I finally got around to replacing the pads and rotors on my 2012 Mazda5. I had toyed with the idea of upgrading to the MS3 front brakes, but I couldn't find a definitive answer on whether my 16" OEM wheels would clear, so I didn't bother with it.
Here are the parts and tools I used:
Here are the guides I referenced:
Necessary torque specs:
Vehicle mileage at brake change: 77, 350 all on original pads & rotors
Nothing I'm writing here hasn't been written before, but I figured I would just add my experience. Note: ChrisFix's video is instructive but don't expect it to be entirely helpful on your Mazda, as the Nissan Altima he works on uses a different guide pin and pad setup.
I did this over two days as I kept having to run to different stores to pick up items I needed, had forgotten, or didn't think I would need. The caliper guide pins, for instance, needed to be replaced but I hadn't anticipated that they would be worn down yet. Then I had to hit up two different NAPAs because nobody had more than three boxes in stock. I thought I had planned ahead but I wasn't careful enough and ended up wasting a ton of time going to the store over and over and over again. I would've taken more pictures but my hands were pretty consistently greasy and I would forget to take pictures after getting frustrated. Good times.
I started yesterday on the rear of the car, simply because I think it's easier to access the back end and get a jack under it. I used the lugwrench that came with the car to loosen the lugnuts on the rear wheels, and I'm especially glad I did that while it was flat because the last shop who had worked on it had put the nuts on way too tight. I chocked the front, driver's-side wheel, put a piece of wood between the jackpad and the rear subframe and lifted it at the jack point. I put my new jackstands under the pinch welds, lowered it onto the stands, then lifted it up just barely off the stands so I knew everything would hold. I took the wheel off and used it as a seat while I was working.
Remove the caliper retaining clip. After spraying it all down with brake cleaner, I used the screwdriver to slowly pry off the caliper retaining clip. After spraying it with more cleaner, wiping it down, and setting it aside, I took off the plastic caps from the caliper bolts. Use your 3/8" wrench with the 7mm allen to loosen and back out the caliper pins. They should spin pretty easily, but it can be a little tight working in the space. After you remove each one, clean it with braker cleaner and a towel and inspect it. Mine were worn near the threaded end, which I hadn't expected. If your pins are fine, just set them aside in a clean area and be ready to put them in later. If you're not reusing them, set them aside in your recycling pile.
Remove the caliper. After you've removed the pins, use your screwdriver to help pry up the caliper starting at the bottom. Be careful you don't slice any rubber components with it while you pry up the caliper. It may take some force to pull it off, but it will slide off of the brake pads. Use your bungee cord to hang it up above the hub near the strut. There are some handy holes on the rear, driver's side wheelwell behind the strut, so use those. Remove the rear brake pads and inspect them for total wear and for any difference in wear pattern. Is the inner more worn than the outer pad? Top to bottom? Set them aside for recycling.
Remove the caliper bracket. Use your 14mm wrench to remove the caliper bracket. You'll most likely need to use your hammer to loosen the bolts initially, but then you can probably use your fingers to unscrew them the rest of the way. Spray them with brake cleaner, wipe down with a shop towel, and set aside in a clean area. Be sure you hold the bracket when you remove the final bolt, so it doesn't drop. Use your metal wire brush to clean up the bracket, then spray with brake cleaner, wipe down, and set aside.
Remove the old rotors. Your rotors are probably like mine, rusted to the wheel hub. Use your hammer to loosen it. These rear rotors came off easily after just a couple strikes alternating the top and bottom of the rotor. Set it aside for recycling. Use your wire brush to clean the hub face, spray with brake cleaner, and wipe down with a shop towel.
Prep your new rotors. Open the package for your first rotor (if you haven't already), spray the rotor down with brake cleaner and wipe with a shop towel. Do the same on the other side. The rotors come with a protective oil coating from the factory.
Prep the hub and install your new rotor. While the rotor dries put a small amount of the antiseize lubricant on your gloved fingertip and spread it across the face of the wheel hub, in between the bolts. Wipe off any excess from your finger and install your new rotor.
Reinstall the caliper bracket. Put some of the blue threadlocker on the top caliper bracket bolt. Use one hand to hold the bracket and the other to screw in the top bracket bolt. Then put threadlocker on the bottom bolt and install it. Use your torque wrench with 14mm socket to tighten the bolts to spec (rear spec is 44 - 56 ft-lbs). If you have a deep socket, you may not be able to tighten the bottom bolt with it, so you'll need to use your wrench and do your best to hit that spec range.
