DIY: Disc Brake Cleaning & Bleeding

[takeshi]

I thought Rogues all had 4 wheel disc brakes?

Where did anyone say that they did not?

in any case, you can easily confirm by looking at the Nissan site:
http://www.nissanusa.com/rogue/specifications.html

Brakes
4-wheel vented disc brakes

[philipa_240sx]

- Owners manual says, as a part of the scheduled maintenance at 24.000 km/12 months I should REPLACE THE BRAKE FLUID
- According to the leaflet that my Nissan service gave me, Nissan recommends brake service every 6 months/12.000 km. I talked with my service advisor and he said I don't need to replace the fluid.

Here is the deal with brake fluid:

It's hydroscopic (water absorbing) by nature. Over time, moisture will migrate into the system past the caliper seals, master cylinder cap etc. If left for extended periods of time (10 years?), it may promote corrosion of the brake lines, etc.

The moisture also changes the properties of the fluid so it's no longer effective at high brake temperatures. Honestly, most people don't drive their car hard enough to notice the performance degradation at high temperatures. However, if you tow a trailer, drive in the mountains, or drive a sports car at weekend track events, etc you may want to flush the fluid on an annual basis if not more frequently.

For the rest of us, you can likely flush the fluid every 3-5 years and be fine. My Rogue is nearly 4 yrs old and I have yet to flush the fluid. Still brakes just fine.

[Qashqai]

Thank you Philipa.

As far as I understand, due to salt, dust, etc, the brake components should be dismantled, cleaned/greased and put back.

If only I have a garage or necessary tools, I can easily make the brake servicing, especially all those detailed step-by-step pictures. But I have to take the car to mechanic to service the brakes.

The cost of brake service at the Nissan dealer:

Two wheels with maintenance package: $75
Two wheels without maintenance package: $ 90
Four wheels with maintenance package: $ 150
Four wheels without maintenance package: $ 180

I won't take the car for maintenance package, because the charge for a lot of unnecessary adjustments/checks, which I am sure they NEVER do (I top up the distilled water to the battery cells and add 450 ml of blue engine coolant...they supposed to "check" them). Servicing two wheels is ridiculous, so it looks like I am going to pay $ 180.

My question is, my car is 10 months old and at 12600 km's. When should I take it to brake servicing? every two years? every year?

[philipa_240sx]

My question is, my car is 10 months old and at 12600 km's. When should I take it to brake servicing? every two years? every year?

You still have very few km on your vehicle, the brakes do not need to be serviced yet.

IMHO, brakes should be serviced once per year. Winter driving is the hardest on brakes so the springtime is the best time to service them.

Alternatively, you could just leave them. After about 3-4 years , the pads will seize up in the calipers and wear out prematurely. Then you will have to replace both the pads and rotors. A full brake job for all 4 wheels including pads & rotors can set you back $800 to $1000 quite easily.

IMHO I would check your dealer for service specials, there may be some better deals out there:

nissan-service-specials-and-coupons-t534050.html

[ImStricken06]

Heard a few days ago from someone that stated they heard squeaking from a fairly young rogue, i figured i do a quick write up for those interested on cleaning and checking brake pad life.

1. lift your car with a jack, and use jack stands for safety.

get to know your car. these are the proper terms & names for the parts.
remove that top bolt circled in pink
2.

remove the bottom bolt circled in pink as well.
3.

a few more names for you to understand.
4.

shimmy out the outer pad, and the inner pad. they might take some wiggling, or a flat screw driver to gently pry out/apart from the rotor.
5.

your brake pads have a vent in them. that allows hot gasses to escape while the brake pad is sliding along the rotor. often that gets clogged with brake dust (like mine here) and required cleaning. that is one reason why brakes will make noise, even when they dont require replacing.
6.

take a brush, and gently release the dust. you can use a brake cleaner or simple green to get out. flush with water to clean off the pad.
7.

8. apply some anti-seize or brake caliper grease, to the backs of the pads(the shiny metal plate) so to make sure everything is smooth operating.

9. clean the piston gently too. take care to not touch the rubber boot.

(if you are replacing the pads, you will need to push the piston back into its home inside the caliper. you can use your thumbs, or a C-clamp.)

