Changing Rear Brake Pads - 2006 Mazda3

[jenjos]

A newbie so apologies if this has been addressed before.

2006 Mazda 3. I am not a wrench but have changed the front pads on bmw's, miata and nissans.

Daughter in law rear pads are low, purchased pads and searched on here for instructions but they seem to apply to the Protege and the descriptions are not quite the same. My issue after taking off the wheel is removing the e-brake cable (do i have to?..how to do it?)....not wanting to take chances on screwing something up is there any detailed descriptions on the steps necessary (preferably illustrated)....i read in here the need for a calibration tool also....i guess i am just looking for some direction if y'all can assist!

if i have to buy a tool and manual then probably best use of my time and money to take to local shop but i enjoy the self satisfaction.

many thanks

[dtlmunkey]

I just replaced the rear pads on my '04 2.3 hatchback. It's pretty straight forward. You will need a metric wrench(14mm I'm pretty sure), a set of metric allen wrenches, and a disk brake caliper tool set. The disk brake caliper tool set is a must and you can rent it from autozone. It pushes the brake caliper piston back in, but ratchets the e-brake back at the same time. Do not buy the cube looking bit that fits on a 3/8 drive socket, it doesn't work. After taking the wheel off, you will find the two 14mm bolts on the back side of the caliper. They have blue locktite on them, so try to get some good leverage on them. You will also notice the slide bolts have a plastic cover on them. They just pull right off and you'll find the allen head bolts. Once you remove them you should be able to pull the caliper off the mount and it will be in two pcs. Make sure to check your rotors. I had to replace mine @40,000 because my caliper pistons were stuck out. Otherwise, that's about it. I did NOT have to remove any of the connecting lines to the brake caliper. I just left them attached and moved the caliper to the side. Due to the huge amount of brake dust on the rear wheels, I highly recommend putting a tarp underneath if you are on concrete. Good luck!

P.S. if you use the advanced search engine on this site, I think someone else did a full write up with pictures if you are interested.

[major error]

The disk brake caliper tool set is a must and you can rent it from autozone. It pushes the brake caliper piston back in, but ratchets the e-brake back at the same time.
Do you think it's possible to just use a really big C-clamp in place of this?

[dtlmunkey]

I tried the C clamp, but it does not ratchet the e brake back into resting position. I also tried a pretty beefy pair of needle nosed pliers(there are two little divits on the top of the brake pistons)....trust me, go get the tool kit.

[JayCal]

You have to use a special tool to retract the rear rotors because they must be turned while being pushed in. Harbor Tool & Freight sells a kit for $30 that works perfectly and makes the job a breeze:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40732

Also, the two bolts for the calipers are 7mm allen head, which is not included in any metric allen wrench set.

[RickC]

You can rent the tool for free at autozone autoparts stores if you have those in your area.

[hoodytwin]

This took me forever to do. Everything I read said to screw the piston in clockwise. This is only partially true. Make sure that you use a brake tool ($6 at AutoZone) to apply pressure. It took me 3 hours to figure this out. If you just twist it, it doesn't go in any further. If you apply pressure it's stupidly simple. Goes in super easy!

[rdsanti]

Are you sure that the cube tool doesn't work with these calipers? like this one http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Auto-Disc-Brake-Piston-Cube-Brake-Tool_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem439a2b4717QQitemZ2 90349336343QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAcc essories

[dtlmunkey]

Nope, that's the one that I have in my glovebox still, and it doesn't work. The spacing on the nibs(?) don't fit. Again, just go to your local auto parts store and they should have a tool that you can rent/check out.

[richiejeffery]

I changed my rear pads about a month ago, but have since noticed that my ebrake is only working on the passenger side. The cable is moving and putting pressure on driver side but not enough to hold the tire. Is there a way to adjust the cable?

I do know how to adjust the ebrake handle in the console but as far as I know that only adjusts both cables.

[overthetop]

I just replaced my Mazda 3 rear brake pads.
I had made up a tool some years ago when I did a silmilar job on a Mazda 626.
Any old tool will not do as you must be able to both push and turn the calliper piston with some effort.
The Mazda3 piston had two holes in it of approx 6 mm diameter and spaced approx 25 mm apart on its end face.
My tool uses a length of M16 Studding with a small flange welded on one end with two pins sticking out to engage the piston.
Using an old pad backplate I drilled a 16mm hole through it.
Use a M16 nut on the studding can then jack the old backplate back against the forked end of the calliper body.
Finally I fitted a 6 mm tommy bar on the other end of the M16 studding.
Using a combination of the jacking nut and turning the tommy bar I was able to push/turn the piston back home.
Unless you have a suitable tool made up in advance you are probably better off buying / hiring one.
Anything else and you will struggle plus stand a chance of damaging the boot rubber.

[overthetop]

Correction: The hole centres in the rear brake caliper piston are approx 19mm, not 25mm as I first stated.

[lovswr]

Could have looked in the Howto section of the forum. Here's my most excellent thread (http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123661210-HOW-TO-Change-Rear-Discs-Pads-on-Mazda-3&p=2985173&highlight=#post2985173) (IMHO) with pics.

[overthetop]

Yes, I could have (and should have) looked there first.

Excellent pictures. Clear and precise instructions.

My tool was home-made although it was modelled a few parts in the full kit.

thanks again.