The brakes on your Acura TL are a caliper and rotor design. This design maximizes clamping force and helps to slow the vehicle down quickly. Over time, the rotor thickness will be compromised as the brake pad material is pressed against the...

The Ford truck brake system uses a traditional spindle and bearing, with the hub cast into the rotor. Removal is a snap if you follow a few simple steps. Two types of caliper retention have been used over the years. The first is the wedge-ty...

Ford uses the Mazda designed rear disc brake system found on the MX-3 and MX-6. This is a single-piston design with the parking brake actuator built into the caliper. The design requires a different approach to compressing the caliper piston...

The master cylinder of your GM vehicle is responsible for distributing the brake fluid to each wheel, and stopping your motion. If the master cylinder starts to leak or can no longer build up pressure, then it needs to be replaced, otherwise...

The Dodge Caravan features rear disc brakes primarily on the all-wheel-drive Grand Caravan. The rear pads are smaller than the front pads, providing about 25 percent of the minivan's braking capacity. While having to replace the rear brakes...

Introduced in 1989 as a rear-wheel drive minivan, the Mazda MPV featured front disc brakes and rear drum brakes. By 1999, the minivan was available in four-wheel and front-wheel drive and featured rear disc or rear drum brakes. While removin...

If you have noticed your brake pedal slowly dropping whenever you apply sustained braking pressure, or brake fluid leaking from the back of your engine bay, the culprit could be a faulty master cylinder. Master cylinders have a tendency to w...

There are many reasons why you may need to remove the front brake rotors on your Volkswagen Jetta. Rust pits, scoring caused by metal-to-metal contact, grooves, the rotors being too thin or exceeding the run-out specifications (causing a pul...

The master cylinder in your Acura Legend's braking system turns the pressure you put on the brake pedal into hydraulically assisted braking pressure. A car with a failing master cylinder does not possess all of its intended stopping power. R...

Replacing rear drum brake shoes on your truck is important for the safety of yourself as well as others. The rear brakes work on an automatic transmission in combination with the front brakes for additional stopping power. When the rear brak...

The Honda Civic is manufactured with front disk brakes which use a pressurized hydraulic caliper to apply friction to a spinning rotor with pad material. The rotor must be resurfaced or replaced at regular intervals. The average backyard mec...

The front-wheel drive Pontiac Montana was introduced in 1998 by General Motors. It was later introduced with an all-wheel drive option. Regardless of its drivetrain, replacing the front disc brakes employs the same procedure. Since the front...

The Chevy Express was introduced in the late '90s replacing the G-Series full-size vans. It was available in 1/2-ton, 3/4 ton and 1-ton models, such as the G-Series. Although there was an issue with the front brakes wearing out prematurely,...

The rear brake drum on the PT Cruiser is removable without it being assembled to the rear hub bearings. Unlike many older Chrysler products that employed an outer removable bearing and a pressed-in inner bearing, the Cruiser features a "knoc...

The Nissan Maxima comes with front disc brakes, but may also feature rear disc or rear drum brakes. While replacing the front or rear rotors requires a slightly different procedure, the overall concept remains the same. Generally, it's a goo...

How to step by step video tutorial on changing the rear brake pads on a 1st generation ford expedition Difficulty: Moderately EasyInstructionsThings You'll Need: Jack Lug Wrench New set of brake pads 10mm Wrench Brake Grease/High Temp Grease...

Replacing the brake pads on your Mazda Protege by yourself will save hundreds of dollars over taking the vehicle in to a repair facility. Not only will you save money in the process, but you will also get the satisfaction that you have repai...

If you're a lucky scooter owner, your front brakes use a drum system. However, most modern scooters have front disc brakes, which are a bit more complicated. Knowing how to repair either system is important for maintenance and safety. Diffic...

The Buick Century was reintroduced as a full-size model in the early 1970s by GM. In 1981 it was redesigned as a front-wheel drive model and downsized a little, featuring front disc brakes and rear drum brakes. Later versions were available...

The Nissan Sentra was manufactured with rear drum brakes on some models, and these use a hydraulic wheel cylinder to apply friction to a spinning drum. The parts of this system could leak and wear out, requiring replacement. The average back...

Rear brakes for most vehicles are typically drum style, which use hydraulic wheel cylinders and shoes to apply direct friction to a rotating drum surface. The shoes are retracted by springs once the hydraulic pressure is removed. Removal of...

Removing the rear calipers on a Lincoln LS is required if you're replacing the caliper, replacing the pads and or replacing the rotors. Having to replace the rear calipers is not a very common repair, but it does occur sometimes. Replacing t...

Calipers are very important components in disc braking systems. Pistons expand from hydraulic pressure on demand when the brake pedal in the vehicle is applied. The pistons squeeze the brake pads, which then contact the surface of the rotor...

The Lincoln Mark VIII uses the Teves Mark IV anti-lock brake system. This non-integral system features a frame-mounted modulator valve assembly and four-wheel control. There are no special bleeding sequences or precautions other than taking...

The Cadillac brake system is not much different from the other General Motors vehicles. Changing the brake pads on Cadillacs that are not equipped with an ABS system is straightforward with only minor considerations. The ABS systems used on...