10. assemble everything back together. make sure to tighten the two bolts to 34.5lbs. make sure the rubber boots, and the metal piece inside the rubber boot that the bolt gets screwed into are sitting right and flush with the caliper. you will see that the piece is squared off and needs to sit on the flat notch on the caliper

TIPS: never allow the caliper to hand off the rubber brake line hose. it could cause a tear, allowing brake fluid to leak out- and resulting in a crash. never touch the brake pad surface(the side with the vent) with dirty fingers, or grease. Also, while your in there, clean as much as you can. Its not often your in there, so clean up, and you will see that your brakes wont squeak as much.

[Qashqai]

I think when Philipa leaves the forum he takes his pictures with him!

Again me and my questions:

- Can I spray brake disc cleaner without taking the brake components apart? I know I can remove everything, clean each piece and lubricate the moving parts, but I am not feeling confident enough to play around the brakes. I know it is easy, but I am scared. I don't want to pay $ 180 either....so my solution is, while changing the tires, soak the brake system while it is still over the disk with a brake cleaner.

- Can I lubricate the two rods (the ones that moves when the brake is applied) inside the rubber sleeves? My plan is to move the rubber with my fingers carefully and apply high temperature brake disc grease. Again without removing the brake components. I know that thick grease wont penetrate to the inside, but it will help the rod move more freely right?

[ImStricken06]

I think when Philipa leaves the forum he takes his pictures with him!

Again me and my questions:

- Can I spray brake disc cleaner without taking the brake components apart? I know I can remove everything, clean each piece and lubricate the moving parts, but I am not feeling confident enough to play around the brakes. I know it is easy, but I am scared. I don't want to pay $ 180 either....so my solution is, while changing the tires, soak the brake system while it is still over the disk with a brake cleaner.

- Can I lubricate the two rods (the ones that moves when the brake is applied) inside the rubber sleeves? My plan is to move the rubber with my fingers carefully and apply high temperature brake disc grease. Again without removing the brake components. I know that thick grease wont penetrate to the inside, but it will help the rod move more freely right?

you can spray the brake cleaner spray, but it it wont get in where it really matters. and to make matters worse you will add dirty film to the rotor. if you want to do something positive without removing any of the brake components - get compressed air and spray air on the brake caliper - BUT WATCH OUT! BRAKE DUST IS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS TO BREATH IN! you will see tons of dust blown out. (i do this once every couple weeks when i check my tire pressure - with the free air hose at the gas station ) just stick the air hose all around the caliper and blow the free air into any crack and crevasse you can find on the caliper

and regarding lubing the pins - you wont get deep enough unless you actually unscrew the screws(pins) that are covered by the rubber boot

[Qashqai]

Imstricken, I need help!

While changing the winter tires, I saw the miserable condition of the brake pads. The grove was all clogged and it needs cleaning. I followed Philipa's and your posts, did everything you showed. Remove the calipers and pads, clean them put them back together....

However, during my test drive, when I come to a complete stop and remove my foot from the brake pedal I am hearing a LOUD groaning noise for a second.

I return back to Philipa's post and realize that he said "put a very few grease to the slider pins" (you didn't mention greasing the pins). I did use high temperature brake disc grease to lubricate the pins and it wasn't very few. I greased them. Is it the problem?

Is it safe to drive like this? Will the brake pads still in a type of "break-in" period and will they get used to new cleaned lubricated components. Please help me! Please!!

[ImStricken06]

Imstricken, I need help!

While changing the winter tires, I saw the miserable condition of the brake pads. The grove was all clogged and it needs cleaning. I followed Philipa's and your posts, did everything you showed. Remove the calipers and pads, clean them put them back together....

However, during my test drive, when I come to a complete stop and remove my foot from the brake pedal I am hearing a LOUD groaning noise for a second.

I return back to Philipa's post and realize that he said "put a very few grease to the slider pins" (you didn't mention greasing the pins). I did use high temperature brake disc grease to lubricate the pins and it wasn't very few. I greased them. Is it the problem?

