Look what came in the mail... (rotors / pads)

Looking forward to a good challenge this weekend! Done the front ones on the 9 but not the rear. Still need to get some dot3, some brake lube and figure out what bleeder to use. Don't feel like wasting 40 bucks on a cheap bleeder that is not even guaranteed to last for all 4 bleeds. Maybe just the old fashioned way of pushing the pedal.

 
uh yeah its terrible when cold backing up. this could be a possible contributor. I had used common grease gun last time. pins had hardened lube. will see. working on it now. bought sil-glyde siliconized grease this time around.
 
Got it all done front and rear with bleeding afterwards. (brakes, not me). took a first drive. no squeal in reverse but I will report back later to confirm with varied weather conditions. No bedding procedure per Centric. Really paid attention to use the sil-glyde in all appropriate areas. So far so good. Pedal responsiveness is also much better.
 
Very thorough job. i am impressed by your dedication.

I'm just going to throw some pads on the rear some time this coming week. I'll definitely clean/lube the sliding pins though. Have to be the original pads/rotors with 94k miles and not much left on the pads. But there is no visible lip or wear on the rotor so gonna keep it on there. i might break out the measuring calipers for piece of mind... might... if i can find them in under 5 minutes.

Already did the front pads/rotors last year. I will definitely get painted rotors next time. got duralast rotors and they have very bad visible rust. also, duralast ceramic pads dust as bad as semi-metallic. could not believe it! otherwise good performance.

I used to bleed our BMW brakes every two years when the computer called for it. Now I just reset the computer and think to myself... "done. that was easy!"
 
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Any advice on what you wish you would have done? Need to do the brakes on 2014 GT next weekend as I'm off work and have some down time. What did you use to bleed the brakes?
 
I used a Mityvac for bleeding. it is worthless. I want a motive bleeder that pushes fluid rather than pull /suction. if your rotor screws are still in, get a good drill bit for use on metal. I recommend thick long zip ties to hang the calipers. Be sure to use siliconized grease. I got a tube of "sil glide" at Advance Auto. Applied it inside the brake hardware (pad holders) and cleaned the caliper pins and lubed those too. So far so good. No squeaking in reverse. The rear Centric pads were missing new hardware which was supposed to be included. Maybe order 2 sets if you have Amazon Prime with free returns. Just a pain to brush and clean existing hardware. Also, I ditched the double shim like oem has it set up. new pads have a single shim which works great. I tried to tighten my e-brake but couldn't figure out how to do it, even with rear rotor off. not that it was loose. I always have a can of brakleen to clean the new rotors even though they claim to be install ready. the Mityvac was ready to blow a seal by the 4th bleeder valve. if I had to go again, I would either use a motive bleeder or get speed bleeders. speed bleeders seem really easy. good luck!
 
The word "synthetic" on brake fluid is a scam. All brake fluid is synthetic. There is nothing natural about polyglycol ether. It'll work fine, but not worth one penny extra.

If the rotors are not deeply scored and still within the minimum thickness, they can be reused. Sandpaper the surface and wash well with brake clean solvent.
 
+1 on the synthetic marketing gimmick. I went with the Lucas brake fluid. (got 2 small bottles which were cheaper than one large bottle) Too bad you can't get superblue dot3 anymore.
 
I used a Mityvac for bleeding. it is worthless. I want a motive bleeder that pushes fluid rather than pull /suction. if your rotor screws are still in, get a good drill bit for use on metal. I recommend thick long zip ties to hang the calipers. Be sure to use siliconized grease. I got a tube of "sil glide" at Advance Auto. Applied it inside the brake hardware (pad holders) and cleaned the caliper pins and lubed those too. So far so good. No squeaking in reverse. The rear Centric pads were missing new hardware which was supposed to be included. Maybe order 2 sets if you have Amazon Prime with free returns. Just a pain to brush and clean existing hardware. Also, I ditched the double shim like oem has it set up. new pads have a single shim which works great. I tried to tighten my e-brake but couldn't figure out how to do it, even with rear rotor off. not that it was loose. I always have a can of brakleen to clean the new rotors even though they claim to be install ready. the Mityvac was ready to blow a seal by the 4th bleeder valve. if I had to go again, I would either use a motive bleeder or get speed bleeders. speed bleeders seem really easy. good luck!

good job helbigtw, yep Sil-Glyde is the way to go, anything else (even the green Permatex) will swell up the rubber boot and cause the caliper pin to bind and cause squealing, see video and link below

https://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-brake-problems/disc-brake-service


But did I understand you right ? "I got a tube of "sil glide" at Advance Auto. Applied it inside the brake hardware (pad holders)" , did you used Sil-Glyde on the brake metal holders ears ?

