How to Replace the Brake Pads on a Chevrolet Silverado
- 1). Park the Silverado in a comfortable place to work on the brakes. A flat surface is a must, as you don’t want your truck to slide off the jack. When you’re ready to start working, place the Silverado in “Park” or in first gear and pull the emergency brake. Just to be safe, you’ll also want to put a block or brick behind one of the rear wheels.
- 2). Grab your tire iron and turn the wheel’s lug nuts counterclockwise to loosen them, but don’t remove them completely just yet. First, you want to jack the truck up so that the tire is lifted an inch or two off the ground.
- 3). Place a jack stand under the front part of the Silverado’s frame. In case the jack slips or malfunctions, the jack stand will save you from injury and the truck from damage. Once everything is safe, you can finish removing the lug nuts and wheel.
- 4). Spray both the back and front sides of the Silverado’s brake assembly with some brake cleaner. Then inspect the rotor. If it looks as if it’s worn unevenly or gouged, you should have it replaced or resurfaced, according to Scott Memmer on the Edmunds website. If the rotor looks good, go ahead and proceed with changing just the brake pads.
- 5). Look at the back of the caliper. You should notice two bolts that are holding it in place. The type of bolts will depend on the year of your Chevy Silverado. Some models have regular bolt heads, while others will have hex-head bolts. You will need the proper-sized sockets or hex wrenches to remove these bolts. Start with the bottom bolt first and then remove the top.
- 6). Pull the caliper off the brake rotor. If the caliper is stuck, you can use a rubber mallet or hammer to tap the caliper in order to loosen and help remove it from the rotor.
- 7). Pull the truck’s old brake pads out of the caliper assembly. The pads simply clip into the caliper. You may need a screwdriver to help pop them out. You should note, though, how the pads were placed in the caliper, as you need to insert the new pads in the same orientation as the originals.
- 8). Compress the caliper’s piston. Do this using your C-clamp and an old brake pad. Just hold the brake pad against the piston while you tighten the clamp. Continue tightening the clamp until you have managed to fully compress the piston. Then remove the C-clamp.
- 9). Press the new brake pads into place. Of course, you’ll have to line up the clips with the slots in the caliper. You should be able to press the pads into place by applying pressure with your thumbs. Once you’re sure the pads are correctly and securely in place, reattach the caliper to the rotor and tighten both bolts.
- 10
Replace the wheel and tighten the lug nuts as tight as you can with the truck still on the jack. Then remove the jack stand and lower the jack. With the Silverado on the ground, you can finish tightening the lug nuts - 11
Move on to the other side of the truck and change the front brake pads on it using the same methods.
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