Am I crazy to do my rotors/break pads myself?

My old gal has had a lot of maintenance stack up lately. It's ok, she's old, but the cost of getting it all done at a shop adds up quick.


Ive put 2k in this car in the last six months, and the last pressing issues are the rotors/break pads and some tie rods. I was looking up some YouTube videos doing the rotors/pads, and it looked pretty easy.


Id much rather buy the parts and spend a day doing it myself rather than spending the $700 my mechanic wanted. But, I've never done anything mechanical before.


Would doing it myself be crazy? Although it looks easy enough, the breaks are something I don't want to eff up.

 

Its not hard do it.

 

I'd rate pads and rotors as on the easier spectrum of at home jobs.

Hardest part is usually getting the rotor off the hub.

 

Welcome!
Not terribly hard just take your time.

 

Super easy, but make to remove the caliper slide pins, clean them up and use new grease. This is often overlooked when doing a brake job. Also make sure to inspect the slid pin boots as they will get dirt in there if torn. This can save you a headache later down the road.

 

You don't have to be crazy to do rotors and break <sp> pads, but it helps.

 

I once told a friend I do simple repairs/maintenance myself, but for something really important, like brakes, I go to a pro.
He told me that's the same reason he does it himself. It's really important. Youtube is your friend here...

 

Brakes falls under simple.

Showed my 16 year old how to do one side and he did the other on his own.

 

Do it yourself. Use a bolt to remove the old rotors

 

Do the 3rd gens have that hole in the rotor?

 

Does the 2000 T4R have rear drum brakes or are they disc brakes?

I ask because drum brakes are a little more difficult to get done correctly, if both front and rear are disc then I say go for it, just double check everything, make sure you torque the bolts properly, etc.

 

The bolt that holds the brake line is the same size bolt needed to release the rotor. You have to remove it anyway, so you'll have it handy.

Like it was said, just take your time. Who cares if you tell your wife it will take 2 hours and you're still messing with it 10 hours later.

If you're over 40, be prepared for every muscle from your shoulders to your toes to be sore.

Though if you're gonna do it, do it right. Get the right tools, breaker bar (big pipe for even more leverage), torque wrench, and a big screen for the garage so you can follow along on YouTube University.

 

I've been effing up brakes for decades and they haven't failed me yet. Do one side, keeping the other intact as a reference, then do the other side. You might even do front and rear on different days, just in case you run into trouble and to keep your anxiety manageable.

 

Just an FYI the OP is a female, not that it matters for getting the job done!

 

A quick google-fu says that the fronts are pad and the rear are drums. I only really need the front right now, though I'm sure the rear needs to be done eventually.

 

I'm just a single gal who is tired of putting $$$ into my old car. I also refuse to buy a Honda civic (or an equally boring car, I love my car). I also have always wanted to be more self-sufficient, anyways.


Noted! I'll be sure to have all the tools/supplies before the wheels are off the car. Thank you!

 

With drum brakes it's very important to assemble them correctly or they won't work very well or possible fail and also adjustment them properly for proper braking action, that being said I'm sure you can do the drums as well when the time comes, just be sure to take good photos of the shoes/hardware/assembly before you take anything apart so you can refer to them if needed, I also recommend as you take it apart lay out all the parts on a piece of cardboard so you can see how they are oriented as you put it back together again, putting them on the cardboard is so you can slide them out of the way when you are cleaning up everything prior to reassembly.

Also please post any videos you're going to use to help you do the brakes here in this topic so we can add our 2 cents if needed, in case they miss something or possibly doing something wrong or the hard way, etc.!!

 

Do it yourself, disc brakes very easy. Drums a little less so but still not hard. If drums involved hardest part is the spring routing and adjustment. As others have posted, do one side and leave other intact for reference. If discs on all 4x corners, super easy job. RockAuto has very good prices on the rotors and pad kits. Pad kit I got came with new clips and slide pins. Definitely clean up the holes for the slide pins. It is a dirty job to be sure but definitely in the range of a DIY person if you take your time. Agree with others also, youtube is your friend.

 

I seem to recall something from the other forum about aftermarket pads or shoes for 3rd gens not fitting properly. Anyone else remember that? I've never had to do the brakes on my 3rd gen but the rear drums are coming up very soon...

 

USE PB BLASTER FOR THE BOLTS!!!!!

I also highly suggest getting 2 of the M8 1.25 bolts to "pry" your old rotor off instead of dicking around with the e-brake assembly with a flathead (rear only).

Good luck! It's an awesome feeling to work on your truck instead of over paying for a dealership to do it.

 

Yup, here's one of the posts by Timmy i was thinking about.

"Yep, that's the main problem. The aftermarket shoes never fit right. It seems pretty ridiculous to make the shoes bigger than OEM because they are adjustable." and for good luck on the rear

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJkVEBYSecs

 

Pads and rotors are not too difficult BUT it all depends on your mechanical experience/ability.

Based on your post, I recomend at a minimum to have a knowledgeable buddy present for the job. Review multiple sources for the procedure (manual, videos. Forums etc) because sometimes only one of them will have that really helpful tip.

 

Have you measured the rotors to confirm they need changed? Do you have pulsating brake pedal or weird noise?'
I changed pads on my 2004 Honda Pilot EX -never the rotors- at 240,000 miles rotor thickness still in spec and no weird braking issues.
Not hard to do with tire jack, stacked bricks or thick wood pieces for safety support. Study on line "How to's" videos.
This is good time to learn about brake fluid and the caliper bleed valve.
Suck out old fluid in reservoir, replace with new before starting pads. Watch reservoir fluid level as it will drop when using the caliper bleed valve. Do NOT let it get low!
Do front pads first as they tend to be easier. Use old pad and C-clamp to push your pistons back into caliper, so new will fit. Clean everything with Brake Cleaner.
Lube critical spots with special brake lube sparingly.
Get a buddy with experience to assist.
Avoid on line purchase of pads-I once got counterfit that wore out in 20,000 miles.