My 12 Step Plan towards Cleaner Wheels
or Changing Front Brake Pads on a GT Cruiser

I have seen many posts about the Front Disk Pads on the PT Cruiser and everyone knows that the Rotors and Calipers are different between the NA (normally Aspirated) PTs and the GT Turbo Models. After being reassured that the pads are the same for the two, I ordered a set of Raybestos Ceramic Pads for my GT. I was tired of all the soot and black dust from the OEM pads and, at 53,000 miles, I figured I was due for new pads. The first thing I noticed when i took the tires off and looked at the calipers was that I had quite a bit of brake pads left. However, since I already bought the pads and wanted cleaner wheels, I proceeded.

oldvsnew

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First, let's put in our obligatory disclaimers and safety tips here! I am sharing my experiences here with no expressed or implied warrantee. All steps assume that you are fairly mechanically inclined. If you do not understand the steps or terminology, you had better call a buddy or leave this job to an experienced mechanic.

1. NEVER work on a car that is merely jacked up, always use a jack stand and/or cement block in case the jack fails.

2. ALWAYS double check your work before putting the tire back on. Make sure that all the bolts are tight and everything is back where it belongs.

Time and Tools: You should allow about an hour for this job although I did it in less than half that time. You should never rush your work! Basic hand tools are required to include:

Tire Iron to remove wheel & tire

13mm socket and ratchet for removing Caliper Bolts

11MM Wrench for loosening Bleeder Valve

Large C Clamp for compressing Caliper Piston

Small hose and bottle to catch Brake Fluid

Small Bottle of DOT3 Brake Fluid


Step One - Park car on lever surface and set emergency brake.

Step Two - Jack up car, place jack on frame member behind the front wheel. The bolt that attached the rear lower control arm is a perfect spot. NEVER jack up your PT on the sheet metal rocker panel under the door, it is not strong enough to support the weight and will dent/cave in leaving an ugly mark on your car. Place Jack Stand under front bumper support.

Step Three - Remove Tire

Step Four - Place large "C Clamp" on the outboard pad in the opening of the caliper, the other side of the clamp should go on the Banjo Bolt on the other side of the caliper (see illustration). Now, put an 11mm wrench on the bleeder screw and put a small hose on the screw to catch the fluid in an old bottle for disposal. You CAN NOT reuse this fluid, throw it away. (note: the reason for bleeding out this fluid is so that you do not push old fluid up into the ABS solenoids which might clog them, if you have a NA PT Cruiser without ABS, you can compress the piston without bleeding out the fluid if you wish)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step Five - Open the bleeder screw 3/4 turn and tighten the "C Clamp" slowly to push the piston back into the caliper. Push the piston all the way back in. This will provide the clearance needed to place the caliper back oner the thicker, new pads.

 

Step Six - After the piston has been pushed back in, close the bleeder screw and remove the "C Clamp", hose and catch bottle.

Step Seven - Loosen and remove the two Caliper Bolts with the 13MM socket and wratchet. remember, the head of the bolts is facing away from you so turn them in the correct direction! "Lefty Loosey-Righty Tighty" You will be pushing down on the passenger's side and up on the driver's side.

Step Eight - On the GT, pull out the old pads and clean off the Stainless Steel Shims that they slide on. With a NA PT Cruiser, you will replace these with the new caliper slides that come in the box. (The GT Rotor is thicker than the NA and the shims supplied will not fit!)

Step Nine - Lube the top of the slides with the supplied brake lube, a thin film is all that you need! Now, slide in the new pads. You will note that two of the pads have a "Brake Pad Wear Indicator Warning Device" on them. This pad goes on the inboard side of the rotor and has to be on the top of the pad. If you install these incorrectly, they will not work when needed!

Step Ten - Slide the caliper back over the pads and into place, replace the two 13MM bolts and tighten. (note-if the caliper will not slide over the pads, that means the piston was not pushed all the way back into the caliper. Take an old pad and place it on th eopening of the piston, place the "C Clamp" between the pad and the back of the Caliper and push the pistin back in. you are not displacing much fluid with this stem so the bottle and cracking open the bleeder screw is not necessary)

Step Eleven - Inspect the caliper and brakes to make sure everything is back in place (No spare parts allowed with this job!) Now, replace the wheel & tire assembly and torque your lug nuts to 90 ftlbs. remove jack stand and lower car. Repeat for other side of car.

Step Twelve - Get into car and pump the brake pedal 5 or 6 times to move the pistons back into position. this is all you need to do to adjust the brake pads. now open the hood and check your brake fluid. Fill to max line if necessary. Be CAREFUL not to spill any brake fluid onto your paint, it will eat it away! Wipe up any spill immediately and rinse the area! Now start your car and make sure you hit the brakes a few times and have a pedal. if the pedal sinks to the floor, do not drive the car (they might feel a little mushy at first) To seat the pads, drive down the road up about 40mph and bring the car to a rapid stop (DO NOT JAM ON THE BRAKES AND TRY TO LOCK THEM UP). Do this 5 or 6 times and the brake pads will be seated against the rotor and your pedal should now be firm and at normal height. Go back home, pop open an Diet Pepsi and bask in the knowledge that you just saved a lot of money!