How To Replace Rear Caliper Brackets 2001-08 GMC Sierra 2500 HD
Created on: 2013-07-09
How to remove, replace and install the rear disc brake caliper brackets in your vehicle on Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, model years 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, and 13.
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step 1 :Removing the Wheel
- Loosen the lug nut covers by hand
- 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 Caliper
- Remove the T55 slide 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 Caliper Bracket
- Remove the 18mm bolts from the brake caliper bracket
- Pull off the brake caliper bracket
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step 4 :Installing the New Brake Caliper Bracket
- Put the bracket into place
- Start the 18mm bolts by hand
- Tighten the bolts to between 90 foot-pounds of torque
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step 5 :Installing the Brake Caliper
- Clean the slides with a wire brush
- Apply anti-seize fluid or white grease to the slides
- Coat white grease where the slides will contract
- Install the brake pads into the bracket
- If necessary, re-grease the caliper slide bolt
- Put the caliper on
- Thread bolt by hand
- Tighten T55 bolts to between 75 to 80 foot-pounds
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step 6 :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 110 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 7 :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)
Torque Wrench
Jack Stands
18mm Socket
Anti-Seize Grease
Ratchet
Wire Brush
Floor Jack
22mm Socket
T55 Torx Socket
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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 rear caliper brackets on this 2002 GMC Sierra. We'll show you the passenger side, but the driver side is the same procedure. This is the same for most Sierras as well as the Chevy Silverado. This is usually a cause of the brakes sticking or getting hung up in the rear. You'll need new caliper brackets from 1AAuto.com, jack and jack stands, 22 millimeter socket with a breaker or pipe or your lug wrench, T55 Torx driver or socket, 18 millimeter socket, torque wrench, wire brush, brake grease, and a hammer.
Start out by taking the wheel cover off. Undo the the little plastic caps by hand. Then use either a breaker bar or impact wrench. If you don't have the benefit of air tools, you'll want to start with the vehicle on the ground, loosen the lug nuts first, then raise and secure the vehicle, and remove the lug nuts wheel and tire.
Removing the brake slide bolts is always fun, especially when they're the original ones that use a T55 Torx bit. What we're doing right now is just using a hammer right on that ear where the slide bolt goes in. We're rapping it really hard, trying to loosen it up a little bit. Now, using our T55 Torx bit, breaker bar, and even a pipe for some extra leverage, you you just need to break the lower bolt free. After we get it broken free, we'll speed up here now as we just remove it the rest of the way. You want to note how it comes out.
You can see we can actually use our fingers after a while. That means that the slide bolt is nice and free. If they stick at all, or if they're difficult to get out, you want make sure you clean those up really well and then re-lubricate them to make sure that they go in nice and easy and slide easily. You need a long screwdriver. Wedge it in down here between the caliper bracket and the caliper itself. Once it's up and out of the way, you can pull it out the rest of the way. Again, as you take that caliper out, make sure that slide bolt comes out nicely. If it sticks at all, clean it up and re-grease it.
Here's where we're moving the brake pads. This is where we realize that the caliper brackets are a problem on this truck. You can see we push on it with the screwdriver, and we have to resort to a hammer to get those out of the way. You should be able to take, if your caliper bracket is in good shape, those pads off by hand. If you think about it, the caliper should squeeze them and then they should be able to move back. The way they're working on the truck, the caliper would squeeze them, and then they would actually just stay squeezed on the disc rotor. That was actually causing on this truck the brakes to heat up, and actually smoke at one point in time.
Basically, what happens is the stainless steel slides that we're going to take off right now, the caliper has rusted underneath those slides and made them expand, which held the pads in place. This is usually the main cause of brakes sticking on these Sierras and Silverados. On the back side of the caliper bracket there are two 18 millimeter bolts that you need to remove. Here we're going to use the 18 millimeter socket and breaker bar and a pipe for some extra leverage. Break those bolts free and then remove them. You'll see us work a breaker bar for a little while. Then we switch over to just a regular wrench once it gets easier. That top bolt is a little tough to get to with that leaf spring in the way, you can't really get a good ratchet on it. Then we break the lower one free, and use our ratchet and socket to remove the bolt the rest of the way. Then the caliper bracket comes off.
Here's our old caliper bracket and our new one. You see it's nice and clean where the brake pad is going to slide. You can see it's pretty much a case of getting the caliper bracket in place, putting the bolts through and then starting them in. I'm going to torque these to 90 foot-pounds. The 11 millimeter bolt here holds the brake line in. Now, take those stainless steel slides, use a wire brush. Make sure you clean them up really well before reinstalling them. Then you'll want to put some grease on them.
We've put grease on the inside as well as a light coat on the outside. That just helps protect those new caliper brackets from rusting too quickly. Now we'll just take some grease, either brake grease or white grease, and just put it onto the slides where the pads are going to contact them. We do the same thing with the pads. We just greased the spots where it's going to contact those slides, as well as put some on the back just to prevent them from squeaking. Then put them back into place.
Generally, we put the pad that has two wear tabs on it on the outside, and the one with the single wear tab we put on the inside. Because the caliper bracket had caused the pads to freeze up the caliper had frozen as well as had ruined the pads that were on. Then slide it in into the boot. Make sure not to pinch the boot. As you put the caliper down and in you might feel the boot on the bottom as well not to pinch that and go ahead and put in your lower pin through the boot, working these to 75 to 80 foot-pounds.
Now we'll speed up here as we put the wheel and tire back in place. Start the lug nuts on by hand first. Make sure you don't cross thread any of them. Then use your impact wrench and just preliminarily tighten them up. Then lower the vehicle on the ground, tighten those lug nuts up to 110 foot-pounds using a crossing pattern. Basically, you do one, then do the one opposite of it, go to the next one, and do the lug nut opposite to that one, go to the beside it, and then the one opposite to that one until you have all eight nice and tight. Then, when you put the cap on make sure you use the correct procedure. You put the cap in place and then you turn of the lug cap, the lug cover by hand until you feel it click once, then you turn it another quarter to half a turn until it rests in the next detent.
Always, last but not least, pump your brakes a bunch of times. Do some stop tests from 5mph and 10mph before road testing the truck.
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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