How to replace the rear brake calipers 2013 – 2018 Nissan Altima

To replace the rear brake calipers on your Altima this tutorial was tailor-made for you. You will be asked to open the hood, remove the brake pads, bleed the brake fluid system as well as carry out a few other steps. You can accomplish this tutorial of 19 chapters in 80 minutes. Bring your hydraulic jack and your flat head screwdriver and let’s get started!

Duration

80 minutes

Number of steps

Difficulty out of 5

Average savings

$170

Parts You Will Need

Tools You Will Need

Step-by-Step Installation

Chapter 1:

Open the hood

Step 1/1

Turn off your vehicle’s ignition, set the parking brake, pull the hood release handle and open the hood.

Chapter 2:

Open the brake fluid reservoir

Step 1/1

Open the brake fluid reservoir.

Chapter 3:

Lift the vehicle

Step 1/3

Loosen the wheel lug nuts on the rear wheels.

Chapter 3:

Step 2/3

Lift the rear of your vehicle.

Chapter 3:

Step 3/3

Place the vehicle on the jack stands.

Chapter 4:

Take off the wheels

Step 1/2

In order to change the rear brake calipers on your vehicle, you will need to take off the wheels to have full access.

Chapter 4:

Step 2/2

Don’t forget to put the wheels under the vehicle!

Chapter 5:

Release the parking brake

Step 1/1

It is now necessary to release the parking brake in order to clear the grip of the drum brake shoes on the disc.

Chapter 6:

Retract the piston

Step 1/3

Insert a flathead screwdriver to the outer extremity of the oblong hole located on the front of the brake caliper.

Chapter 6:

Step 2/3

Lift it off using the screwdriver as a lever by pulling it towards you.This will cause the piston to retract slightly, so that the caliper can be removed more easily for the next steps.

Chapter 6:

Step 3/3

Sometimes this is not enough to remove the disc. You will have to remove the shutter cover located on the disc with flathead screwdriver. You can now reach the adjustment mechanism of the brake shoes, and retract the brake shoes until the disc is free.

Chapter 7:

Loosen the slide pins

Step 1/1

With a ratchet and a 14mm socket, unscrew the slide pins.

Chapter 8:

Remove the caliper

Step 1/1

You can now remove the caliper and set it down so as not to pull on the rear brake hose.

Chapter 9:

Remove the brake pads

Step 1/1

Remove the brake pads.

Chapter 10:

Remove the brake caliper mount

Step 1/2

Using a 19mm wrench, unscrew the two holding bolts on the caliper mount.Depending on the state of the bolts on the caliper mount, it may be necessary to use a hammer to loosen them.

Chapter 10:

Step 2/2

Remove the caliper mount.

Chapter 11:

Tips

Step 1/1

At this point, you can also replace the parking brake shoes and the discs if you decide to change them as we have done in the video.

Chapter 12:

Put the brake caliper mount back on

Step 1/6

You can order the rear brake caliper used in the video on Carparts.com via the link in the description.

Chapter 12:

Step 2/6

Get the new assembly and unscrew the slide pins.

Chapter 12:

Step 3/6

You can now remove the caliper.

Chapter 12:

Step 4/6

Take the new caliper mount.

Chapter 12:

Step 5/6

Reassemble the caliper mount by screwing first by hand, then with a 19mm wrench to lock them in place.

Chapter 12:

Step 6/6

Finish tightening using a torque wrench.

Chapter 13:

Tips before installing the new caliper

Step 1/14

Place a container to collect the fluid under the caliper, since the brake fluid may leak out.

Chapter 13:

Step 2/14

Using a ratchet and a 11 mm socket, unscrew the banjo screw connecting the hose to the caliper. It can sometimes be hard to unscrew. It’s also recommended to loosen it before removing the caliper.

Chapter 13:

Step 3/14

Finish unscrewing by hand.

Chapter 13:

Step 4/14

Next, separate the brake hose from the caliper.Remove the copper gasket from the banjo screw.

Chapter 13:

Step 5/14

Here’s a tip! You can limit brake fluid leakage during this operation by plugging both sides of the banjo screw with banjo shutter pliers.

Chapter 13:

Step 6/14

If you’re not replacing the hose, clean the hose and caliper with brake cleaner and paper towel.

Chapter 13:

Step 7/14

Don’t forget to clean the nearby parts with brake cleaner to remove all traces of brake fluid.

Chapter 13:

Step 8/14

Grab the caliper. Place it on the rear control arm.

Chapter 13:

Step 9/14

Remove the old copper gasket from the banjo screw.

Chapter 13:

Step 10/14

Get the new copper gaskets.

Chapter 13:

Step 11/14

Put a seal on the banjo screw and install the assembly on the hose.

Chapter 13:

Step 12/14

Then put the second seal on the banjo screw.The hose has a locating piece that holds it in place in the caliper once tightened.

Chapter 13:

Step 13/14

Screw the banjo screw, that connects the brake hose to the caliper, back in.

Chapter 13:

Step 14/14

Using brake cleaner and paper towels, clean the contact surface between the brake caliper and the brake hose.

Chapter 14:

Place the new brake pads

Step 1/2

Grab the new pads, and lightly coat the ends with copper grease to help them slide more easily.

Chapter 14:

Step 2/2

Insert the new pads into the caliper mount by sliding them in.

Chapter 15:

Put the brake caliper back

Step 1/4

Lubricate the slide pins with silicone grease to facilitate sliding. Put the brake caliper back in place and screw in the slide pins, by hand at first.

Chapter 15:

Step 2/4

Screw them in using a socket wrench and a 13mm socket.

Chapter 15:

Step 3/4

Finish tightening using a torque wrench.

Chapter 15:

Step 4/4

Finish tightening the banjo screw with a torque wrench.

Chapter 16:

Bleed the brake fluid system

Step 1/2

When replacing a brake caliper, you need to bleed the brake fluid system to remove air from the system. To do this, we suggest watching our video “How to bleed the brake fluid system Nissan Altima”.