5 Tips for Common Dodge Brake Repair

• Posted on Autos.com Editor
• in Auto Repair
• on October 7, 2013

Dodge brake repair doesn’t have to be stressful or intimidating. You can repair your brakes in a few simple steps in the comfort of your own garage or driveway. This guide will explain how to change out the worn out old disc brake pads and install new ones on your Dodge car with rear wheel drive. The process involves the following steps:

1. Jack the vehicle up and remove the wheels.
2. Remove the calipers.
3. Determine whether to resurface or replace the rotors.
4. Collapse the caliper pistons, install the new pads and reinstall the calipers.
5. Reinstall the wheels and lower the vehicle.

Lift Car and Remove Wheels

Use a hydraulic floor jack – they’re the easiest and the safest. Also, use jack stands to hold the vehicle while working on it. Put the jack pad under the front frame cross member and take some of the weight off the wheels. Loosen the lug nuts. Lift the vehicle until the front wheels are a few inches off the ground, slide the stands under the frame and slowly lower the vehicle onto them. Remove the lug nuts and then pull the wheels and set aside.

Remove the Calipers

Turn the steering wheel all the way one direction and go to the side opposite the turn. Using the correct size socket or wrench, remove the two bolts holding the caliper to the steering knuckle. Suspend from the strut coil with a wire or hanger. Never let it hang from the hose. Go to the other side and repeat this process.

Resurface or Replace

Pull the rotors off and take them down to your parts store and have them measured. If they’re within specifications and shiny or blued, resurface them. If they are outside specifications, replace them. If they’re within specifications, but not shiny or blue, take them home with you after you buy your new pads.

Reassemble the Calipers and Pads

Remove the pads from the box and set upside down on the box. Liberally coat the metal sides with the special glue that came with them. Brush off the excess rust from the calipers and collapse the pistons using either a large c-clamp or channel lock pliers. Reinstall the pads in the calipers, with the glued side towards the calipers. If there are fold over tabs on the pads, squeeze them with the large pliers to secure them to the caliper body. Be sure to install any hardware pieces that were removed. Slide the calipers over the rotors and reinstall the bolts holding them to the steering knuckles. Torque them down to specification to ensure they don’t come loose.

Reinstall the Wheels and Lower

Hang the wheels on the lug studs and tighten the lug nuts until they firmly contact the wheels. Using the jack, lift the vehicle until the stands are cleared and pull them out. Slowly lower the vehicle until the wheels are holding a little weight and torque the lug nuts.

Performing a brake job on your Dodge car is easy if you follow the steps outlined above. As long as you keep your rotors within specifications and don’t allow the pads to completely wear out, the braking system on your car will give you years of trouble free service and safe stops.