I thought you're suppose to use Permatex Ceramic purple stuff or the small tiny grease packets that come with brake pads on the metal to metal contacts due to the heat ?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)



 
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good job helbigtw, yep Sil-Glyde is the way to go, anything else (even the green Permatex) will swell up the rubber boot and cause the caliper pin to bind and cause squealing, see video and link below

https://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-brake-problems/disc-brake-service


But did I understand you right ? "I got a tube of "sil glide" at Advance Auto. Applied it inside the brake hardware (pad holders)" , did you used Sil-Glyde on the brake metal holders ears ?

I thought you're suppose to use Permatex Ceramic purple stuff or the small tiny grease packets that come with brake pads on the metal to metal contacts due to the heat ?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)




I use Sil-Glyde on caliper pins or where there's a rubber seal. All other metal to metal areas, I use the grease packet that comes with the pads or the Permatex high-temp purple ceramic stuff, I don't use the Sil-Glyde on metal to metal areas, the silicone can only handle up to 400 degrees F and is considered a "wet grease" which attracts and holds on to dirt over time and causes squealing.

http://www.tirereview.com/brake-lubricants-101/

 
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... took a first drive. no squeal in reverse but I will report back later to confirm with varied weather conditions. No bedding procedure per Centric. Really paid attention to use the sil-glyde in all appropriate areas. So far so good. Pedal responsiveness is also much better.

helbigtw,

After a year, are you still happy with this brake setup? I am getting ready to do this job on my wife's 2012 CX-9 and I am considering this setup. I usually go OEM original on brakes, but I have never been impressed with the OEM setup and many parts sites list the Mazda pad kits as 'no longer available.' I did find them on a few sites, so I could still get them. I even went to the local dealer where the parts guy quoted me 'premium' and 'standard' brake pads. This doesn't sound like they are using Mazda part numbers.

Thanks,
Shevy77
 
helbigtw,

After a year, are you still happy with this brake setup? I am getting ready to do this job on my wife's 2012 CX-9 and I am considering this setup. I usually go OEM original on brakes, but I have never been impressed with the OEM setup and many parts sites list the Mazda pad kits as 'no longer available.' I did find them on a few sites, so I could still get them. I even went to the local dealer where the parts guy quoted me 'premium' and 'standard' brake pads. This doesn't sound like they are using Mazda part numbers.

Thanks,
Shevy77

+1 I'm also considering this setup.

Thanks.
 
I did this exact swap in 2012 (https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/sho...-replacement&p=6078122&viewfull=1#post6078122)...

I've put about 50k on this setup at this point. No complaints. No squealing or other noises and the car still stops straight with no pulsing of the pedal.

There is a howto attached to a post in the thread linked above that is pretty thorough. It's pretty easy to do, the only painful part is the rotor retaining bolts tend to corrode and can be a challenge to remove.
 
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"rotor retaining bolts tend to corrode and can be a challenge to remove. "

If the threaded end of the bolt is showing, use a small wire brush to clean any visible threads. Soak the threads in your choice of penetrating oil...I like PB B'laster or Kroil. Unscrew the bolt as far as it wants to go, then screw it most of the way back in. Soak in more penetrating oil, back it out a bit more, back in, more penetrant, back it out, screw it back in, more penetrant, etc., etc. If any threads are exposed, wire brush those off as possible. This is the best way I've found (without heat) to get a rusty fastener out with the least risk of breaking or stripping the threads.
 
"rotor retaining bolts tend to corrode and can be a challenge to remove. "

If the threaded end of the bolt is showing, use a small wire brush to clean any visible threads. Soak the threads in your choice of penetrating oil...I like PB B'laster or Kroil. Unscrew the bolt as far as it wants to go, then screw it most of the way back in. Soak in more penetrating oil, back it out a bit more, back in, more penetrant, back it out, screw it back in, more penetrant, etc., etc. If any threads are exposed, wire brush those off as possible. This is the best way I've found (without heat) to get a rusty fastener out with the least risk of breaking or stripping the threads.

In this case, the threaded end is not visible. A few unlucky folks had to drill out the fasteners.
 
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