? Also, I have been told that you need to crack open the bleeder before pushing back the piston in cars with anti-lock brakes. I'm told you don't want to push the fluid back into the anti-lock system because it may damage the seals in there. And what moron decided to put shoe brakes for the parking / emergency brake on modern cars with 4 wheel disc brakes? What was wrong with the parking brake cable pushing the rear caliper pads to the rotor to hold the car. Morons..
Not only should people not attempt to do brakes themselves , people like you should not be allowed to spread misinformation. You are not a mechanic , those are not wear indicators , uneaven pad wear occurs for many reasons other than sticky pins. Rotors lasting the lifetime of the car???. You haven t the slightest clue what totally stuck means(there are palm trees in your background).
Even professional mechanics do not always understand how to do a brake job. I’ve see TH-cam’s of some idiots slathering anti cease on the backs of brake pads. Totally wrong.
Hey, great video, but I feel you left out some important steps:
1. Open the bleed screw before pushing the piston in to drain out that dirty brake fluid from the caliper. It was collecting dirt and moisture since at least the last service. This prevents this tired, dirty fluid from getting upstream into the brake lines and causing problems later on.
There is a simple process you need to follow so you don't let air into the lines - not difficult, plenty of videos out there on this...
2. It is important to emphasise to only use silicon based grease on guide pins to prevent swelling of the pin rubber boots later on.
3. Check piston is not seized, it needs move smoothly (if in jerks = it is getting stuck) with only reasonable force. If not, most likely it is pitted or rusted - replace cylinder and seal.
4. Inspect boot for signs of tears, rust deposits, or fluid/water coming out when compressing. If compromised, replace the boot.
5. Top up break fluid when done.
Also a good practice is to spray the pad and disc breaking surfaces with break clean spray prior to final assembly to de-grease them.
Stay dirty, have fun DIYing!
Yes, not doing #1 is a great way to damage your anti-lock brake system.
Don't know why I watched this on a Saturday morning, but it was really good. I'd add that compressing the pistons displaces brake fluid. Taking the cap off the reservoir makes that easier but risks causing overflow. So, put a rag under the reservoir to catch any fluid that may flood. Alternatively you can loosen the caliper bleeder during piston compression being careful not to allow air in during the process. That can get rid of some nasty old fluid.
Be sure there is enough fluid in the reservoir to allow this and keep an eye on the level.
The fluid over flow had never happened to me in all the brake jobs I had previously done, but my most recent one it did. It didn't come out of the reservoir though. It came out from between the bolts holding on the master cylinder. No leaks since then though and everything works as it should lol
@@TheOGJeff Never actually happened to me either, but it came close once. So I thought I'd mention it in case someone else would be helped.
I use a syringe and suck a bunch of fluid out first. Normally I don't top up the brake fluid unless it goes below the low mark to avoid this problem.
@@paullelys161 Yup. Turkey baster here.
@@wholeNwon Then we all wondered why the turkey tasted a bit funny at Thanksgiving. LOL.
Pro tip!
Open the bleeder when pressing back the caliper pistons. Especially on older cars. If this step is ignored, you might end up replacing your ABS module.
I learned this the hard way.
A simple diy brake change turned into months of headache for me.
Research thoroughly. That's the advice for the jack of all trades like me. 👍
Excellent video! I've rebuilt my own brakes for years and years, but am always open to clever ideas that will make a job go easier. Here in central British Columbia, Canada, the road salt in winter really trashes our brakes, lines etc. I have found any way to stop this. Brand new brakes soon look as if they've been on the vehicle for years, backplates rust right off. It's very discouraging.
You might mention about Cleaning the Mating Surface of the Spindle to the Rotor and after completion to Break In the Pads to the Rotor .
Like your Channel !
on older vehicles never having had brake fluid changed sometimes if you push old fluid back into system you will cause problems with the master cylinder from the contaminated oil safest way i know is to always vent old fluid thru the bleeder must be aware of fluid level before touching pedal but no contamination happens thank you for this vid and an old mans rant
Love your style of teaching! My mechanic friend showed me a great tip for brake jobs. Just use a short bungee cord to hold up the calipers.
Spart presentation, some very clever ideas
Hey thanks Loving it big guy great video and explanation
Thanks for the video
The snap on indicators also double as springs.
good job thanks
The other situation I’ve seen is when pumping the brakes back up, going to the floor will cause the master cylinder to fail. The extra pedal travel drags the master cylinder piston over corroded areas of the bore and tears up the seals. To avoid this, I try to keep the pedal stroke close to where it is applying the brakes until it feels firm again.
