How to Replace Brake Pads on a 1999 Jeep Wrangler

A 1999 Jeep Wrangler uses a set of disc brake pads to provide roughly 70 percent of the stopping power for your Jeep. This is due, in part, to the design of the brake caliper and rotor system and the way weight is transferred as you apply the brakes. In any case, the front pads will wear at a higher rate than the shoes on the rear of the Wrangler, requiring more frequent maintenance.

Instructions

1

Loosen the lug nuts on the front of your Jeep Wrangler with a lug wrench. Do not fully remove the lug nuts yet. Slide a jack under the front of the Jeep and raise the tires off the ground. Support the front end on a set of jack stands positioned under the front axle tube or frame.

2

Remove the lug nuts completely and pull the wheels and tires off the Jeep. Locate the brake caliper on the rotor directly behind the wheel. Locate the two mounting bolts on the caliper that secure it to the caliper mounting bracket. They thread into the bracket from the backside of the caliper.

3

Remove the two mounting bolts with a socket and ratchet, turning them clockwise as you look at them from the front. Remember they are standard thread bolts, but you are looking at them backward. Pull both bolts out of the caliper and set them aside.

4

Lift the caliper off the mounting bracket and clear of the rotor. Turn the caliper on its back so the pads are facing up. Slide the outer or front pad toward the center of the caliper then lift it out of the caliper. Push the inner pad toward the center of the caliper as well but this one has a large spring clip holding it in the caliper pistons that you must snap out. Lift the pad out of the caliper.

5

Position a large C-clamp over the body of the caliper with the threaded part of the clamp in the inside. Place a small scrape of wood over the piston then tighten the clamp, pushing the piston back into the caliper. If you skip this step, you will not be able to get the caliper with the new full thickness pads back onto the rotor. Remove the C-clamp and wood.

6

Drop the new inner bad into the caliper and snap the spring clip on the back of the pad into the piston. Position the new outer pad as well. Turn the caliper over and position it over the rotor. Slide it into place and align the holes in the caliper with the holes in the mounting bracket.

7

Install the two mounting bolts into the rear of the caliper and mounting bracket. Tighten the bolts with a socket and ratchet. Repeat the process on the opposite side of the Jeep.

8

Slide the wheels onto the wheel studs. Install the lug nuts and tighten them until they are snug with a lug wrench. Slide the jack back under the Jeep, raise the front end off the jack stands and remove them from under the Jeep. Lower the Jeep to the ground.

9

Tighten the lug nuts on both wheels with the lug wrench. Get into the driver's seat and slowly pump the brake pedal a few times to bring the pads in to meet the rotors. Test drive the Jeep to ensure the brakes are functioning properly.