Compress the caliper piston. You can crack open the master cylinder if you want to. Use your caliper compression tool to compress the caliper fully. It takes some fiddling and balancing. You may need an adjustable wrench to help you release the tool once it's fully compressed the caliper, so just keep that in mind. I can't imagine doing this with needlenose pliers like I've read some people doing. Just check out the tool.
Install your brake pads and reinstall the caliper. Place a small amount of antiseize on your gloved fingertip and spread it on the backing plate of your new brake pad. Place the new pad in your caliper bracket. Then do the other side. Be sure to put the pad with the spring on it on the interior side of the brake assembly (in case you didn't notice that when you removed the pads earlier). Slide your caliper back down over the pads. It may require some fiddling but it should do it without too much trouble. If you didn't compress your caliper piston all the way, you might not be able to slide it down over the new pads. Check to see how full you compressed the piston, compress it more if necessary, and try again.
Install the caliper guide pins. Use the silicone/synthetic grease on your guide pins, either old ones or new ones depending on the state of your pins. Slide them into position and use your 7mm allen socket to screw them in. My torque wrench is 1/2" but the 7mm allen socket I found was 3/8", so I bought an adapter for it. No, your measured torque does not change from using an inline adapter. As long as you don't change the angle of your work, it'll measure just fine. Torque your caliper guide pins to spec (19-22 ft-lbs). Replace the plastic caps.
Reinstall the caliper retaining clip. Place the clip in the holes in the caliper and press it into position. I tapped mine down with the butt of the screwdriver afterward just to make sure they were completely in.
Reinstall your wheel. If you want, put some of the blue threadlocker on your wheel bolts to make lugnut removal easier in the future.
Repeat that whole process on the other side of the car now.
Lower the car. With the rear done, jack the car off the stands, remove your stands, lower the vehicle fully, remove the jack, and torque the wheels to spec (65 - 86 ft-lbs). Time for the front brakes. I had more trouble with the front brakes than the rear for some reason.
Find the front center jack point. It's marked by an indented X. The jack I used just barely reached it. I didn't have a hockey puck so I used a small, square block of wood to keep from damaging car from the metal-to-metal contact that the jack would have. Chock the driver's side rear wheel, loosen the lugnuts on the front wheels, lift the car, place your jack stands, lower onto stands then slightly lift with the jack again.
Remove your first wheel and use it as a seat. Spray the whole brake assembly down with brake cleaner and remove the retaining clip with your screwdriver. Wipe it down and set aside.
Remove the guide pins. Remove the plastic caps from your caliper guide pins and use the 7mm socket to back out said pins. It's a tight fit because the top pin is partially blocked by the brake line. I actually had the best luck using my 1/2" to 3/8" adapter on my regular 1/2" socketwrench, as that allowed my wrench to be behind the brake line so I could work it without hitting anything. My pins loosened up just fine but would not back out far enough for me to grab hold of. I had to use the screwdriver to help push them out. Be careful not to damage anything rubber while doing so. Clean and inspect your pins and set aside. Picture below shows me using the 7mm allen without the adapter. You can see how tight a fit it is.
Remove the caliper. Mine was a pain in the ass. The outer pad was fine but the inner pad mounts inside the caliper piston, so it's going to be stuck there hindering your progress. Work on it and you'll be able to slide the caliper out eventually. The outer pad may just fall off, but you'll need to use your hands to pry out the inner pad from the caliper piston. Be careful not to damage anything while doing so. Hang your caliper from the shocks with the bungee cord.
Remove the caliper bracket. Use your 17mm wrench and a hammer to loosen the bolts then remove by hand. Clean, inspect, and set aside the bolts. Scrub the caliper bracket with the brush, hit with cleaner, wipe down, and set aside.
Remove the rotor. It took a good twenty whacks with my hammer to remove driver's side, front brake rotor. That thing was not easy to remove. Once off, use your wire brush to clean the hub, spray with cleaner, and wipe down.
Prep your new rotor. Clean your new rotor with brake cleaner and wipe down.
Prep the hub and install the new rotor. Use the antiseize again on your wheel hub to help prevent any rust-welding in the future like you've experienced with the old rotors. Install your new rotor.
Reinstall the caliper bracket. Put some blue threadlocker on the top bolt and reinstall. Torque down finger-tight then put threadlocker on the bottom bolt and reinstall. Now use your torque wrench to tighten to spec (57-75 ft-lbs).
Compress your caliper piston. Use your tool again.
Install your new brake pads. This seems so easy but stymied me for a while. I put antiseize on the backing plate of the new pads and installed the outer pad just fine. But the inner pad. Oh man, that thing did not want to go into the piston. I ended up smearing a bunch of the antiseize off and fighting with the pad and piston for a good five minutes before I got it to pop into place. Damn thing. Slide the caliper down into place.
