How do you remove the rear brake pads on a 1998 Cadillac Catera?

Answer 1

I just got finished replacing both front and rear pads on my wife's '99 Catera for the first time, so I may be able to help you with this. It is not as difficult as you may think. First, there are two pins that run across the top of the caliper from one side to the other, these hold the pads in place. There is a clip that hold both pins firmly in place - you want to remove this clip, but there is a way to do it without breaking it, as I did with the first one. The way to do it, as I discovered, is to use a punch to punch out one of the pins half way over the rotor, then press down on the loosened end of the clip with your screwdriver to loosen the pressure on the pin. Just use a pair of pliers to yank out the loosened pin. Be careful not to damage to lock-ring near the top, so you want to pull out by holding the shaft. By the way, you will punch out the pins from the front to the back, towards the wheel well. By this time the clip should be out, so just punch out the second pin.

With both pins and clip out, the next step is to pull out the pads. I found that the caliper pistons had to be moved back into their housing, I did this with a large, flat screwdriver. Be careful not to scratch the rotor or damage the rubber boot that protects the piston. Push each of them all the way into their housing - there is one piston on each side of the rotor, one for each pad. Now the rest is easy. Remove the old pads (pull out to remove) and replace them with the new ones. Next, put the pressure clip back on the caliper as it was originally, over the rotor, between the pads. Now, thread the pins back through the caliper and the pads. Note that the pins have a fat top and a bit of a pointed end, like a big nail, you want to thread it from the rear (back) of the caliper, inside the wheel well, with the pointed end coming toward you, in the front. Just a few gentle taps with a hammer and a center punch and they lock back into place. Put your wheel on and you're good to go!

Oh, before you drive the car for the first time after replacement, I suggest that you pump the brake pedal a few times to reset the pistons. That's it! Hope this helped.