Instructions
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This is a pic of everything you will get with your new brake pads. Basically, a set of 4 new pads (2 of which should have new sounders) and a set of replacement retaining clips. |
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1. Open up your Jeep JK Wrangler’s master cylinder and check the fluid level. If you had not been adding more fluid to it, you should see that it is low now. If you have been adding to it periodically, you may find it necessary to bleed your rear brakes a bit before continuing. If your master cylinder is too full, it will overflow once you install your new brake pads. To see a detailed write-up on how to bleed your brakes, click on the link below:
Brake Bleeding Write-Up
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| 2. Chock your front tires, place a floor jack under the rear differential and raise the back end of your Jeep JK Wrangler until the tires come off the ground. |
3. Using a 19mm socket or your Jeep JK Wrangler’s tire iron, remove the lug nuts securing your rear wheels to your axles and set them aside. |
4. Using an 18mm wrench, remove the lower bolt securing your Jeep JK Wrangler’s rear brake caliper to the axle as shown in this pic. |
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5. Again, using an 18mm wrench, remove the upper bolt securing your Jeep JK Wrangler’s rear brake caliper to the axle as shown in this pic. |
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6. With the 2 bolts removed, you should be able to slide the brake calipers off your Jeep JK Wrangler’s rear rotors with ease. Carefully inspect your rotors and if they appear to be heavily scored, take them in to your local auto parts store and have them turned or replaced as needed. |
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7. If this is the first time removing your rotors for service or replacement, you will need to first remove a couple of assembly washers securing it in place. These washers are attached to the wheel studs and will require a small flathead screwdriver and/or needle nose pliers to remove. Once off, you can throw them away as the will not be reused. (Note: Photo is a TJ front rotor and is was used for representational purposes only) |
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8. IF you purchased new rotors, make sure to spray them with brake cleaner and wipe them down thoroughly with rag to remove the protective film on it prior to installing it on your Jeep JK Wrangler.
(Note: Photo is a TJ front rotor and is was used for representational purposes only) |
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9. Remove the outer brake pad from your Jeep JK Wrangler’s rear caliper by pushing it towards the opposite pad as shown in this pic. |
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| 10. Place a large C-clamp over the remaining brake pad and the back of your Jeep JK Wrangler’s caliper as shown above. Slowly compress the C-clamp so that the caliper piston is forced all the way back inside. |
11. Remove the inner brake pad from your Jeep JK Wrangler’s rear caliper by pushing it out as shown in this pic. |
12. Make a note of how they are installed and then remove the 2 brake pad retaining clips on each side of your Jeep JK Wrangler’s rear calipers as shown in this pic. |
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| 13. Install the 4 new retaining clips that should have come with your brake pads on to your your Jeep JK Wrangler’s rear calipers as shown. |
14. 2 of your new brake pads will have sounder clips on them. These need to be installed onto the piston end of your Jeep JK Wrangler’s caliper. Simply slide it onto the retaining clips with the pad facing inward as shown in this pic. |
15. Install the brake pads without the sounder clip onto the opposite side of your Jeep JK Wrangler’s rear brake caliper. Again, all you need to do is slide it onto the retaining clips. |
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| 14. Make sure that the brake line isn’t twisted around and then slide the brake caliper back onto your Jeep JK Wrangler’s rear rotor. |
15. Secure your Jeep JK Wrangler’s brake caliper in place using the 2 factory bolts and tighten them down to 55 ft. lbs. of torque with an 18mm wrench. |
16. Check the level of your master cylinder and add more brake fluid if needed. |
| 17. Reinstall your wheels, tighten the lug nuts to 95 ft. lbs. of torque and lower your Jeep back onto the ground. |
And that’s it. Your Jeep JK Wrangler’s rear breaks should be in good order once again. Please let me know if you have any questions. |
I have 50k on my orginal set still look good and work good!
Nice write-up. I would like to add a few small details.
Wear safety glasses when using any tool.
A small chisle makes quick work of those retaining clips.
If your rotors are at all questionable replace them. Don’t ever get them them turned. It’s not worth it. 50% of the time they are going to warp after a short time and cause the brakes to pulse. The severe heat generated by braking work hardens the iron causing hard spots. Most machinists at auto parts stores wont catch it. New rotors will only cost about twice the cost of turning. I usually do nothing to the rotors the first pad change and then replace the rotors the next change.
Thanks for another great writeup! Are Front brakes the same basic idea? Do you have a writeup planned for the fronts as well?
50k and still looking good? that’s amazing but more of what i would have expected. i suppose my 37’s aren’t helping anything
saginawmike, thanks for the additions as they are good ones.
phishjeep, yes, the fronts are more or less the same and i will do a write-up for them as soon as the need arises.
[...] Jeep JK Wrangler Maintenance Rear Brake Pad Replacement Write-Up [...]
I have a 2001 Grand Cherokee with close to 70K on the rear brakes. I’ve been doing disc brakes since about 1972 and this is the first time that I’ve run into a locktite type compound on the bolts holding the calipers. A half inch electric torque wrench would not brake it loose. I had to find my pneumatic.
