How to Change the Brake Pads on an 1984 Celebrity

The Chevrolet Celebrity was available from 1982 to 1990. The Celebrity was available in a two-, four- and four-door station wagon. The Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera and Buick Century were the sister cars of the Celebrity and lasted until 1994. The Chevrolet Celebrity was available with a base 2.8-liter V-6 engine. Optional engines for the Celebrity included a 4.3-liter diesel V-6, as well as others. The brakes on the base model 1984 Celebrity were front ventilated discs and rear drum. Changing the brake pads requires some skill and should be performed by someone with prior brake mechanical experience.

Instructions

1

Loosen the front wheel lug nuts with a tire iron. Raise the front of the car with a jack. Place jack stands just inside both lower control arms, underneath the sub-frame. Lower the car onto the jack stands. Remove the lug nuts from both front wheels, then remove the wheels from the car.

2

Install a lug against the face of the rotor by hand, on the side you working. This will hold the rotor in place and make your job easier. Pull the metal tabs or ears on the outboard pad away from the caliper, using a hammer and a screwdriver.

3

Remove the caliper mounting bolts using a ratchet and socket. Remove the front caliper from the brake assembly, using a small pry bar to assist if necessary. Hang the front caliper from the front coil spring, using a metal clothes hanger or thin metal rod. Do not let the caliper hang freely by the rubber brake hose it is attached to.

4

Remove the outboard brake pad from the caliper. Install a C-clamp against the inboard brake pad, and the rear of the caliper. Tighten the C-clamp slowly, in order to compress the caliper piston completely. Remove the inboard pad by twisting it out of the caliper, to release the spring clip on the back of the brake pad. Remove the pad and the spring clip from the brake caliper.

5

Inspect the front brake rotor for excessive grooves or pitting. Measure the total thickness of the rotor with a tape measure. The rotor should be no less than 13/16-inch thick. If the rotor is less than the given thickness, the rotor should be discarded and replaced.

6

Install a new spring clip on the inboard brake pad, then install the new pad and clip into the caliper. Install the outboard brake pad into the caliper. Install the brake caliper onto the brake assembly. Tighten the caliper mounting bolts to 28 foot-pounds, with a 1/2-inch drive torque wrench and socket. Depress the brake pedal until the brake pads are held in place by the caliper. Bend the ears on the outboard caliper so they are flush with the caliper's outboard face. Use a hammer to bend the ears against the caliper.

7

Repeat Steps 2 through 6 on the second side of the car, in order to replace the pads on the second side of the vehicle. Remove the wheel lug nut from the face of each rotor, after you have verified your torque on both calipers.

8

Install the front wheels onto the Celebrity. Tighten the lug nuts snug with a tire iron. Raise the car off of the jack stands, and remove the jack stands from beneath the car. Lower the car to the ground. Tighten the wheel lug nuts to 100 foot-pounds of torque with a 1/2-inch drive torque wrench and socket.