How to Change the Brakes on a Jeep Grand Cherokee

Maintaining the brakes by replacing the pads when they start to show wear can be critical to the performance and safety of your Jeep. Brake pads are designed to wear, but when they get too thin they will not function as designed and you will experience limited or diminished braking. Brake pads are available in several different material types and in various price ranges; visit an auto parts store to select pads that will provide the braking you need to support your driving style.

Instructions

1

Loosen the lug nuts on the front wheels but leave them on the Jeep for now. Raise the front end of the Jeep off the ground with a floor jack and support it with jack stands under the frame.

2

Remove the front wheels to access the brake calipers and rotors. Place a flat screwdriver into the window on the top of the caliper, inserting it between the rear brake pad and the rotor. Push the pad into the caliper to bottom out the pistons in their bores.

3

Locate the mounting bolts or slider pins on the back of the caliper. Loosen and remove the pins with a socket and ratchet. Lift the caliper off the rotor and remove the brake pads. Slide the front pad to the center of the caliper and lift it out. The rear pad has clips that hold it into the caliper pistons; these can just be snapped out.

4

Insert a piece of scrap wood into the caliper on top of the pistons and depress the piston by sliding a C-clamp onto the caliper body and the wood scrap. Turn the C-clamp until the pistons are bottomed out in the bores.

5

Remove the C-clamp and the wood scrap, then install the new rear pad into the caliper. Press it in so the clips snap into the pistons. Slide the new front pad into the caliper and clip the retaining spring onto the caliper.

6

Slide the caliper back onto the rotor and align the mounting holes for the slide pins with the holes on the mounting bracket. Install the slide pins and tighten with a socket and ratchet.

7

Slide the wheel and tire onto the wheel studs and install the the lug nuts by hand. Repeat these steps on the opposite side of the Jeep, then raise the vehicle with a jack and remove the jack stands.

8

Lower the Jeep to the ground and tighten the lug nuts with a lug wrench. With a torque wrench, torque the lug nuts to the manufacturer's specifications.