Brake and rotor change

B

bobbyseal

Member
:
Mazda, CX-9, Sport
First post and figured I would write up my brake and rotor change. Thanks to everyone who has posted before me. It really helped.

I was having the same issue with my OEM rotors. Brake pedal was pulsing and steering wheel was wobbly.

I used the Centric C-tek rotors 121.45080 and the Akebono ProAct 1258 pads.

IMG_3085.jpg

In addition, I bought this Grabbit pro screw extractor and an impact screw driver. The impact screw driver worked to get 3/4 screws out, but I had to drill out the 4th. The Grabbit device was a life saver.
41hAdj89aIL.jpg

So, let's get to it.

I jacked up the car on weld points underneath the door. I put a jack stand underneath the unibody frame and the front cross member after I got the wheel off. Lug nuts are 21mm. For those of you who don't have an impact wrench, I had previously bought an electric impact wrench from Harbor Freight. It was $40 when on sale, plus the cost of the sockets. Here's what it looks like with the wheel off.

IMG_3056.jpg

Once the wheel was off, I removed the caliper bolts. They're 17mm. The long one goes above, the shorter one below.
IMG_3060.jpg

This is what the pads look like. Lots of life left on them - irritating. I debated about just getting the rotors resurfaced, but opted to go the more expensive route with the new rotors.
IMG_3066.jpg

Onto the next post...
 
The next part is to remove the bracket. It's a 19mm bolt.

IMG_3067.jpg.

A couple things to note on the pads. I changed out all the hardware with the stuff that Akebono provides. Of note, there's a spring clip on the inboard pad, and the clip goes inwards towards the steering knuckle. I hope that makes sense. This spring clip goes on the upper part of the pad.

Next part is to remove the set screws. I didn't get many shots of this process, just the after effect. I used the impact screw driver and the prograbbit if needed.

41Uznv5a45L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Here's the rotor removed with the set screws.

IMG_3076.jpg

After that I washed the new rotor with brake cleaner and placed it on the wheel hub. I reinstalled the caliper bracket with the new brake pad hardware. I put on the new pads and applied a liberal amount of caliper grease to the outer parts (metal parts) of the pads. Probably put a little too much... Sorry, didn't get a picture.

I then compressed the caliper. I used the old pads with a clamp to compress the pads. I opened the bleeder valve as I was compressing the pads. Once I felt like I had adequate compression, I wrenched bleeder closed. I think it's a 10mm nut.

Once the calipers were compressed, I placed them back on. I lubed up the caliper pins with caliper grease and then screwed the caliper back on.

IMG_3084.jpg

I probably put a bit much of the caliper grease on the outer aspects of the pads.

Here's the final result:
IMG_3083.jpg

Things went well with the brake and rotor change. The car drove well and the pulsation was gone. I think I probably saved a fair amount of money over having the dealer do the work. Then again, I bought some new tools. So, it was probably a wash!

If I didn't explain anything well, please feel free to respond.
 
Terrific post!!! Glad the rotors are fixed. Now make sure you bed them in so you don't get pulsation in the future.
 
nice write up. pulsation may be a result of lateral runout or glazed rotors. lateral runout can be corrected with a on-vehicle lathe (resurfacing) but is commonly misdiagnosed as warped rotors. glazed rotors are a natural occurance as pad material will form a glaze surface over the rotor over time. turning (resurfacing) the rotor is an option and so is garnett paper. just rub both sides of the rotor until there is a cloudy haze. these are 2 things to consider if the pulsation returns after the brake change.
 
Akebono says to just do "moderate driving" for 500 miles as a break in period. I'm not sure if Centric has another thought. But, so far, we've been just driving moderately. Braking feels a bit different. Maybe softer to some extent, but there still seems to be good grip.
 
different pads will have different break-in periods, but be sure you "bed" the pads according to the mfg after install. brake feel and noise will change over time
 
bobbyseal said:
First post and figured I would write up my brake and rotor change. Thanks to everyone who has posted before me. It really helped.

I was having the same issue with my OEM rotors. Brake pedal was pulsing and steering wheel was wobbly.

I used the Centric C-tek rotors 121.45080 and the Akebono ProAct 1258 pads.

View attachment 188964

In addition, I bought this Grabbit pro screw extractor and an impact screw driver. The impact screw driver worked to get 3/4 screws out, but I had to drill out the 4th. The Grabbit device was a life saver.
View attachment 188965

So, let's get to it.