Is it safe to drive like this? Will the brake pads still in a type of "break-in" period and will they get used to new cleaned lubricated components. Please help me! Please!!

what your hearing, is either 1 of 2 things:
a clean pad against the rotor creating a new bond
a dirty pad against a dirty rotor creating a new bond - until the dirty, oily, residue is worn away.

regardless if you stopped - you did just fine!
what i would try is a couple higher speed stops in a safe highway (just in case) let the clean or dirty brake pad wear away the tiny layer after a few stops and the sound should go away as well. OR DRIVE DOWN YOUR STREET AND GIVE IT GAS & GENTLY APPLY THE BRAKE WHILE STILL GIVING IT GAS TO SPEED-UP THE BEDDING IN. DO THIS FOR ONLY 10SECONDS AT 35MPH, and gently come to a 5mph crawl and then keep going without the brakes.

you made sure to put the two bolts back tightly right!? a nice hand-tight with a ratchet is just fine.

[Qashqai]

The noise is completely gone. thank you imStricken. I saved $ 180!

[ImStricken06]

The noise is completely gone. thank you imStricken. I saved $ 180!

my pleasure! next time i visit Canada and im in your area, you owe me a beer. lol

[Qashqai]

Anytime ImStricken!!

Here are my new questions:

1. I used high temperature brake disc bearing grease to lube the slider pins.

http://www.amazon.com/Lumax-LX-1914-Tem ... B0059HK36A

It didn't say on the package but when I read the product details on the Amazon, I learned that it is lithium based!

did I F#@$ed up the rubber boots that protect the slider pins? I am sure right now the inside of those rubber pieces are all covered with lithium...

On the other hand, I didn't see a silicone based product that has high temperature rating.

2. I used the same grease on the back surface of the disc pads (not the surface where it touches the disc). Today I read somewhere that I shouldn't put grease at the back of the brake pad.

Is it true?

[ImStricken06]

Anytime ImStricken!!

Here are my new questions:

1. I used high temperature brake disc bearing grease to lube the slider pins.

http://www.amazon.com/Lumax-LX-1914-Tem ... B0059HK36A

It didn't say on the package but when I read the product details on the Amazon, I learned that it is lithium based!

did I F#@$ed up the rubber boots that protect the slider pins? I am sure right now the inside of those rubber pieces are all covered with lithium...

On the other hand, I didn't see a silicone based product that has high temperature rating.

2. I used the same grease on the back surface of the disc pads (not the surface where it touches the disc). Today I read somewhere that I shouldn't put grease at the back of the brake pad.

Is it true?

dont worry about those boots on the calipers. they are not under a lot of high stress so they wont break down.
and some people do put grease on the backs of the pads, and some put DISK BRAKE QUIET goop on it. its all up to you- not a big deal as long as you didnt glob a ton of it so it doesnt run when hot. (just a thin layer is fine)

[mstrmstr]

I'm now preplanning a complete brake job..
Need the photos back, please..

Just heard as word of mouth that the parking brake falls apart when taking rear roors off???

[ImStricken06]

I'm now preplanning a complete brake job..
Need the photos back, please..

Just heard as word of mouth that the parking brake falls apart when taking rear roors off???

here i just did a quick write up for you since the pictures are gone form this old thread
diy-brake-pads-rotors-t558899.html

[Nissan92]

Long time reader...first time poster here. I currently have a 2009 Nissan Rogue AWD. I've (like most) had issues with the rotors becoming warped. About 6 months ago, I had them turned for $60 at local shop. Waste of money. Rogue was shaking like crazy months later. After reading on here and getting a little courage, I decided to tackle the brake/rotor job myself. Here are my questions:

1) When I pushed in the piston to put back on caliper, I had to push it in quite a bit to fit the larger pads. Doing this caused the rubber around the piston to push out in a non-uniform way as if it had a "bubble" of fluid in it. I even had the brake fluid lid off under the hood. I am afraid that, when I put it back on, this rubber will get pinched. I put very little brake lube/anti-seize on the rubber where it pushed out and carefully slid it behind the new the pad. Is this normal? Should I be concerned that it will be damaged? Note: Brake bedding did not show any fluid leak yet but not sure if it would.

2) How often should I be taking the new ceramic pads/new rotors off and cleaning? Wife is outside sales and drives about 4,000 miles a month.

