Created on: 2012-04-07
Check out this video to learn how to replace the front brakes on your Chrysler Town & Country. You can learn to do it yourself by watchign this video
21mm wrench
Large C-Clamp
Flat Blade Screwdriver
Torque Wrench
Rust Penetrant
Large Hammer
Jack Stands
19mm Wrench
T45 Socket
Ratchet
1/2 Inch Breaker Bar
Brought to you by 1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the internet. Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how to video helps you out. Next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. In this video, we're going to show you how to service the front breaks on this 2005 Town and Country, same as most '04 to '08s and this is a vehicle that has the rear disk brakes. The front breaks are a little different from vehicle.
Tools you'll need are jack and jack stands, 19mm socket and ratchet or your tire iron, penetrating oil, hammer, the bigger the better, T45 Torx or an 8mm Allen driver, flat blade screwdriver, a 21mm socket with a breaker bar or a pipe for some leverage, a large C-clamp and a torque wrench. If you don't have the benefits of air tools, you'll want to start your vehicle on the ground, loosen the lug nuts then raise and support your vehicle then take the lug nuts, wheel and tire off. I do have a lift and impact wrench so I will use them.
If you find it's tough to get your wheel off, what you can do is put a couple of lug nuts back on and then basically just hit the top or bottom of it and that usually breaks it free. The lug nuts just help to hold it in place when it breaks free. Okay, we can check the condition of our break. Okay, you can see the rotors. You take the back of your fingernail, this surface should be smooth. On this vehicle, these are pretty deeply grooved so this rotor at the very least needs to be turned and by the look of the condition of it, we're going to replace it and if you're replacing the rotor, you're going to replace your brake pads anyways and we can look in here and you can see that that break pad, here's the metal of the pad, the metal of the rotor and then between there is the pad and you can see it's pretty thin so this is in need of some new brakes in the front here.
Straighten the steering wheel or turn the wheel just so you can get to the back of the cover. There's our brake calipers here, there are two bolts, one there and one down there and there's actually a T45 or proper sized Allen. TheT45 Torx bit this style I can use a 3/8 ratchet to turn it. Okay, I'll just fast forward here as I use that Torx bit and my ratchet and remove those two bolts. Okay, that's a big square. This is a caliper piston. Let's fit and work its way out. What you're going to do is take a big screw driver and pry on the caliper. Just pry slowly and you can probably see that the piston is kind of working its way back in. Now there's a bracket that holds the caliper, you pry that off with a flat blade screwdriver. Now your caliper comes off and you can just pull the inner break shoe right out. Then put your caliper, I kind of hung it on the strut. Okay, we'll put the caliper up and if we're going to do any other work secure it with some wire tires and then you can take your outer pad off just by pulling it right out. Next, I'll want to remove this bracket. Okay, there are two 21mm bolts here and here. You'll need a 21mm socket and I suggest a breaker bar and if you don't have a breaker bar, you can use your ratchet, okay and hook a piece of pipe on to it .That gives us some extra leverage. Apply pressure nice and easy and the bolt will start to go.
Speed up here as I loosen that one up and I'll do the same thing for the lower bolt. Then I remove the pipe and just use the ratchet and take them out the rest of the way and then take that bracket right off. Your vehicle may still have these little locks on it. Pull those right off with a pair of pliers. I'm going to coat this with penetrating oil, hopefully it will let me get the disk off easier. Okay, I'll just fast forward through this a little bit. You'll see I put a couple of lug nuts onto the disk and then the bigger the hammer the better. Ours is pretty rusted on there so I just give it some strategic hits and eventually it comes off.
Here's a new one from 1A Auto. Take your bracket. The bracket goes between the steering knuckle back here and the rotter. Okay, poor shooting here but I'm just putting that bracket in place, holding it in place, starting the bolts on and then tightening it up preliminarily. I'll also put a lug nut on to the stud just to hold things in place, make it a little easier to work. You'll want to tighten these with 120 foot pounds. Just use a pair of wire cutters, something to clip your wire tires or whatever you have holding the caliper up top.
Okay, now you'll want to actually put your old pad back in and use the large C-clamp and force the piston back in. I'm going to tighten up the C-clamp right over there. I'm going to tighten up the C-clamp. You'll see the piston go back in the rest of the way. All right. Take it off and take the old pad out. Okay, new pad, it comes with the clips to put it right in. This one just goes right into the piston. Put the other one into your caliper bracket. Then put your caliper down on. Okay, once your disk is on there, kind of put the one side of this bracket in and then push the other side in and push the bracket down and on.
Then come around the back, push your bolts in. Let's speed up here a little bit as I just tighten up those bolts, the Allen or Torx bit and ratchet. Torque for 30 foot pounds. Okay, now take that lug nut off and then you lift your wheel in place. Start the two lug nuts that are opposite the valve stem and then put your wheel cover on and start with the rest of the lug nuts. Now with the van on the ground, you want to torque the lug nuts to 100 foot pounds using a star pattern as you tighten them. Once you're done on both sides, pump the break a bunch of times and then test stops from 5 to 10 miles an hour before road testing the vehicle.
We hope this helps you out. Brought to you by www.1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the internet. Please feel free to call us toll-free, 888-844-3393. We're the company that's here for you on the internet and in person.
Check out this video to learn how you can replace the worn or squeaky rear brakes on your 01-03 Nissan Maxima.