Instructions for Changing Brake Pads in a 1999 Chevy Malibu

The Chevrolet Malibu was originally introduced as a trim package for the Chevrolet Chevelle. The Malibu, named after the California city, was introduced individually in 1978. The 1999 Malibu's base model featured a 2.4-liter in-line four-cylinder engine, with a 3.1-liter V-6 available as an upgrade. The 1999 base-model Malibu has front disc brakes and rear drum brakes. The pads on the disc brakes wear out typically two or three times as fast as the rotors.

Instructions

1

Loosen the front lug nuts with a tire iron. Raise the front of the Malibu with a jack. Place jack stands beneath each front sub-frame rail, on either side of the engine. Lower the car onto the jack stands. Remove the wheel lug nuts, then remove the wheels completely.

2

Insert a small pry bar in the small viewing hole, and place the tip against the inboard brake pad. Press the brake pad toward the center of the car gently, using the brake rotor as a fulcrum point. Remove the caliper bolts with a ratchet and socket. Remove the caliper from the brake assembly, using the small pry bar if necessary. Hang the caliper from the front strut coil spring with a metal clothes hanger or rod.

3

Remove the old brake pads from the caliper bracket. Inspect the outboard and inboard faces of the rotor for damage. If the rotor has severe pits or scoring, then it needs to be replaced. Measure across the topmost edge of the rotor to gauge the thickness of the rotor. If the rotor is less than 15/16 inches thick, then the rotor is too thin and needs to be discarded and replaced. Replace the rotor at this time if necessary.

4

Install the new brake pads onto the caliper mounting, making sure the pad with the wear indicator (metal "L" shaped protrusion) is mounted on the inboard side of the rotor. Add a thin layer of caliper grease to the backing plates on both brake pads.

5

Insert one of the old brake pads against the caliper piston, on the inside of the caliper. Install a C-clamp around the old brake pad and the rear of the caliper. Tighten the C-clamp slowly until the caliper piston is completely compressed into the piston. Remove the C-clamp and the old brake pad.

6

Remove the metal pins from inside the rubber boots, on the rear of the caliper. Lubricate these slide pins thoroughly with caliper grease, then reinsert them into the boots. Place the caliper onto the brake assembly, and tighten the caliper bolts to 35-foot-pounds with a 1/2-inch drive torque wrench and socket.

7

Repeat Steps 2 through 6 to complete the brake pad replacement on the other side of the car. Install the front wheels back onto the car, and snug the lug nuts with a tire iron. Raise the car off of the jack stands, and remove the stands from beneath the car. Lower the Malibu to the ground and tighten the lug nuts to 105-foot-pounds with the torque wrench and a socket.

8

Proceed immediately to the driver's seat of the Malibu. Pump the brake pedal no less than 10 to 15 times. If the brake pedal does not stiffen or exert excess force against your foot after five pumps, stop pumping and bleed the brakes.