3) What all should I be applying anti-seize to? Wondering also if I should be putting something on the rubber surrounding piston and rubber surrouding bolts holder caliper on? Metals pieces (shims?) holding pads?

Thank you for any help and sorry for the long post. Not to mention waking a sleeping forum conversation.

Going Rogue,
Nissan92

[ImStricken06]

1) When I pushed in the piston to put back on caliper, I had to push it in quite a bit to fit the larger pads. Doing this caused the rubber around the piston to push out in a non-uniform way as if it had a "bubble" of fluid in it. I even had the brake fluid lid off under the hood. I am afraid that, when I put it back on, this rubber will get pinched. I put very little brake lube/anti-seize on the rubber where it pushed out and carefully slid it behind the new the pad. Is this normal? Should I be concerned that it will be damaged? Note: Brake bedding did not show any fluid leak yet but not sure if it would.

what did you push the piston in with? by hand? was it hard? and you can simply use your finger to correct the rubber piston boot. i wouldnt put any lube or anti seize on the rubber- leave it alone. the heat will melt it off or wash it away and that could be on your rotor next. maybe a picture could help me see this bubble. strange.

2) How often should I be taking the new ceramic pads/new rotors off and cleaning? Wife is outside sales and drives about 4,000 miles a month.

as often as you wish. it depends on the amount of dust you see on your rim. some dust more, and some dust less. if they start dusting like crazy, then that air duct in your brake pad surface is clogging more often. id take it apart once of twice a year simple to check how things are going. since your wife drives so much, make that once every season - and you can skip winter.
i did a write up on cleaning the brake pad.
diy-brake-pads-rotors-t558899.html

3) What all should I be applying anti-seize to? Wondering also if I should be putting something on the rubber surrounding piston and rubber surrounding bolts holder caliper on? Metals pieces (shims?) holding pads?

apply the anti seize between the brake pad & shim, and on the shim in the area that it will contact the round piston face. thats all.
you want it to basically be a rubber gasket between the metal parts so vibrations dont turn into loud noise.

Thank you for any help and sorry for the long post. Not to mention waking a sleeping forum conversation.

your very welcome. and dont apologize, thats how new members learn- by people resurrecting old threads. i never understood why people get their panties in a twist, when someone bring up an old thread. car problems come and go. everyone gets them at different stages of the game - so that means having to see the same thread pop up more than once. feel free to ask away. NICO isnt really one of those sites that promotes a 'bashing' behavior in the car threads. bashing behavior is reserved in the politics section only lolololol

[Nissan92]

what did you push the piston in with? by hand? was it hard? and you can simply use your finger to correct the rubber piston boot. i wouldnt put any lube or anti seize on the rubber- leave it alone. the heat will melt it off or wash it away and that could be on your rotor next. maybe a picture could help me see this bubble. strange.

I could not push the piston in with my thumbs so I used the old pads (flat surface) with a C-clamp to push it back in. It was hard, yes with hands, little effort with clamp pushing it back in. It was not a "bubble" per se but you would push one side of the rubber down, where it was pushing out, and the other side would pop out??? New here and not sure how to do imagine yet, learning......

apply the anti seize between the brake pad & shim, and on the shim in the area that it will contact the round piston face. thats all.
you want it to basically be a rubber gasket between the metal parts so vibrations dont turn into loud noise.

Ok..... This response scares me. The pads did not come with any instructions. It did come with small thing of silver brake lube. I put this on the back of the brake pads but on top of the metal shims....not between shims and pads. Basically the lube is between metal shim and caliper on both inner and outer. I did this to both the front inner and outer pads on both driver's and passenger front brakes. I did not put anything in between shim and back of brake pad. I hope I did not just make a bad mistake????? Please reply soon. My wife goes to work in morning and I do not want something to happen!!!

[Nissan92]

Ok....I've read a little more now about the small packet of "goop" that comes with it. I will not put as much of it on the back of the shims (side touching caliper) as I did. I guess I will just put it exactly where the piston hits the inner shim, where the prongs on the outer pad contacts the shim, and the top&bottom of the pad where it meets the metal clips. This is what people are writting...still learning. Correct me if I'm wrong? I almost freaked out again because I read that my Akebono Pro-Act pads had a protective film that had to be removed before installation. I then read on and noticed that mine (which came with the shims already attached) do not have the plastic protective film on the shims. It is only put on the ones that ship unattached to the back of the pad. I'm pretty sure that is correct.