My first time replacing my rear brakes, I had my emergency brake on. Luckily a quick call to my mechanic friend let me know to disengage it.
It was an emergency.
Thanks for sharing things we wouldn't have known w/o asking.
Nice video very informative keep it up sir.
Nice reminders. The twist in caliper pistons are usually on rear brakes as the have the built in parking brake, That's why you have twist them in. On the slides you can only use caliper grease or sylglide , not just any grease. It 's easier to pump the brake pedal before you start the engine as the pedal returns faster without the engine vacuum. it will still go to the floor the few times but comes back faster.
Number 8: When you squeeze in your brake's caliper piston, the brake fluid will ooze out from the reservoir!!! Make sure to have the reservoir open AND not suck out *some* (NOT all) of the fluid during your brake job.
Greetings from Ireland! Excellent easy to follow video. My Toyota Avensis has EPB and rear brakes need doing soon. Any chance of a video on changing pads on an EPB??
Top informative and helpful. Thankyou 🦘👍
Besides from dirt, rust, dried grease and other debris. For those types of slide pins, trapped air can be another reason for pins to stick or be unable to be fully pushed in. Easy fix is to take a hook and without damaging/puncturing the slider boot, peel/pull it back while pushing the pin fully in.
Surprised you guys missed this about the slide pin. Before replacing the pin, clean out where the pin goes. Use a brass pistol bore brush (9mm or .357) and a little brake cleaner to get the old dry out grease, then when you grease up the pin, it's not pushing the old grease to the bottom.
You should also clean the hole the slide pin goes into. Just saying. 😊😊❤
2:25 just taught me what those extra things were I just kinda threw them out😂😂😂
Many thx!
excellent video
Before pushing the pistons back, I take out the bleed screw, clean the threads and apply antiseize.
I leave the bleed screw about one turn open so when pushing the pistons back the old brake fluid gets expelled from the caliper and is not forced back up into the brake master cylinder and the reservoir.
So when doing all four brakes this way you also get a brake fluid flush, of course you have to keep topping up the reservoir or you get air in the system .
Can you do a video on all the ticking sounds a car would make, I have a Dodge ram 2500 and when I start the truck it ticks up until it is shut off and I don't know what it is
i had a '99 ram with the 12v cummins years back and noticed while under the hood one day as it ran idling about every 4-5 seconds a single but very audible snap/pop/tick noise. No idea to this day what it was but it was always there. 300k miles on the dash already when i inherited it and leaked at least 3 different types of fluid but never let me down or left me stranded. Cold starts every morning before work in temps as low as -19 (air not talking any windchill bs) cycling the ignition an extra time or two before turning engine over is all it ever took. I can only assume the block heater worked, never bothered using it ever. Anyhow, point is it I wouldnt lose sleep over it especially if its an old 2500 as I had. Mine still runs im sure but got parked after the clutch(likely original) started slipping.
Good video, but you missed a step. With many brakes that are similar in style to yours where the pads fit into the assembly & the caliper then closes over the pads, there are often times when the new pads are very tight and won't fit where they belong. I've seen some people hammer them in. STOP. The cause of this is often dirt, debris, and corrosion. Remove the pads, remove the metal pieces that snap into the caliper assembly, and thoroughly clean the assembly, especially the channels where the pads travel. LIGHTLY lube (you don't want this to ooze onto the rotor or the new pads). Use new brake bits wherever possible - they sometimes are included with the new pads. Depending on where you live, it may be necessary to remove the pads & clean everything about once a year (common in the rust belt). This will always ensure your brakes are working as they should, and they will always wear evenly. Not only should the caliper be able to move freely back & forth, but the pads also need to be able to move inwards with ease as they wear. In the rust belt, it's common to have pads seized in place & if they need to be hammered out, you know you have some cleaning to do. This probably isn't much of a problem for people living in the southern U.S.
Caliper pistons - additional comment. For the push-in style, these should move inwards relatively easily & smoothly. If you find extra effort is required to push them in, you will want to consider a rebuild kit, or possibly replacing the entire caliper as the piston is likely ready to seize. For the screw-in style, they should spin without too much effort with a tool. If a lot of force is required, again, you will want to consider rebuilding or replacing the caliper.
Drum brakes: Don't be afraid to service these if you are mechanically inclined. Some people go crazy when they see all the springs. Best thing to do is to take a photo of the assembly as soon as you pull the drum. Do one wheel at a time - if you mess up & your photos don't make a lot of sense, you can always refer to the opposite wheel as it'll be a mirror image from the one you are working on. There are different styles of self-adjusting drum brakes - best advice here is to refer to a manual for your specific vehicle for initial adjustment. Worst case scenario with drums - you run into rotted springs or possibly a leaking wheel cylinder. Just buy a spring kit & you're set. The leaking wheel cylinder could give you a bit of a fight, but it's not a difficult task (just sometimes a pain to remove).
