How do you change the rear brake pads on a 1996 Mazda 626 Cronos?

Answer 1

Changing the rear brakes on a 1996 Mazda 626 Cronus.

Starting with a stable jacked up car with safety supports on a level surface. You'll need needle nose pliers, ratchet set, vise grips, rubber mallot, WD40, new brake fluid, rags and a catch basin or pail, new brake pads, a plastic line that attaches to the nib on the back of the brake.

1. Take the back tire off and look in the back of the brake assembly. You will see two bolts that hold the caliper (the thing holding the pads) to the brake assembly. You will also see another bolt that holds the brake fluid line onto the caliper, a long skinny bolt with a small nozzle on the end (for bleeding the brake) and another bolt directly behind the piston of the caliper. This last bolt hides another adjustable bolt underneath it that is released by using an Allen wrench. Turning it will release the piston and therin the shoes from the router. Spray all the bolts with WD40 (preferrably overnight) to loosen them. There will also be a parking brake cable that hooks onto a fork like item.
2. Release the parking brake.
3. With a set of needle nose pliers, pull the tension spring from the parking brake assembly and take it off.
4. Tap out a clip that holds the parking brake line to a bracket then slide the brake cable line out of the bracket allowing you to release it from the fork pivot assembly.
5. (optional) undo the brake line bolt and pull it away from the caliper (warning you should have a pan underneath to catch the brake fluid and a way to stop the fluid from pouring out such as a plug).
6. Undo the two bolts that hold the caliper to the assembly and slide the caliper brake and pads off the router (the disk thing that the brakes pads push up against).
7. You will see on the caliper a black plastic cover on one side of the caliper. Pull the cover off and below will be a bolt. Loosen the bolt and the caliper will swing open exposing the brake pads.
8. The pads have a spring that pushes them away from each other on one side and this will have to be replaced when the new pads are in.
9. Replace the pads and the spring and swing the caliper around again.
10. Refasten the bolt and replace the black cover.
11. Slip the caliper over the rotor while holding the shoes apart. Don't forget that the piston is released by undoing the Allen screw. You might have to 'convince it' with the mallot.
12. Once back on the rotor, replace the mounting bolts and tighten up the Allen screw to push the caliper back against the pads and rotor (the adjustment of this bolt is important and you need to find out what it should be).
13. Reattach the fluid line and the bolt that covers the Allen bolt.
14. Replace the parking brake cable, clip and spring.
15. Bleed the brakes. Put a plastic line on the bleed nib and turn the nib with a wrench. This will bleed the brake fluid as the brake is pushed (i.e. make sure that you haven't accidentally drained all the brake fluid before doing this otherwise top it up in the small reservoir under the hood near the firewall). Make sure you know how to bleed brakes before doing this step.
16. Retighten the bleed nib and remove the tubing.
17. Put the tire on and very carefully test the brakes.
18. If they are loose or don't work well then re-bleed all the brakes and/or tighten the piston. If they still don't work as well as they should, then have a pro re-bleed and adjust the brakes.
19. Repair at your own risk.