Changing Wrangler Brake Pads
Changing your brake pads is easier than most people believe, and given the price of a normal brake job, there's no reason not to do it yourself. In this how to, we'll be replacing the front brake pads on a 2005 Jeep Wrangler TJ. Disc brakes haven't changed much over the years, so this should apply to most Jeep vehicles.
To start with, chock your tires and jack up your Jeep's front axle. Once your front end is in the air, remove the front tires. We're going to work on one side at a time (if this is your first time it's nice to have the other site to reference during reassembly).
You'll see the following parts when you looks at your brakes – A rotor that spins around when the wheel turns, and a Caliper that holds your brake pads inside, and squeezes, or clamps down on the rotor when you press the brakes.
Looking from the back, you can see the various components of the brake caliper. The caliper bolts hold the caliper to your Jeep, and the bleeder valve (when loosened) will allow brake fluid out of the brake system.
So, to get started, you'll need to remove your caliper bolts:
Now that the caliper bolts are out, you should be able to remove the caliper. Try to pull the caliper towards the rear of the Jeep. If the caliper doesn't come off, you can use a screwdriver to gently pry the caliper off (you shouldn't have to use much force though).
The Caliper will come off, but remain connected to the brake hose. I usually sit the caliper on top of the rotor, but you could also sit it on a stool inside the wheel well. Once the caliper is off DO NOT step on the brake pedal while they are being serviced as the piston may completely pop out and damage the piston seal.
You can see below the two pads as well as the piston. When you press the brake pedal in your Jeep, the piston moves out, forcing the two brake pads to squeeze the rotor, stopping your Jeep.
To get on with our brake job, we'll need to remove the brake pads. The pad next to the piston is easy, it just pulls out of the piston. The pad on the outside of the vehicle is held on with clips, so you'll probably need a flat head screwdriver to pop them off
You can see below that the old pads have scores and cracks in them. This commonly comes from overheating.
Now that are brake pads are out, we'll need to push the piston into the caliper slightly. You do this because the new brake pads will likely be larger than the old ones (the old ones had some of their material worn away. This is easily done with a large C clamp. Just position it like below and tighten down until the piston is flush with the caliper.
Now we're ready to install our new pads. This time around I decided to try some ceramic pads from Wagner (you can get them here - Wagner ThermoQuiet Ceramic Disc Brake Pads).
Optional - I decided to use some disc brake quiet. Just spread it evenly on back of the pad before reassembling. It is supposed to quiet squeaks - I didn't have any squeaks after installing the pads, but who knows if that's because of the disc brake quiet or not.
Now you can put the brake pads back in your caliper. They install the same way they were removed.
Now you'll need to reinstall the caliper on the rotor. There are notches on the brake pads that fit on the caliper slides (part of the steering knuckles). Before putting the caliper back on, wire brush the caliper bracket slides to ensure a smooth and proper brake pad engagement. After that, fit the top of the caliper in first, then the bottom.
Now you'll need to put the two caliper bolts back into the caliper. You'll probably have to wiggle the caliper around some until the bolts seat properly. Once they are seated, torque the bolts down to 11 ft lbs. That's it. You should now be able to do the other side, and reinstall your tires.
Changing your brake pads is easier than most people believe, and given the price of a normal brake job, there's no reason not to do it yourself. In this how to, we'll be replacing the front brake pads on a 2005 Jeep Wrangler TJ. Disc brakes haven't changed much over the years, so this should apply to most Jeep vehicles.
To start with, chock your tires and jack up your Jeep's front axle. Once your front end is in the air, remove the front tires. We're going to work on one side at a time (if this is your first time it's nice to have the other site to reference during reassembly).
You'll see the following parts when you looks at your brakes – A rotor that spins around when the wheel turns, and a Caliper that holds your brake pads inside, and squeezes, or clamps down on the rotor when you press the brakes.
Looking from the back, you can see the various components of the brake caliper. The caliper bolts hold the caliper to your Jeep, and the bleeder valve (when loosened) will allow brake fluid out of the brake system.
So, to get started, you'll need to remove your caliper bolts:
Now that the caliper bolts are out, you should be able to remove the caliper. Try to pull the caliper towards the rear of the Jeep. If the caliper doesn't come off, you can use a screwdriver to gently pry the caliper off (you shouldn't have to use much force though).
The Caliper will come off, but remain connected to the brake hose. I usually sit the caliper on top of the rotor, but you could also sit it on a stool inside the wheel well. Once the caliper is off DO NOT step on the brake pedal while they are being serviced as the piston may completely pop out and damage the piston seal.
You can see below the two pads as well as the piston. When you press the brake pedal in your Jeep, the piston moves out, forcing the two brake pads to squeeze the rotor, stopping your Jeep.
To get on with our brake job, we'll need to remove the brake pads. The pad next to the piston is easy, it just pulls out of the piston. The pad on the outside of the vehicle is held on with clips, so you'll probably need a flat head screwdriver to pop them off
You can see below that the old pads have scores and cracks in them. This commonly comes from overheating.
Now that are brake pads are out, we'll need to push the piston into the caliper slightly. You do this because the new brake pads will likely be larger than the old ones (the old ones had some of their material worn away. This is easily done with a large C clamp. Just position it like below and tighten down until the piston is flush with the caliper.
Now we're ready to install our new pads. This time around I decided to try some ceramic pads from Wagner (you can get them here - Wagner ThermoQuiet Ceramic Disc Brake Pads).
Optional - I decided to use some disc brake quiet. Just spread it evenly on back of the pad before reassembling. It is supposed to quiet squeaks - I didn't have any squeaks after installing the pads, but who knows if that's because of the disc brake quiet or not.
Now you can put the brake pads back in your caliper. They install the same way they were removed.
Now you'll need to reinstall the caliper on the rotor. There are notches on the brake pads that fit on the caliper slides (part of the steering knuckles). Before putting the caliper back on, wire brush the caliper bracket slides to ensure a smooth and proper brake pad engagement. After that, fit the top of the caliper in first, then the bottom.
Now you'll need to put the two caliper bolts back into the caliper. You'll probably have to wiggle the caliper around some until the bolts seat properly. Once they are seated, torque the bolts down to 11 ft lbs. That's it. You should now be able to do the other side, and reinstall your tires.
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