Brakes: While not difficult to do, and almost anyone can do it, or be taught, there are some people who just aren't very mechanical. If you aren't confident in your abilities, it would be best (and safest) for you to have your brakes serviced by a professional. No need for PTSD over brakes.
I simply just use a "C"clamp. Been working good for 48 years.
I have seen this twice so far, some do not install the brake pads in correctly. They were installed backwards metal to metal. There is also when they put on new calipers and install them on the wrong side and cannot get the brakes to bleed with the bleeder screw on the bottom.
Wouldn't it be a good idea to clean the bore that the caliper slide pin goes into? Seems like it would be full of the same bad grease that was on the pin itself. Brake cleaner or a rag on a screwdriver would do the trick.
8:45 and forward should use “parking” brake instead of rear brake to refer tot he same.
Question. The slide pin with the rubber O ring seal. Does it go on top or bottom? I DIY my cars and family and friends. I see these pins in all locations, top or bottom. I can't trust that the location is correct, maybe the previous repair just shoved it in a hole. What is the rule on those?
Usually it’s the bottom, so if you have no idea how it was originally, I’d put it there
Remember when BudgetMechanic correctly stated the brake wear clip goes on the 'leading' side of the caliper?
The slide pin with the rubber ring normally goes on the 'trailing' side of the caliper.
To understand leading vs trailing side of the caliper, place (or just imagine) a mark on the rotor and rotate the caliper as if the car is going forward.
Where mark enters caliper is the leading side.
Where mark exits caliper is the trailing side.
Some calipers are mounted forward of the axle and some are mounted aft.
If mounted aft, the trailing side is on top.
If mounted forward, the trailing side is the bottom.
Another important point regarding brake wear clips is they are normally mounted on the inner pad as that tends to wear out first.
I am not an ASE certified technician but have been doing brake jobs for over 50 years.
There could be exceptions. If in doubt, consult the service manual.
@@BudgetMechanicHawaii It will normally be on the bottom only if the caliper is mounted forward of the axle.
One pad is thinner because One is stationary
0:10 "I think everyone is capable of doing their brakes."
Hell no.
One mistake and people will die.
Just remember to watch your brake master cylinder dose not over fill when you push the pistons back into the calipers.
slide pin or guide pin mr george ?
Slide or guide pin is the same thing. These terms are common to each other and commonly used to describe the same brake caliper part.
When the car has ABS don't push the piston back and The sluge damage the ABS unit and open The bleeder valve and and then push the piston to reset the ABS unit to reset the unit have ign Red lights on and pump The brake 5 Times depree brake pedel and turn Off The ign
I was kinda confused with that whole brake drum in a rotor setup like how does the caliper squeeze pads to be a ebrake if cable goes into huh what whats these tiny little shoes inside huh oh ok lol
Want some caliper hooks for FREE while cleaning up the neighborhood ? Go pull up all those crap signs on the corners & parkways carpet cleaning, roofing voting. The wire frame into the ground is solid & bendable & the sign makes great pads for sitting on & laying on. Neighborhood looks alot better Toooo !
cleaning the pins without cleaning the bushing.. hmm yea
What’s a parking brake? lol in Maine if you use the parking brake there is a 90% chance they will get stuck now you’re walking home .
This is how the dealerships do it...they don't care.
Excellent video!! I have seen mechanics use gray anti-seize compound on the pins. Is this OK?? Also, I have been told that you need to crack open the bleeder before pushing back the piston in cars with anti-lock brakes. I'm told you don't want to push the fluid back into the anti-lock system because it may damage the seals in there. And what moron decided to put shoe brakes for the parking / emergency brake on modern cars with 4 wheel disc brakes? What was wrong with the parking brake cable pushing the rear caliper pads to the rotor to hold the car. Morons..
No
Not only should people not attempt to do brakes themselves , people like you should not be allowed to spread misinformation. You are not a mechanic , those are not wear indicators , uneaven pad wear occurs for many reasons other than sticky pins. Rotors lasting the lifetime of the car???. You haven t the slightest clue what totally stuck means(there are palm trees in your background).
Even professional mechanics do not always understand how to do a brake job. I’ve see TH-cam’s of some idiots slathering anti cease on the backs of brake pads. Totally wrong.