I am still debating on getting back in there and lubricating/delubricating the correct things when she gets home from work? I also see a lot of people saying that they "lubricate" the pins which I did NOT do. I am guessing that these are the bolts covered by the rubber boots?

ImStricken.....thank you for answering and continuing to answer my questions. I will check for leaks (rubber boot getting pinched around piston) before she leaves in the morning. Finally going to bed and will check for responses in the AM.

Going Rogue,
Nissan92

[ImStricken06]

Ok....I've read a little more now about the small packet of "goop" that comes with it. I will not put as much of it on the back of the shims (side touching caliper) as I did. I guess I will just put it exactly where the piston hits the inner shim, where the prongs on the outer pad contacts the shim, and the top&bottom of the pad where it meets the metal clips. This is what people are writting...still learning.

correct. you dont want more than you really need, as it can and will wash off and fling off and hit your rotor = reducing your braking ability until it burns off(which could be another good off-ramp or two).

I almost freaked out again because I read that my Akebono Pro-Act pads had a protective film that had to be removed before installation.

you would have seen it. it would have writing all over it "REMOVE BEFORE INSTALL"
EXAMPLE:

I am still debating on getting back in there and lubricating/delubricating the correct things when she gets home from work?

if you want to go in and lube, go for it. to remove the lube, is silly. just let it be and it will take its course. i always like to go back and re-check things when i do any job- but thats just me. regarding, not lubing - put it like this: nothing aside from noise will result. you wont loose braking ability. thats all the goop is for making sure things dont vibrate and create that brake noise we all know and hear.
PERSONALLY: i use high temp wheel bearing grease on all metal to metal contact spots. i use a very-very thin application(so nothing goop's & melts and flings) and call it a day. i keep that crap off the rubber portions as grease eats rubber. if you wanted to go in and re-clean everything and apply a very thin amount on all metal to metal contact points, this will help keep noise down in the future. not a bad idea, but i wouldnt stress to much.

I also see a lot of people saying that they "lubricate" the pins which I did NOT do. I am guessing that these are the bolts covered by the rubber boots?

never done it, as all of my pins always had enough lube to last a life time. i wouldnt worry about it unless yours came out dry as a bucket of sand. with our age car = i wouldnt worry about it.

ImStricken.....thank you for answering and continuing to answer my questions. I will check for leaks (rubber boot getting pinched around piston) before she leaves in the morning. Finally going to bed and will check for responses in the AM.

your very welcome
im not sure what you mean "pinched around the piston". its supposed to encompass the piston to prevent fluid from escaping, and from dirt getting in. when you push it back in its gonna create a ring or two around the piston as the boot compresses around itself.
i wouldn't be too worried about checking it in the AM. if there is something wrong with it, its gonna go back to being wrong no matter how much you fix it. after-all, it became that way, before you got in there in the first place. id check it when she gets back from work if there is still day light.

this is what it should look like: (the rubber boot)






let me know if yours look different and exactly how.

[Nissan92]

The only difference I saw with my rubber boot was that a small area (maybe less than 25%) was pushing out with fluid in it. I would try and flatten it out around the entire rubber piece with my finger (pushing it back in). When I did push down the 25% pushing out, the fluid would just move and push out another area. I did not take a photo of it when it happened or I would show you.

