How to Change the Rear Brake Pads on a Mazda6

Brake pads are an important part of your Mazda6's braking system. They are the replaceable friction pads that pinch the brake disc or drum when the brakes are applied. You should replace the brake pads before they wear beyond a quarter inch or risk damaging your Mazda6's brake discs.

Instructions

Remove the old Brake Pads

1

Park your car on a level surface. If you have a stick shift car, make sure the car is in gear. Do not set the parking brake. Place blocks in front of the front tires so the car does not move while you are working on it.

2

Open the hood of your car. Locate the master cylinder and brake fluid container. If necessary, remove brake fluid until the level in the container is less than half full. A turkey baster is a good tool for this. Put the brake fluid in the plastic container and dispose of it the way you dispose of motor oil.

3

Raise the rear end of your car with your car jack. Remove the rear tire or wheel assembly.

4

Disconnect the parking brake cable from the brake caliper. The cable is usually held in place with a retaining clip. You can use pliers to remove the clip and disconnect the cable.

5

Remove the upper caliper bolt. Rotate the caliper downward until you can comfortably work on it. Remove the springs, pads and shims from the caliper.

Install the new Brake Pads

6

Use the recommended tool to press the caliper piston back into the piston assembly.

7

Insert the shims, springs and new pads into the caliper. Reconnect the parking brake cable.

8

Rotate the caliper upward and back into place. Use the socket wrench to tighten the upper mounting bolt to 27 to 36 foot lb. (37 to 49 Nm) if you have a Mazda6, or to 16 to 23 foot lb. (21 to 31 Nm) if you have a Mazdaspeed6.

9

Replace the tire wheel assembly. Lower the car to the ground.

10

Add fluid to the master cylinder container to replace any you removed before you removed the old brake pads.

11

Season the brake pads by making only gentle stops when you are driving for the first week after you install the new brake pads. Try not to do any hard stopping when you are seasoning the brakes.