How To Change the Brake Pads on a 2003 Jeep Liberty

The disc brake pads on your Jeep Liberty stop the Jeep while withstanding the high temperature generated from the friction involved in the braking process. There are many grades of brake pads, from organic pads to semi-metallic and even ceramic pads. The materials used in these different pad types react differently and fit different driving styles. Visit an auto parts store and talk with an associate at the parts counter to determine the right pads for your driving needs.

Instructions

1

Loosen the lug nuts on the front of your Jeep Liberty with a lug wrench but do not remove them from the wheel studs. Position a jack under the front suspension of the Jeep and raise the front end off the ground. Position a set of jack stands under the front suspension or frame rails of the Jeep and lower it until it is resting securely on the stands.

2

Remove the lug nuts from the wheel studs then remove the front wheels from the Jeep. Locate the brake caliper on the steering knuckle in front of you. Insert a pry bar between the rear pad and the rotor and carefully push the piston into the caliper. Be very careful not to damage the rotor. While Jeep recommends this method, it is not without risk.

3

Locate the two retaining bolts on the backside of the caliper. Jeep refers to these as the caliper slide mounting bolts because, as well as retaining the caliper, they allow it to slide in and out as pressure is applied to the system.

4

Remove the caliper slide mounting bolts from the caliper and mounting bracket with a socket and ratchet. The only access to the bolt heads is from the back of the caliper. Lift the caliper off the rotor and turn it on its back so the pads are facing up. Snap the outer pad out of the caliper, pulling it straight up and out.

5

Push the inner pad towards the center of the caliper, snapping the retaining clip out of the piston. Lift the pad out of the caliper and discard it. Verify that the caliper piston is pushed all the way into the caliper body.

6

Install a new inner pad on the caliper, snapping the retaining spring into the caliper piston. Install a new outer pad on the caliper, sliding the pad retaining clips onto the machined recesses in the caliper. Turn the caliper over and slide it back onto the rotor, aligning the mounting holes in the caliper with the holes in the mounting bracket.

7

Install the caliper slide mounting bolts in the holes and tighten them, until snug, with a socket and ratchet. Repeat the process on the opposite side of the Jeep, changing the pads on that caliper as well.

8

Install the wheels onto the wheel studs then install the lug nuts, tightening them, until they are snug, with a lug wrench. Raise the front of the Jeep with a jack, just off the jack stands. Remove the stands from under the Jeep then lower it to the ground.

9

Tighten the lug nuts with the lug wrench once the Jeep is securely on the ground. Before driving the Jeep, slowly pump the brake pedal several times to allow the caliper piston and inner brake pad to move out against the rotor. Test-drive the Jeep to ensure the brakes are working correctly and to seat the pads into the rotor.