[ImStricken06]

The only difference I saw with my rubber boot was that a small area (maybe less than 25%) was pushing out with fluid in it. I would try and flatten it out around the entire rubber piece with my finger (pushing it back in). When I did push down the 25% pushing out, the fluid would just move and push out another area. I did not take a photo of it when it happened or I would show you.

ok if you have fluid that leaked into the boot, you need a new caliper.... let me explain.

the piston sits inside a cylinder honed into the caliper. between the cylinder and piston there are rubber seals. those rubber seals are there to prevent brake fluid from escaping into the boot, and eventually out of the boot- thus allowing fluid to escape & contaminants such as water & air to enter the brake system. this is a common issue on brake calipers. eventually what you will have have is air & water entering the system causing the brake fluid to have air bubbles created by the hot fluid turning the water & contaminants into steam. steam will create a loss of brake power and feeling. eventually it will travel through the system and cause a complete loss of brake pressure. furthermore, the piston will seize into the caliper from rust and be rendered stuck/seized/dead. i had that happen to both rear calipers in my 2002 maxima. i was unaware of the situation and at roughly 80mph on a fast paced highway- i went to press the brake pedal and i got nothing. pedal went completely to the floor. i was forced to pump the brakes/downshift hard/and use the e-brake to slow down to a coast and off into the emergency shoulder.

let me ask you this: is your car still covered under warranty? if not- this is not a serious expensive fix. your local auto parts stores sell rebuilt calipers. (they will even be stamped with nissan logo's). that was what i did. replace a caliper is rather simple. its exactly what you already did just with an added new step of bleeding your brake system(bleeding brakes is very simple)

[Nissan92]

ok if you have fluid that leaked into the boot, you need a new caliper.... let me explain.

Well.....I think it is fluid. It acts like fluid or air is pushing the 25% of it out. Hard to explain and wish I would have taken picture. So much for the $400 Iphone that was sitting next to me when I was doing it.

this is a common issue on brake calipers.

My 2009 Rogue has a little over 68,000 miles on it. Is it common for this to happen now?

eventually it will travel through the system and cause a complete loss of brake pressure. furthermore, the piston will seize into the caliper from rust and be rendered stuck/seized/dead.

Would this be the reason that I could not push the piston back in with my thumbs? Pushing it in with C-clamp was very easy. I am also worried that this will happen to my wife while driving. Is this something I need to do immediately? Since I am not exactly sure what is causing the boot to push out a little, is there another way to know if the seals are leaking fluid/air into the caliper?

is your car still covered under warranty?

I do not think so (68,000 miles) unless you think other wise. I think I only have the CVT warranty left on it.

this is not a serious expensive fix. your local auto parts stores sell rebuilt calipers. (they will even be stamped with nissan logo's). that was what i did. replace a caliper is rather simple. its exactly what you already did just with an added new step of bleeding your brake system(bleeding brakes is very simple)

Auto parts store? Like Autozone, Napa, etc or something more specific? Also....Do you know of any DIYs for changing a caliper and bleeding the brakes? I have never done either.

THANK YOU AGAIN ImStricken......

[ImStricken06]

Well.....I think it is fluid. It acts like fluid or air is pushing the 25% of it out. Hard to explain and wish I would have taken picture. So much for the $400 Iphone that was sitting next to me when I was doing it.

now that i think about, it could somehow simply be air. but - that still means things are getting passed the seals on the caliper piston. would i gamble this with my wife? no way. i could never sleep at night knowing i am being cheap, when it comes to the safety of my wife.
i can see that you feel the same way i do, as you have mentioned numerous times already that your concern for your wife's safety is your top priority.
PS: (your wife is a lucky woman to have someone like you in her life, watching out for her. i commend you on this. you have no idea how many people i come across those that simply discount issues and say "ehh we'll cross that bridge when we get there".)

My 2009 Rogue has a little over 68,000 miles on it. Is it common for this to happen now?

unfortunatly, it is at that mileage. and its not only mileage, its age contributing to the factor as well. and another thing that contributes to rubber items (boots/seals/lines/) failing within the brake system is the failure to bleed brakes at least once a year or every 30,000 miles at most. After only a year of service, DOT 3 fluid may contain as much as 2% water. After 18 months, the level of contamination can be as high as 3%. And after several years of service, it's not unusual to find brake fluid that has soaked up as much as 7 to 8% water. that will cause the piston to rust up, and the fluid to contaminate enough to cause brake lines to become softer. so to save yourself the hassle, its best to bleed brakes once a year with fresh fluid. (also, if the piston rusts up = it will be very very hard, to almost impossible to put it back in - even with a tool)

Would this be the reason that I could not push the piston back in with my thumbs? Pushing it in with C-clamp was very easy.

a c-clamp can exert a lot of force, so your caliper isnt that rust yet, but it will be. my two rear ones on my maxima would not go in, no matter what tool i used. they were officially seized in the locked position, then over-heated until the pads worse out enough to not over-heat the whole system.

