Cars & Vehicles Auto Parts & Maintenance & Repairs

How to Change the Brakes on a 1996 Grand Prix

    • 1). Loosen the front lug nuts, but don't remove them at this time.

    • 2). Place the floor jack beneath the Grand Prix and raise the front wheels off of the ground. Place the jack stands under the vehicle to secure it.

    • 3). Remove the lug nuts and pull the tire and wheel assembly off of the vehicle.

    • 4). Examine the backside of the brake caliper and locate both caliper bolts, one upper and one lower.

    • 5). Loosen the top caliper bolt, with the ratchet and socket, but don't remove it. This bolt is a pivot point for the caliper. Loosen and remove the bottom caliper bolt, with the ratchet and socket.

    • 6). Pivot the brake caliper upward. Notice the brake pads remain attached to the caliper.

    • 7). Place the flathead screwdriver beneath the metal clip on the outer brake pad and pry upward to free it from the caliper body. Pull the outer brake pad from the caliper.

    • 8). Place the c-clamp over the caliper. Position the fixed side of the clamp so it contacts the rear of the caliper body and the screw portion so it contacts the inner brake pad.

    • 9). Press the caliper pistons inward by tightening the c-clamp until it stops moving. This creates the space needed to clear the new, thicker brake pads.

    • 10

      Loosen and remove the c-clamp from the caliper.

    • 11

      Grab the inner brake bad and pull it from the caliper. Notice metal, finger-like clips are inside the caliper pistons to hold the pad in place.

    • 12

      Place the new inner brake pad over the caliper pistons, lining up the finger-like clips with the cavities in the pistons. Press the brake clips into the pistons until the pad sits flat against the caliper.

    • 13

      Place the new outer brake pad on the caliper body, lining the metal clip up with the grooves in the caliper body.

    • 14

      Press the outer brake pad onto the caliper until the outer pad clicks into place.

    • 15

      Pivot the caliper down, so that the pads and caliper are back in place over the brake assembly. Hand-tighten the upper and lower caliper bolts.

    • 16

      Tighten the caliper bolts with the ratchet and socket. Only tighten the bolts until they are snug, as over-tightening can strip the threads from the bolts.

    • 17

      Repeat steps 4 through 16 for the pads on the other side of the Grand Prix.

    • 18

      Place the front wheels back on the vehicle and hand-tighten the lug nuts.

    • 19

      Pull the jack stands from under the vehicle and carefully lower it to the ground.

    • 20

      Tighten the lug nuts, in a star-pattern, to 100 foot-pounds, using the torque wrench and a socket.

    • 21

      Pressurize the brake system by pressing and releasing the brake pedal until it feels firm.

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