Reinstall the caliper guide pins. Use your silicone/synthetic grease on the guide pins and reinstall them. Tighten to spec just like the rear (19-22 ft-lbs). Replace the plastic caps.
Reinstall the caliper retaining clip. Same process as the rear.
Reinstall your wheel. Your choice once again on using the blue threadlocker on the bolts.
Do the whole process again on the other side.
Lower the car. Lift the car off the stands, remove your stands, lower the car, remove the wheel chocks, and tighten the wheel lugnuts to spec just like before (65-86 ft-lbs).
Prep. Pump the brakes a few times to get all the fluid back into place. Ideally you would have bled the brakes, but I didn't feel like tackling that during this whole mess of a process today and yesterday. I'm going to do that in a couple weeks when I install my winter tires.
Test. Slowly test drive your vehicle making sure your brakes work. The Akebono brakes don't need any bedding-in, so it's just a plug and play, so to speak. After returning my unused items, caliper compression tool, and the old pads/rotors/pins to Autozone (free recycling), I took my 5 to the carwash and gave it a quick clean. Brakes are super smooth instead of constantly vibrating now. No squealing either (fingers crossed). Congrats! You're done. Time to sit down, eat dinner, and enjoy a beer.
Here are the parts and tools I used:
- Front: Centric High Carbon 125 Series rotors [model 125.45069] and Akebono ProAct pads [model 1044]
- Rear: Centric 120 series rotors [model 120.45065] and Akebono Euro pads [model 1095]
- Miscellaneous: four boxes of caliper pins from NAPA ($2.99 per box of 2 pins), CRC brake and caliper synthetic grease (from Autozone), Permatex blue removeable threadlocker (Autozone), Permatex antiseize lubricant (from Autozone), caliper compression tool (from Autozone with a refundable deposit of $60), two cans of brake cleaner, a bunch of nitrile gloves, a wire brush, a short bungee cord, and a roll+ of shop towels.
- Tools: 1/2" torque wrench, 1/2" to 3/8" socket adapter, 17mm socket, 14mm socket, 7mm allen wrench socket (you can find it at Lowe's if you don't have one), 17mm wrench, 14mm wrench, 1/2" socket wrench, 3/8" socket wrench, hammer, flat-head screwdriver, Powerzone 380036 3 ton Steel jack stands (which have a cutout in the middle for pinch welds), Camco 44414 wheel chocks, and Pittsburgh 3 ton ultra-low profile floor jack.
Here are the guides I referenced:
- ChrisFix's How to Change Front and rear Brake Pads and Rotors (Complete Guide) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU6OKQxSg8U
- Mazdas24/7 forum post: Replaced Brake Pads and Rotors on my 2006 Mazda5 Sport my experience (very long) - http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...n-2006-Mazda5-Sport-my-experience-(very-long)
- Mazdas24/7 forum post: Mazda 5 - Rear Brake Pad Replacement http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123823499-Mazda-5-Rear-Brake-Pad-Replacement
- Mazdas24/7 forum post attachment: Mazda5 jacking points: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=119483&d=1194495303 (Credit to 808mz5 for it.)
- Mazdaforum post attachment: Mazda5 workshop manual: http://www.mediafire.com/download/wgev1ww9dc1c27g/Mazda5_WM.zip (Credit to flipside7722 for it.)
Necessary torque specs:
- Lugnuts on all wheels: 65 - 86 ft-lbs
- Front caliper bracket bolts: 57 - 75 ft-lbs
- Rear caliper bracket bolts: 44 - 56 ft-lbs
- Caliper guide pins: 19 - 22 ft-lbs
Vehicle mileage at brake change: 77, 350 all on original pads & rotors
Nothing I'm writing here hasn't been written before, but I figured I would just add my experience. Note: ChrisFix's video is instructive but don't expect it to be entirely helpful on your Mazda, as the Nissan Altima he works on uses a different guide pin and pad setup.
I did this over two days as I kept having to run to different stores to pick up items I needed, had forgotten, or didn't think I would need. The caliper guide pins, for instance, needed to be replaced but I hadn't anticipated that they would be worn down yet. Then I had to hit up two different NAPAs because nobody had more than three boxes in stock. I thought I had planned ahead but I wasn't careful enough and ended up wasting a ton of time going to the store over and over and over again. I would've taken more pictures but my hands were pretty consistently greasy and I would forget to take pictures after getting frustrated. Good times.