I am also worried that this will happen to my wife while driving. Is this something I need to do immediately? Since I am not exactly sure what is causing the boot to push out a little, is there another way to know if the seals are leaking fluid/air into the caliper

yes your brakes will fail one day if your calipers are not in working order. it happened to me and im a HUGE weekend grease monkey. its something that is inevitable. fluid escaping from the system is going to reduce the working pressures, thus not squeezing the pads against the rotor hard enough to stop the car. plus it will introduce moisture into the system rendering the system useless. THANKFULLY the e-brake system works independently on a cable, so incase your brakes do fail - you can still slow down without having to worry about the fluid or calipers that failed.

I do not think so (68,000 miles) unless you think other wise. I think I only have the CVT warranty left on it.

again, not a big deal as this isnt an expensive job at all.

Auto parts store? Like Autozone, Napa, etc or something more specific? Also....Do you know of any DIYs for changing a caliper and bleeding the brakes? I have never done either.

yep, thise types of stores will do. call around and ask for a your make/model/year's front caliper prices. they are all rebuilt and will do. it will come with new bolts, washers and banjo bolt(the bolt that the lines attaches too the caliper with.)

WHILE INSTALLING THE NEW CALIPER: ask a friend to very gently push the brake pedal, (install the tube onto the bleeder screw - read about it below) while you open the bleeder screw just to get some fluid into the new caliper. once you see fluid exiting the new caliper's bleeder screw - close it, and tell them to stop pushing the pedal. and finish the install, and leave it alone for now.

bleeding the brakes is a simple process, it just requires a helper. (let me see if i can find you a video that explains it detailed enough, and without missing steps - yet quickly.)


go to any auto parts store and pick this little kit up: brake bleed kit (you only really need the tubes from it) - everything else sucks and is worthless.



there a specific order to do this.
1. right(passenger side) rear caliper
(then)
2. left(driver side) rear caliper
(then)
3. front right(passenger side) caliper
(then)
4. finally, the front left brake caliper(driver side)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[OPEN THE BRAKE RESERVOIR]

1. find the bleeder screw. will look like this:

http://www.classicmotoring.net.au/cmos/ ... 3h2428.jpg

------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. buy 15ounce or so poland spring bottle of water maybe even buy two. drink the water from them. and screw the cap back on. take a knife, and cut an X through the cap. insert a screw driver through the X to make sure the hose from the above brake bleed kit slips through the X, and isnt pinched. now insert one of the clear hose from the brake bleed kit that i show above. thats your high capacity official IMSTRICKEN BRAKE BLEED BOTTLE lol (works like a charm to prevent spills, and hold enough fluid from a car.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------


3. with the right rear tire off, install the tube from the brake bleeder bottle you made onto the bleeder screw. get a friend to sit in the car, and pump the brake pedal till its rock hard (about 5-10 pumps) AND HOLD THE PEDAL DOWN TOWARDS THE FLOOR AND PUSH. TELL THEM TO HOLD IT DOWN! while they are holding the pedal down, your going to open/loose the bleeder screw (for no more than 2 seconds) and watch the fluid exit into the tube. (your friend will feel the pedal falling to the flood, thats fine) lock the screw closed. ask them to pump the pedal again and hold it. while they are holding it, your going to once again loosen the bleeder bolt open, and let the fluid exit. give it no more than 2 seconds because you dont want your assistants foot to fall to the floor. you will see a honey colored almost syrup brown fluid exiting via the imstricken brake bleeding tube kit you made.

4. go check your reservoir. make sure to NEVER allow it to go empty. gauge to see how many times you can do the above mentioned before the reservoir is near only 25% full. add fresh new fluid. go back and repeat the new process UNTIL YOU SEE FRESH CLEAR IN YOUR IMSTRICKEN BRAKE BLEEDER TUBE once you see the fresh new fluid exiting via the imstricken brake bleeder tube, that caliper is done. move onto the left/rear caliper and do the same. then onto the front/right caliper and do the same, and then onto the left/front wheel.

