Tools needed to change brake pads and brake shoes

[Rtraveler]

My car 2012 Sentra SR has 52k miles. I need to change the front brake shoes and rear brake pads. Should I change the rotor and drum as well?
I also wanted to know what tools I will need to make the job easier?

[centralcoaster33]

So, the FSM has all the torque specs and such. You can download that here:
http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/nissan ... nuals.html
You might not have a torque wrench, but you can look at the torque numbers and adjust how much 'arm strength' you put into your bolts.
There's a lot of videos for the brake jobs and I've found two that seem decent for your task. I'd watch these and maybe a couple of others first, to get a grip on the task at hand.
Front brakes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWBitFHC12A
Rear brakes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYBH_-BWjHM

Tools are listed in the link for the front brake job. Tools are similar for the rear, but you'll want pliers for the springs and won't need a clamp for the caliper piston.

Cleaning the parts and lubricating them at pivot points in the rear or sliding points in the front should help keep them quiet. I mean metal on metal get's lubricated, like where the front pads slide back and forth inside their shim, not anywhere on your pad material or rotor or drum.

Replacing the rotors and drums is recommended with your higher mileage. Do it now instead of having to go back again later. It will extend the life of your brake job.

Front = Disc brakes (pads and rotors)
Rear = Drum brakes (drum and shoe)
Or
Rear = Disc brakes with drum ebrake (rotor w/ drum hub as one, pads and shoes)

I do not know which you have. There are different videos for those as well. Here's one like that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhlEOT9MqF8

Brakes was one of my first DIY projects. I did it without instruction book or video and without special tools. More like household kitchen drawer tools. I'm sure you can do it to. An idea... do the front ones first. Drive it a while. Bed those brakes (read about bedding brakes). Then, when you're sure that all is working properly, do the rear ones. Why? If you screw up, at least you'll have half of your brakes working. If you do all four and screw up, what's to stop your car? It's a real confidence booster when you do it all yourself and it works.

Ooh, one more thing. Get a price quote from a mechanic for replacing all four of your brakes. Subtract your parts cost and see how much you saved by doing it yourself. You'll be happy!

[Rtraveler]

Thank you. I have front brake pads and rear brake shoes.

[centralcoaster33]

Great! Are you going to tackle the job this weekend? Did you review those video links I posted? They have the tool list in the description section of the video. What did you decide to do about your rotors and drums? When I posted this, I forgot to mention it would be useful to have a friend help with bleeding the calipers once the brakes are in stalled.

[benissimo]

Spend a few extra bucks on a hardware kit for your drums! Super cheap. No reason not to do it while youre there.

Also- the drums can be a PITA to get off. If you have some bolts lying around, life will be easier. There is a hole on the flat side of the drum. You can drive a bolt through it and the tighter you get it, it acts like a puller.

Only other advice, take a picture before you take all your hardware off. Dummyproof that way