How to Change the Disc Brakes for a Nissan Altima
- 1). Loosen the lug nuts on the tires before jacking up the car, but do not remove them. Jack up the car and set up the jack stands on secure parts of the frame. Slowly release the jack until the car rests on the jack stands.
- 2). Remove the lug nuts and the tires.
- 3). Remove the bolts located behind the brake caliper that are holding it in place. Pull the caliper off the rotor and hang it from any part of the frame using a bungee cord or wire. Make sure no stress is put on the brake line, since this can cause it to rupture and leak brake fluid.
- 4). Slip the brake pads out of their housing in the caliper bridge. Remove the caliper bridge by loosening the two bolts in back, then pulling it off the rotor.
- 5). Put the brake pads in the caliper and insert the expander. Crank it tight to force the piston to expand. Leave the expander in place as you continue to work.
- 6). Remove the rotor, if you're changing the rotors as well as the brake pads, and slide the new rotor onto the bolts.
- 7). Clean the caliper bridge of old brake dust. Grease the pins and clips with brake grease, then reattach it to the rotor by replacing the bolts. Clip the new brake pads into the caliper bridge.
- 8). Remove the expander and the old brake pads from the caliper. Put the caliper back over the bridge and reattach the bolts.
- 9). Repeat steps 3 through 8 for the remaining brakes.