I jacked up the car on weld points underneath the door. I put a jack stand underneath the unibody frame and the front cross member after I got the wheel off. Lug nuts are 21mm. For those of you who don't have an impact wrench, I had previously bought an electric impact wrench from Harbor Freight. It was $40 when on sale, plus the cost of the sockets. Here's what it looks like with the wheel off.

View attachment 188966

Once the wheel was off, I removed the caliper bolts. They're 17mm. The long one goes above, the shorter one below.
View attachment 188967

This is what the pads look like. Lots of life left on them - irritating. I debated about just getting the rotors resurfaced, but opted to go the more expensive route with the new rotors.
View attachment 188968

Onto the next post...
Click to expand...

Great post and very good pics, I know I need to do my pads soon and this helps just like the other posts regarding switching out the rotors and pads. I think if I do that I will go with at least slotted rotors and ceramic pads. thanks.
 
Here's my update - I had some squeaking from the front passenger wheel. So, I should have just played around with the pads and hardware. Anyway, brought it to the dealer, and they said that the hardware was rubbing on the rotor causing the squeal. So, they changed them out for mazda oem pads. I got to admit, the stopping power on the OEM pads felt a lot stronger compared to the Akebono pads. I don't know why the difference, but my wife has asked me to stop working on her car!
 
I got them off Amazon. They were the Akebono ProAct pads. Based on my experience, I can't really recommend then. But, then again, I'm no mechanic. These forums are rather empowering. Everyone's write ups are so helpful. But at the same time, I do feel like a toddler holding a gun. I know how to work it, but just don't have the insight into what I'm doing! :)
 
My Centric rotors & ceramic Centric pads have better response than oem. 8k on them since I put em' in. Only issue is a slight squeak when backing out of the garage when the rotors aren't warm, but that's it.
 
helbigtw said:
My Centric rotors & ceramic Centric pads have better response than oem. 8k on them since I put em' in. Only issue is a slight squeak when backing out of the garage when the rotors aren't warm, but that's it.
Click to expand...

I have the same quirck too with my Centrics, only first thing in the morning though.
 
That was a really good first post! The only thing I would ad is that there no need to open the bleeder screw when compressing the caliper pistons. There is no benefit to doing so, and you run the risk of introducing air into the system.
 
I am closing this thread based on the last comment because it is going to open up a can of worms. (not bleeding the brakes and just pushing the piston in)
 
I am re-opening this thread. My #1 priority as a Mazdas247 Moderator is to keep threads fun, friendly and informative.

Members: let's have an open mind about any disagreements we may have surrounding whether to skip the bleeding process when using a caliper piston pusher.

This topic has some extremely hot arguments on the internet, most of which are for argument's sake and none other.

This thread HAS THE POTENTIAL to spiral out of control.

Please, please keep this thread friendly, as again, it has the potential to go crazy.

Thanks.
 
I wonder if the reports of OEM vs. aftermarket pads being more or less responsive is really a reflection of how spongy the brake pedal is, which is based on whether or not the brakes were recently bled.

When I changed out my OEM pads (and rotors) for aftermarket ones, my pedal felt spongy afterwards. But responsiveness was back after the brakes were bled (during fluid change).



bobbyseal said:
Here's my update - I had some squeaking from the front passenger wheel. So, I should have just played around with the pads and hardware. Anyway, brought it to the dealer, and they said that the hardware was rubbing on the rotor causing the squeal. So, they changed them out for mazda oem pads. I got to admit, the stopping power on the OEM pads felt a lot stronger compared to the Akebono pads. I don't know why the difference, but my wife has asked me to stop working on her car!
Click to expand...
 
I've found that using the brakes hard once in a while (ie: 3 panic stops from 60 to 40mph in a row) helps to keep the pad and rotor surfaces fresh, and helps with responsiveness.

A member here suggested that a while back as a cure for a pulsating pedal, and it works well for that too. Any time I receive a report at work of "warped rotors" I take the car out and do that, 9 times out of 10 the pulsating is reduced or eliminated.
 
Often the cause of the pulsation is heating up the brakes (800 degrees!) going down a long, steep grade while riding the brakes and then coming to a complete stop with continual application of the brakes. There is a thorough discussion of this topic on StopTech's website. We saw it alot at driver training weekends with NASA. You can see an imprint of the brake pad on the rotor! Further, it only takes an elevation of 1/10,000 of an inch of material on the rotor to feel the pulsation, and this elevated area becomes more intensely hot than the rest of the rotor when brakes are applied in the future causing the problem to worsen over time. I don't think non race spec pads need to be bedded in, and to bed in race pads properly one has to thoroughly and repeatedly violate posted speed limits.
 
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