Rear brakes question

Hi all,

Today I am going to attempt to remove the rear rotors, replace the pads, and install new rotors. My question is the parking brake mechanism. There is 2 types of mechanisms. Built in and not built in. Does anyone know if my car has this? The Chiltons just says that some cars have it, some do not. Thanks.

Also, any advice from any of you more experienced Pontiac enthusiasts? I was going to have this done by a shop but the best price was around $435, just for the rear. I kind of felt this was just a bit pricey for the rears only. The parts were only $170 and I've done brakes before so it looks easy enough. I've also said that about other things that turned out not to be so easy. All input is appreciated.

Lou

Well, dug in and inspected them. I have the style where the parking brake pads run along the inner wall of the rotor so replacement of rotor and pads was a snap! Now, I go out to break them in (pun intended).

Lou

Finished breaking them in, everything is fine! Only cost me $157 plus my own labor.

As reference for anyone else reading this thread, all 97-03 Grand Prix's have the parking brake shoe that pushes against the inside of the rear rotor.
Unless you use your parking brake constantly, the parking brake shoes should last the life of the car. Also, don't force the rotor off the hub, as you can damage the parking brake shoe. The 88-96 Grand Prix's have the parking brake mechanisn built in to the caliper which sieze and cause problems.

This was good info. I have to do front and rears on my 01 in the next couple of weeks.

Good work! I've replaced the front brake pads before on my 02 GTP, but when it came to the backs I didn't even attempt it. Good to know I might be able to attempt it myself next time.

Chiltons says something else to look at while the rotors are off is the boots of the cylinder and the ones for the outer braking mechanism and check for wear. That really was the only other thing involved that needed checking besides proper lubrication of the inner workings. Mine were good on both sides. Also, Air gets in between the cylinder boot and the cylinder making it distort its size and makes it flair out a little. One side didn't do this but the other side did. I just used a small standard screwdriver to gently pry up the boot and compress the air out. You'll know when your successful when it rings up in the gap surrounding the cylinder. These were the easiest set of brakes I've ever had the pleasure to do myself. Once I was familiar with the parts on the first side, the second side took me a little less than 20 full minutes from loosening lugs to tightening them.