Need help on how to change BACK brake pads on 2004 Grand Prix GT!

[alltex]

Hello to all!

Well I'm down here in TX trying to change my back brake pads on my 04 Grand Prix GT- 6Cyl, but I'm stuck bc it does not appear to be the same method for changing the FRONT brake pads, Can someone please help.

Stuck out in the garage with my dad, trying to get this going...

[f4istunter]

Its almost the same as the front

Calipier bolts may be a bit smaller, 14m 15mm or 16mm

Pull the calipier off, pop out the old pads and put in the ones , again look at how the old ones are sitting in the slots.

Remount calipier..........Might need to push the piston back in a bit if the old pads were worn to nothing

I never change rotors when i do pads. a good rotor should take a few sets of pads before its life is over. same with resurfaceing the old rotors

they say it will shorten the life of the pads if you dont etc etc.. mabye like 4% life reduction?

I pull the tires off my car every couple months, i dont wait for problems to happen, its called preventative car care

[wafrederick]

Get the rotors turned,the new pads have to be burnished in with a new surface to clamp too.You will know about it,pulsating brakes and do it right the first time.I always resurface rotors when doing a brake job and it is dangerous if you skip this step.

[tblake]

On the contrary of what you both say, I ALWAYS replace my rotors. A new rotor will run 25.00 topps, to get one "turned" or resurfaced runs 20.00 around here. It just makes more since to replace them. f4istunter, it just doesnt make any since to slap new pads on old rotors in my opinion. Plus just that feeling of the first stop after replacing warn out pads and rotors.... Priceless.

[wafrederick]

Some rotors are not cheap,$40.00 and up.The highest price of a rotor I seen was for a 1999 and up fullsize Chevy pickup,$150.00 a piece for the rear rotors from one parts store.

[tblake]

yeah, in that case turning them would be an option. You just have to watch out for minimum thickness after your done turning them.

[BNaylor]

The worse thing you can do if these are the OE GM rotors is have them turned down.

Also, the old rotors should be check for excessive lateral run out (warpage).

Good quality aftermarket rotors that range in the $40-$60 range is typical and worth it in the long run. You don't want to have to redo the brakes after 10K miles.

[f4istunter]

Knew this would start an opinion war.

I was Just saying, i run OEM rotors / Pads on the front of my car

I usualy get close to 2 years out of the front..40-50k

Now the rears i just get the offshore rotors, they run about 27 bucks a pop

They only last about a year. Since i run OEM pads on the rear i always get more then a year, so the service lifes never line up.

so why would i waste 20 bucks, when im buying a new rotor in 5 months

[grandprixgtx00]

dude...doing a brake job and not replacing/resurfacing the rotors is like doing an oil change and putting used oil back in...

[grandprixgtx00]

or let me put it another way...its like changing the oil and not the oil filter

[lefty1120]

As a piece of mind for me......I ALWAYS replace the rotors with the pads.

Turned rotors are thinner and are thus suseptible to easier warpage.