Concerns about changing the pads on an ABS-equipped vehicle include damage to the modulator valve assembly due to debris in the system, air trapped in the system due to improper bleeding and air being inadvertently introduced into the system...

Chevrolet pickup trucks use either a four-wheel disk braking system or a rear drum style system and front disks. All of these systems have regular-maintenance parts that are easily replaced and damaged components will also need to be repaire...

The rear brakes on most Subraru vehicles were drum-style systems until rear disk brakes were applied to all late models. Both styles can have some parts resurfaced rather than replaced. Repair to either style as regular maintenance or to rep...

The brake pads on your Chevrolet Cavalier should be inspected at least every 12 months or sooner if necessary. The brake caliper on your Cavalier has an inspection hole on top. Use this hole to measure the pad thickness. Your vehicle manufac...

The power brake booster on your Ford vehicle uses vacuum created by the engine to apply extra power to the brake pedal, which increases braking ability and decreases pedal feel. If the booster develops a leak or starts to have issues, you'll...

Driving your Honda Odyssey with worn out brake pads is asking for trouble on the road. Nevertheless, changing pads is a job you can do at home with the help of a few common tools and some caution. Whichever set of pads you are servicing, be...

Standard rear brakes on the Ford Taurus were drum style, using twin shoes to apply friction to the inside of the drum surface. The friction stops the car. When the driver releases the brakes, the shoes retract away from the drum by springs....

If you have changed a brake line, brake master cylinder or caliper in your Chevy Silverado, then chances are you have introduced air into the brake system. Air in the brake system causes a mushy brake pedal and an increased braking time that...

Buick vehicles all come with front disc brakes that integrate calipers, pads and rotors. Some of the newer front-wheel drive models may also feature rear disc brakes instead of drum brakes. While replacing calipers is not a common brake repa...

Replacing the front brake pads in a Chevy Cavalier will be more frequent than replacing the rear brake shoes. The front brakes compensate for 75 percent braking power for the front-wheel drive vehicle. The Cavalier was introduced by GM Motor...

Introduced in 2001, the Mazda Tribute is the imported version of the Ford Escape although it's manufactured in the U.S. Featuring two- or four-wheel drive, the SUV also features front disc brakes, but can have either rear drum or rear disc....

You know how important it is to replace worn out brake pads on your Ram 1500 pickup truck, but may not feel confident doing a good job yourself, instead possibly ending up with a serious brake system problem. With some simple strategies and...

The front brakes on your Chevrolet Blazer do a lot of the heavy stopping, while the rear brakes are mainly used for the emergency brake as well as a touch of additional braking power. Although they don't need to be replaced often, you will e...

Replacing the rear brake pads on the Chevy Silverado is a common repair. When the truck first integrated rear disc brakes, the position of the caliper allowed road dirt and debris to contaminate the mounting bracket where the pads are seated...

A Ford F-150 pickup truck uses front disk brakes, which incorporate a rotor and caliper for stopping the vehicle. As pressure is applied to the hydraulic system, the caliper squeezes two pads against the rotating friction surface of the roto...

The rear brakes on a Ford Ranger pickup consist of three main parts, the brake drum, the brake shoes and the wheel cylinder. The brake drum is attached to the rear axle and rotates along with the rear wheels and tires. A pair of brake shoes...

Rear disc brakes feature calipers as hydraulic components to expand and squeeze the brake pads against the surface of the rotors. They are smaller than their front disc brake counterparts. When replacing pads, rotors or both, you must compre...

AutoZone is a nationwide auto parts store that sells direct-fit calipers for almost all passenger vehicles and light trucks. There are commonly two types and brands of calipers the company sells. Fenco remanufactured calipers come as half ca...

A leaking or stuck wheel cylinder on one or both of the rear brake assemblies of your car may lead to brake failure and a serious accident. You may find a replacement part on your local auto parts store. However, installing the new cylinder...

Personally replacing the brake pads on your Mazda Protege will save you hundreds of dollars. Not only will you save money in the process, but you will also get the satisfaction of repairing your own vehicle. When replacing the brake pads on...

If your Chevy Silverado is pulsing and shuddering when you hit the brakes, then it's probably time to replace the rotors. Rotors only need to be replaced if they get warped or worn down from bad brake pads or heavy braking. Changing your own...

If your Toyota Tacoma seems to be shaking and shuddering to a halt, chances are it's time to replace the rotors. Rotors don't need to be replaced often, but if they get worn down or warped from hard braking and can't be resurfaced, then they...

Your Toyota Highlander relies on brake rotors, calipers and brake pads all working together to bring your vehicle to a halt. If your Highlander seems to be pulsing and shuddering when you hit the brakes, then the rotors are probably to blame...

If your trusty Toyota Corolla isn't so trusty any more when you hit the brakes and instead is pulsing and shuddering to a stop these days, then it's time to replace the rotors. Rotors, also known as brake discs, don't need to be changed very...

Brake rotors, also known as brake discs, don't need to be replaced very often over the lifetime of your Toyota Camry. When the wear down or get warped, they can cause your Camry to shudder and pulse when you hit the brakes. If this sounds li...