I started yesterday on the rear of the car, simply because I think it's easier to access the back end and get a jack under it. I used the lugwrench that came with the car to loosen the lugnuts on the rear wheels, and I'm especially glad I did that while it was flat because the last shop who had worked on it had put the nuts on way too tight. I chocked the front, driver's-side wheel, put a piece of wood between the jackpad and the rear subframe and lifted it at the jack point. I put my new jackstands under the pinch welds, lowered it onto the stands, then lifted it up just barely off the stands so I knew everything would hold. I took the wheel off and used it as a seat while I was working.
Remove the caliper retaining clip. After spraying it all down with brake cleaner, I used the screwdriver to slowly pry off the caliper retaining clip. After spraying it with more cleaner, wiping it down, and setting it aside, I took off the plastic caps from the caliper bolts. Use your 3/8" wrench with the 7mm allen to loosen and back out the caliper pins. They should spin pretty easily, but it can be a little tight working in the space. After you remove each one, clean it with braker cleaner and a towel and inspect it. Mine were worn near the threaded end, which I hadn't expected. If your pins are fine, just set them aside in a clean area and be ready to put them in later. If you're not reusing them, set them aside in your recycling pile.
Remove the caliper. After you've removed the pins, use your screwdriver to help pry up the caliper starting at the bottom. Be careful you don't slice any rubber components with it while you pry up the caliper. It may take some force to pull it off, but it will slide off of the brake pads. Use your bungee cord to hang it up above the hub near the strut. There are some handy holes on the rear, driver's side wheelwell behind the strut, so use those. Remove the rear brake pads and inspect them for total wear and for any difference in wear pattern. Is the inner more worn than the outer pad? Top to bottom? Set them aside for recycling.
Remove the caliper bracket. Use your 14mm wrench to remove the caliper bracket. You'll most likely need to use your hammer to loosen the bolts initially, but then you can probably use your fingers to unscrew them the rest of the way. Spray them with brake cleaner, wipe down with a shop towel, and set aside in a clean area. Be sure you hold the bracket when you remove the final bolt, so it doesn't drop. Use your metal wire brush to clean up the bracket, then spray with brake cleaner, wipe down, and set aside.
Remove the old rotors. Your rotors are probably like mine, rusted to the wheel hub. Use your hammer to loosen it. These rear rotors came off easily after just a couple strikes alternating the top and bottom of the rotor. Set it aside for recycling. Use your wire brush to clean the hub face, spray with brake cleaner, and wipe down with a shop towel.
Prep your new rotors. Open the package for your first rotor (if you haven't already), spray the rotor down with brake cleaner and wipe with a shop towel. Do the same on the other side. The rotors come with a protective oil coating from the factory.
Prep the hub and install your new rotor. While the rotor dries put a small amount of the antiseize lubricant on your gloved fingertip and spread it across the face of the wheel hub, in between the bolts. Wipe off any excess from your finger and install your new rotor.
Reinstall the caliper bracket. Put some of the blue threadlocker on the top caliper bracket bolt. Use one hand to hold the bracket and the other to screw in the top bracket bolt. Then put threadlocker on the bottom bolt and install it. Use your torque wrench with 14mm socket to tighten the bolts to spec (rear spec is 44 - 56 ft-lbs). If you have a deep socket, you may not be able to tighten the bottom bolt with it, so you'll need to use your wrench and do your best to hit that spec range.
Compress the caliper piston. You can crack open the master cylinder if you want to. Use your caliper compression tool to compress the caliper fully. It takes some fiddling and balancing. You may need an adjustable wrench to help you release the tool once it's fully compressed the caliper, so just keep that in mind. I can't imagine doing this with needlenose pliers like I've read some people doing. Just check out the tool.
Install your brake pads and reinstall the caliper. Place a small amount of antiseize on your gloved fingertip and spread it on the backing plate of your new brake pad. Place the new pad in your caliper bracket. Then do the other side. Be sure to put the pad with the spring on it on the interior side of the brake assembly (in case you didn't notice that when you removed the pads earlier). Slide your caliper back down over the pads. It may require some fiddling but it should do it without too much trouble. If you didn't compress your caliper piston all the way, you might not be able to slide it down over the new pads. Check to see how full you compressed the piston, compress it more if necessary, and try again.
Install the caliper guide pins. Use the silicone/synthetic grease on your guide pins, either old ones or new ones depending on the state of your pins. Slide them into position and use your 7mm allen socket to screw them in. My torque wrench is 1/2" but the 7mm allen socket I found was 3/8", so I bought an adapter for it. No, your measured torque does not change from using an inline adapter. As long as you don't change the angle of your work, it'll measure just fine. Torque your caliper guide pins to spec (19-22 ft-lbs). Replace the plastic caps.
