Where Are Brake Pads Located?

Q: Where Are Brake Pads Typically Located?

A: Brake pads are crucial components in a disc brake system. They’re usually inside the caliper that surrounds the brake disc.

In a disc brake, each rotor has two brake pads. If your vehicle uses disc brakes for both the front and rear wheels, you might have eight brake pads in total installed on your ride. A caliper attached to the wheel hub holds these pads in place and controls their movements.

Tips on How to Access the Brake Pads

Before trying to access the brake pads, park your vehicle on a dry and flat surface. Otherwise, it might move or wobble while you’re accessing the brake pads. Put wheel chocks on the wheels you’re not working on for extra precaution.

Here’s another tip: check the brake fluid level. If it’s full to the brim, you must remove some of the fluid to prevent spills when you compress the brake caliper piston.

The pistons extend as the pads wear, which makes adding more fluid necessary, and when you retract the pistons to make way for the new pads, the fluid is forced back into the master cylinder reservoir, which usually causes the reservoir to overflow. This isn’t really a big deal, but if you don’t want fluid dribbling all over the area under the master cylinder, remove some fluid first.

If you don’t want brake fluid dribbling all over the area under the master cylinder, remove some fluid first.

Citations
–Richard McCuistian, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician

Once you’re ready, you have to raise the vehicle with a hydraulic jack and remove the wheel. You’ll also have to remove certain bolts and the caliper to gain access to the brake pads.