How to Replace Front Brakes 2003-08 GMC Savana
Created on: 2013-09-27
Check out this video to learn how you can replace the worn or squeaky front brakes on your 03-08 GMC Savana.
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step 1 :Removing the Wheel
- Loosen the lug nut covers with a 22mm socket
- Pry off the center cap with a flat blade screwdriver
- Loosen the lug nuts with the vehicle on the ground
- Raise the vehicle with a floor jack
- Secure the vehicle on jack stands
- Remove the lug nuts
- Pull off the wheel
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step 2 :Removing the Brake Pads
- Remove the 18mm bolts from the brake caliper
- Pry the brake pads into the caliper with a flat blade screwdriver to push in the pistons
- Pull the caliper aside
- Pry the brake pads off with a flat blade screwdriver
- Remove the brake pad slides
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step 3 :Removing the Brake Rotor
- Spray the 21mm bolts with penetrating oil if rusted
- Remove the 21mm bolts from the brake caliper bracket
- Pull off the brake caliper bracket
- Pull the rotor off
- If the rotor will not come off, thread the lug nuts and strike the hub area of the rotor with the ball end of a ball peen hammer
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step 4 :Preparing the New Brake Pads and Rotors
- Clean the rotor with brake parts cleaner
- Clean the brake pad slides with a wire brush
- Apply grease to the caliper slides
- Apply grease to the brake pad tabs
- Clip the brake pad slides to the caliper bracket
- Put an old pad in the caliper
- Use a large C-clamp and the old pad to push the pistons back
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step 5 :Installing the New Brake Rotor
- Slide the rotor on
- Thread on one lug nut to hold the rotor in place
- Put the bracket back into place
- Start the bolts by hand
- Tighten the bolts to 100 foot-pounds of torque
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step 6 :Installing the New Brake Pads
- Install the new brake pads into the bracket
- Put the caliper on
- Thread the bolts by hand
- Tighten the bolts to 100 foot-pounds
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step 7 :Reattaching the Wheel
- Slide the wheel into place
- Start the lug nuts by hand
- Tighten the lug nuts preliminarily
- Lower the vehicle to the ground
- Tighten the lug nuts to 100 foot-pounds in a crossing or star pattern
- Reattach the center cap
- Tighten the lug nut covers with a 22mm socket
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step 8 :Testing the Brakes
- Pump your brakes repeatedly until they feel firm
- Test your brakes at 5 miles per hour and then 10 miles per hour
- Road test the vehicle
Tools needed
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A Piece of Pipe (for leverage)
Large C-Clamp
Torque Wrench
Hammer
Rust Penetrant
Jack Stands
18mm Socket
3/8 Inch Breaker Bar
21mm Socket
Flat Blade Screwdriver
White Grease
Ratchet
Floor Jack
22mm Socket
Brought to you by 1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet.
Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks.
In this video, we're going to show you how to replace the front brakes on this 2005 GMC Savana 2500. It's a similar process on the Chevy Express. The items you'll need for this is a new break set from 1A Auto, 18mm, 21mm, 22mm socket and ratchet, a breaker bar and a piece of pipe for leverage, a flat blade screwdriver, penetrating oil, a hammer, large C-clamp, white grease, torque wrench, and jack and jack stands.
Start off by removing the wheel cover or whatever wheel trim you might have. This one has a chrome one. Pull that off, and then just use your socket and pull or loosen the lug nut covers. Pull the center cap off. If you don't have the benefit of air tools, you want to loosen the lug nuts with the vehicle on the ground, then jack up and secure the vehicle. Then remove the lug nuts, wheel, and tire.
Turn the wheel so that you can get to the brake. On the back of the caliper, there's two 18mm bolts. You just want to remove these. It can be a little difficult, so it helps to use a piece of pipe for extra leverage. We're just going to fast forward as he removes this.
The next step, you want to use a flat blade screwdriver to just pry the brake pads away from the caliper, and it will allow you to pry off that caliper. Just keep using the flat blade screwdriver, top and the bottom, you could see he's just going back and forth until, eventually, it will come off. You just want to set that aside.
Now, using the flat blade screwdriver, you just want to pry out your brake pads. Now on some vehicles, it's going to be more difficult than on others. It depends on the condition of the brakes. In this case, it takes just a little effort, and if you have to, you can use a hammer just be careful not to damage or bend anything. We're just going to fast-forward a little bit as he removes those brake pad slides.
There are two 21mm bolts back here that hold on this caliper bracket. Ours are a little rusted, so we spray them with some penetrating oil first, just to loosen them up and let that sit for a second. Then, using a breaker bar, and, actually, a piece of pipe for extra leverage, we just remove those bolts, and we're just fast-forwarding here as he does that. When you remove those bolts, the caliper bracket will come right off.
Now, you just want to take a hammer and hammer the back of that rotor. Just keep turning it and hammering the back of it, and it's going to come off. With the old rotor; the new rotor. New pads; same size. With this caliper guide, you can replace these boots . If they're torn, you pull them out and you push them in. The most important thing about the brakes here, what we found was the pedal was soft, it didn't feel like they should, and you'll notice that when these were sliding or weren't sliding and getting stuck on this corroded brake slide hardware, you know it's the new parts, allow the pad to slide just it should when they're new.
Now we're just cleaning up the new rotor real quick. What you want to do is you want to take some white grease and just put it on the clips of these new brake pads. Then, using a flat blade screwdriver, just scrape some of the corrosion on that caliper bracket. This will just help those slides to clip back on. Now, what you want to do is just clip those slides on, and as Don was saying: "They make a difference." New ones are definitely worth it and 1A Auto does sell these. This just clips right into place. We'll just push them down.
Now, what you want to do is just reset the pistons in this caliper. What you want to do is take one of your brake pads. If you're changing them, you want to use one of the old ones, and you want to lay it across these two pistons. Then, using a large C-clamp, as you tighten the clamp, that paddle push those pistons back in and reset them, as you can see here. Now they're reset.
Now we're just going to put on our brand new rotor, and once you get it into place, you just want to put one of those lug nuts on, and it will just hold it into place. We put the rest of the brakes together. Now you can put your caliper bracket back on, and, to place those bolts, you want to just do them first by hand. Then, once you get them lined up and both them in place, you can use a socket and ratchet to tighten them the rest of the way. Now you want to just torque those bolts to 100 foot-pounds.
Now you can put your brake pads back in. Now, for these caliper pens, what you want to do is you want to clean them off a little bit, and then put some white grease on them, this will help them so that they slide easier.
What you want to do, pull down your caliper and just fit it into place. Now you can see up here, you want that little gasket there to go in and you can slide your bolts back in. We'll fast-forward here as he tightens those up with a socket and ratchet. Torque these bolts to 100 foot-pounds. We're just going to fast-forward here as you remove that nut, put the wheel into place, and you just want to replace all those nuts and tighten them in a crossing pattern.
Again, if you don't have air tools, you just want to lower the vehicle and tighten those the rest of the way on the ground. Then you want to torque those lug nuts to 100 foot-pounds. Before actually driving the vehicle, you want to pump the brake until they're firm, and then you want to do a test, stopping from 5 mph then 10 mph.
We hope this video helps you out. Brought to you by www.1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet. Please feel free to call us toll-free, 888-844-3393. We're the company that's here for you on the Internet and in person.
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