Reinstall the caliper retaining clip. Place the clip in the holes in the caliper and press it into position. I tapped mine down with the butt of the screwdriver afterward just to make sure they were completely in.
Reinstall your wheel. If you want, put some of the blue threadlocker on your wheel bolts to make lugnut removal easier in the future.
Repeat that whole process on the other side of the car now.
Lower the car. With the rear done, jack the car off the stands, remove your stands, lower the vehicle fully, remove the jack, and torque the wheels to spec (65 - 86 ft-lbs). Time for the front brakes. I had more trouble with the front brakes than the rear for some reason.
Find the front center jack point. It's marked by an indented X. The jack I used just barely reached it. I didn't have a hockey puck so I used a small, square block of wood to keep from damaging car from the metal-to-metal contact that the jack would have. Chock the driver's side rear wheel, loosen the lugnuts on the front wheels, lift the car, place your jack stands, lower onto stands then slightly lift with the jack again.
Remove your first wheel and use it as a seat. Spray the whole brake assembly down with brake cleaner and remove the retaining clip with your screwdriver. Wipe it down and set aside.
Remove the guide pins. Remove the plastic caps from your caliper guide pins and use the 7mm socket to back out said pins. It's a tight fit because the top pin is partially blocked by the brake line. I actually had the best luck using my 1/2" to 3/8" adapter on my regular 1/2" socketwrench, as that allowed my wrench to be behind the brake line so I could work it without hitting anything. My pins loosened up just fine but would not back out far enough for me to grab hold of. I had to use the screwdriver to help push them out. Be careful not to damage anything rubber while doing so. Clean and inspect your pins and set aside. Picture below shows me using the 7mm allen without the adapter. You can see how tight a fit it is.
Remove the caliper. Mine was a pain in the ass. The outer pad was fine but the inner pad mounts inside the caliper piston, so it's going to be stuck there hindering your progress. Work on it and you'll be able to slide the caliper out eventually. The outer pad may just fall off, but you'll need to use your hands to pry out the inner pad from the caliper piston. Be careful not to damage anything while doing so. Hang your caliper from the shocks with the bungee cord.
Remove the caliper bracket. Use your 17mm wrench and a hammer to loosen the bolts then remove by hand. Clean, inspect, and set aside the bolts. Scrub the caliper bracket with the brush, hit with cleaner, wipe down, and set aside.
Remove the rotor. It took a good twenty whacks with my hammer to remove driver's side, front brake rotor. That thing was not easy to remove. Once off, use your wire brush to clean the hub, spray with cleaner, and wipe down.
Prep your new rotor. Clean your new rotor with brake cleaner and wipe down.
Prep the hub and install the new rotor. Use the antiseize again on your wheel hub to help prevent any rust-welding in the future like you've experienced with the old rotors. Install your new rotor.
Reinstall the caliper bracket. Put some blue threadlocker on the top bolt and reinstall. Torque down finger-tight then put threadlocker on the bottom bolt and reinstall. Now use your torque wrench to tighten to spec (57-75 ft-lbs).
Compress your caliper piston. Use your tool again.
Install your new brake pads. This seems so easy but stymied me for a while. I put antiseize on the backing plate of the new pads and installed the outer pad just fine. But the inner pad. Oh man, that thing did not want to go into the piston. I ended up smearing a bunch of the antiseize off and fighting with the pad and piston for a good five minutes before I got it to pop into place. Damn thing. Slide the caliper down into place.
Reinstall the caliper guide pins. Use your silicone/synthetic grease on the guide pins and reinstall them. Tighten to spec just like the rear (19-22 ft-lbs). Replace the plastic caps.
Reinstall the caliper retaining clip. Same process as the rear.
Reinstall your wheel. Your choice once again on using the blue threadlocker on the bolts.
Do the whole process again on the other side.
Lower the car. Lift the car off the stands, remove your stands, lower the car, remove the wheel chocks, and tighten the wheel lugnuts to spec just like before (65-86 ft-lbs).
Prep. Pump the brakes a few times to get all the fluid back into place. Ideally you would have bled the brakes, but I didn't feel like tackling that during this whole mess of a process today and yesterday. I'm going to do that in a couple weeks when I install my winter tires.
Test. Slowly test drive your vehicle making sure your brakes work. The Akebono brakes don't need any bedding-in, so it's just a plug and play, so to speak. After returning my unused items, caliper compression tool, and the old pads/rotors/pins to Autozone (free recycling), I took my 5 to the carwash and gave it a quick clean. Brakes are super smooth instead of constantly vibrating now. No squealing either (fingers crossed). Congrats! You're done. Time to sit down, eat dinner, and enjoy a beer.
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