Be sure not to loose the origial retaining clips. My new pads didn’t come with them. Also I had to grind just a small bevel on one outer pad’s mounting tab in order for it to fit in place. Some manufacturers just seen to be a little out of tolerance at times.
Thanks for the great write-ups. Will this process apply to the front brakes as well? I dont see a seperate write-up but assume its pretty much the same.
yes, the proceedure is pretty much the same.
Thanks for the great write up. I would however like to point out something that I think makes it alot easier for those that are simply replacing the pads (as I just did).
It is not necessary to remove the big 18mm bolts that hold the Caliper bracket to the axel to change the pads. You can simply remove the smaller bolts one on the top and one on the bottom (outermost I believe I used a 13mm or a 12mm socket).
Once you remove those two bolts you can simply slide the caliper off the rotor (leaving the bracket in place). Then you just slide the pads right out, replace the retaining clips (if they were supplied in my case they weren’t).
With pads removed compress the caliper using the same method described above (using the old pad and a c-clamp) however it appeared as if you had a tight fit to get that clamp in there, this way any old clamp will do as long as it’s big enough…in fact I couldn’t find the right clamp so I used one of those plastic squeeze clamps that are typically used for woodworking)
Slide your new pads into the bracket (still attacked to the axel) slide them all the way so they are touching the rotor.
Place the caliper back into the bracket over the pads. At first you will not be able to just slide it on because the bolt holes on the bracket (the mounting points for the caliper to the bracket top and bottom) are spring loaded and now extended all the way out. Simply push them in one at a time and line the caliper up to the mounting points.
The reason why I suggest this method for those whom are simply replacing pads is that it is often seen and is typical that from the factory the bracket bolts can be overtightend (18mm bolts removed in this DIY) and can be difficult to remove and also you are working with big short bolts and a now much heavier part to hold in place while trying to re-install thus increasing the likelyhood of cross threading.
Also the 13mm caliper bolts that I am suggesting to remove to replace the pads are lubricated slightly, and past the threads and where the spring is, there is a rubber sleeve around it which serves obviously as a protective covering for the spring while allowing flex but also to keep moisture in that sleeve which will allow for easy heat dissipation (hence easy bolt removal).
Just figured I’d pass the info on. By the way the pads I used were from Pep Boys (pro stop or something I think its there brand) just the standard Semi Mettallic Pads they were @$28 but they are lifetme warranty which is nice to know for next summer lol. They carry a ceramic pad as well for $55 but it was not in stop and I didn’t think they were necessary for this application.
I got 23,500 outa my factory pads.
Only got 37,000 miles out of my parents. Both pads and rotors shot.
Great tips but…….My rotors need to be turned And when
Great tips but…….My rotors need to be turned And when I took them off a small u shaped clip fell out with some kind of small connecting rod?does anyone know what this is for.do I need it?
my jeep is torn apart waiting for answer…thanks
Great write up. This will be my first break job, but its seems easy enough. If my rotors are scored/shot, how hard is it to replace them. The pads seem pretty easy, but not sure on the rotors.
Anyone have any comments on how to replace the rotors? Is it as easy as it looks?
Thanks,
Matt
FYI…Some have stated that on the first pad replacement having the rotors resurfaced is not necessary….I was also a believer in this. So I changed my rear pads on like July at 25k then front at 28k a month later. Needless to say here I am with 33,500 5500 miles on new front pads and they are shot. Do yourself a favor and have the rotors resurfaced regardless.
BTW had the same exact issue on my Grand Cherokee.
Very good write up. Did it today and adjusted parking brake in just over an hour.. piece of cake.
Thanks for the write up guys……
I just replaced by pads/rotors and it was easy as pie! Honestly, the only hard part was loosing the caliper bolts. Outside of that, it was a hour job and this was the first time I ever worked on my brakes.
$155 pad/rotors total from Autozone, with a rebate.
Matt
I’m was into replacing pads and rotors last light and found the two little bolts on the caliper don’t come out to were you can remove just the caliper so I had to remove the 18mm bolts which was far easier.
Pulling the rotors off was a bundle of fun. after the star wheel was adjusted back all the way I still could not remove the rotor because of heavy scale build up inside the rotor. Resorted to breaking off the scale by nefarious means and then they finally came off.
If someone can describe how the retaining clips go back in just in case (ahem) someone didn’t notice how they came out.
this post was a great help everything worked as you said. I was done in about hour and 1/2. I got 46,000 miles on the original pads, the rotors looked good as new so i did not have them turned. thank you for the info.
great post. Doing front and rear pads today. Rotors look good. BTW…53000 on the originals on my 2007
Any body has a brand suggestion for the rotors and pads? Need to change brakes on 4 wheels. *** IMPORTANT *** I need to be able to order online and ship to 12901 (NY).
2007, 64000 miles, replaced the rears today. Great write up, it was a lot easier to do than I thought it would be. Thanks.
55000KM,the rear brake starts to make sound,got rear changed yesterday.But why the front brake pad last longer than rear one?
Or do you guys change both front and rear at the same time?
X2 on the fronts? How often are you changing the fronts? Same process?