I CANT STRESS IT ENOUGH TO NOT ALLOW THAT RESERVOIR TO GO EMPTY. IF IT INHALES AIR - YOUR IN TROUBLE.

THANK YOU AGAIN ImStricken......

my pleasure any questions ask now, before you get down and dirty - because i wont be there lol

(its gonna look like this)


your going to see bubbles in the line, and it might even sputter into your clear hose. thats good- get those air bubbles and contaminants out.


video: its the best i could find for you
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPwM2vn3bT0[/youtube]

[Nissan92]

Wow.....I can't thank you enough. I would have never imagined I could do this stuff myself. I have owned the vehicle for almost two years now and have never bled the brake lines. I doubt the owner before me did it either. Once I get the Rogue done, I'll be doing my 2000 Olds which hasn't had it done since 2005 and before that if ever.

I have been spending more time in my garage than in my house since becoming a member of this site. Loving every minute of it. And as stated above, YES my wife's safety is #1. Thanks for the help and passing your knowledge on.

[ImStricken06]

Wow.....I can't thank you enough. I would have never imagined I could do this stuff myself. I have owned the vehicle for almost two years now and have never bled the brake lines. I doubt the owner before me did it either. Once I get the Rogue done, I'll be doing my 2000 Olds which hasn't had it done since 2005 and before that if ever.

I have been spending more time in my garage than in my house since becoming a member of this site. Loving every minute of it. And as stated above, YES my wife's safety is #1. Thanks for the help and passing your knowledge on.

my absolute pleasure

i love this line in your post: "I have been spending more time in my garage than in my house since becoming a member of this site. Loving every minute of it."
welcome to my world:
2010 Infiniti G37s 6mt (my girls)
2008 Nissan Rogue (mine)
2007 Suzuki gsxr600 racebike (mine)
2006 Yamaha R6 street bike (my girls)
plus: 2 cycle snow blower, 4cycle lawn mower, 2 cycle generator, 2 cycle weedwacker. LOL
plus: 4x7 open trailer

i have enough engines & crap to maintain, to live in the garage! and i too, love every minute of it

[vidin]

Wow.....I can't thank you enough. I would have never imagined I could do this stuff myself. I have owned the vehicle for almost two years now and have never bled the brake lines. I doubt the owner before me did it either. Once I get the Rogue done, I'll be doing my 2000 Olds which hasn't had it done since 2005 and before that if ever.

I have been spending more time in my garage than in my house since becoming a member of this site. Loving every minute of it. And as stated above, YES my wife's safety is #1. Thanks for the help and passing your knowledge on.

my absolute pleasure

i love this line in your post: "I have been spending more time in my garage than in my house since becoming a member of this site. Loving every minute of it."
welcome to my world:
2010 Infiniti G37s 6mt (my girls)
2008 Nissan Rogue (mine)
2007 Suzuki gsxr600 racebike (mine)
2006 Yamaha R6 street bike (my girls)
plus: 2 cycle snow blower, 4cycle lawn mower, 2 cycle generator, 2 cycle weedwacker. LOL
plus: 4x7 open trailer

i have enough engines & crap to maintain, to live in the garage! and i too, love every minute of it

indeed,and planning meal around your project is even better..today i ate a whole meal while the wheels were off and i was gravity bleeding the brakes..next up is the diff fluids.do u guys spray crc brake quiet behind the pad instead of grease?i just use grease on the sliders and metal clips

[ImStricken06]

bump

[ImStricken06]

threads merged.

[Qashqai]

Guys,

I measure the humidity in the brake fluid today. It shows 2% (I am using a reliable tester, with a brand name, Made in Germany, etc.)



I know this fluid is hygroscopic and every 3 years I need to flush...and my car is now 3 years and 3 months old...should I start worrying?

My plan was to use the fluid until my meter shows <3%...or in wors case, when I replace the brake pads, I was going to flush the whole system..


By the way, here is why I have to completely wash the car at least every 2 weeks during winter:



I am taking my car to the closest touch-less car was centre, which blasts CLEAN (not recycled) water to the car (especially underneath).