How to change 1997 Nissan Sentra front brake and rotor (with photo)

An extension is needed to remove the 17mm screws

I was looking for instruction on how to change the front brake pads and the rotors on my 12 year old 97 Nissan Sentra GXE. I found some generic instructions and videos. Some of them were not very helpful and some had incorrect information. Here is my attempt to illustrate the process.
Steps to change the front brake pads and rotors on a 1997 Nissan Sentra. It is very easy.
Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions
1


* Buy the rotors from local auto parts store so you can easily return them if necessary.
* Do your online shopping first and find the best deal so you can ask for a price match.
* I paid $33 for a pair of front brake rotors at Oreilly's.
* Open the brake fluid reservoir top.
* Engage the emergency brake and park on a flat surface.
* Put 2 bricks on each of the back wheel, one in the front, one in the back so the car does not move when the front wheel is lifted.
* Take the hub cap off.
* Loosen all 4 lug nuts slightly before lifting the front wheel. That helps minimize jerking of the car while lifted.
2


* Lift one of the front wheels. I did the right one first.
* I used the 2 ton hydraulic jack that I bought a few years ago on the Black Friday sale.
* Slide in a bunch of 2x4s or a jack stand under the car to hold the car up.
* Lower the hydraulic jack's pressure so that most of the weight is on the jack stand or the 2x4s but keep the hydraulic jack lifted just as a backup.
* Now loosen all 4 lug nuts using the factory provided crow-bar like tool.
* Before you remove the wheel, take a chalk and mark one of the lug nuts and the corresponding screw and the position on the wheel so you can put it back exactly the way it was before.
* Remove the wheel.
3


* Now, carefully open the car door and move the steering wheel all the way to the right so the bare wheel assembly moves to the right. You will see the parts better that way.
* You will need a 14 MM socket. Use a long pipe if you have to in order to get leverage and unscrew if needed.
* I saw on a Youtube video that a guy was hammering the ratchet to loosen the 2 caliper screws. It is not recommended. I actually broke a ratchet that way. Always use a long pipe to extend the handle of the ratchet.
* Carefully remove the caliper assembly and hang it with a clothes hanger. See photo. Make sure the brake fluid lines are not stressed.
4


* Using a C-clamp slightly press back the round brake pressure apparatus. This step was not needed for me since I was not replacing the brake pads which were less than a year old and hardly used.
* Remove the brake pads and make sure the 2 little spring pins are also removed.
* Clean the assembly that holds the brake pads.
* Now you need to remove the assembly that holds the brake pads.
* You will need a 17 MM socket and a 2 or 3 inch extension. The extension is needed because there is a screw that is on the way to the caliper screw/socket. See photo.
* These 2 screws were very hard to remove on my 12 year old car.
5


* I carefully sprayed the screws with lubricant that is specially made to loosen rusted nuts and bolts.
* Then I tried to tighten the screw a little bit instead of loosening. That helped.
* Then I attached a pipe to extend the ratchet handle and that helped a lot with unscrewing both screws.
* Take the old rotor off. It should come off easily. If not, very gently tap it with a hammer.
* Spray the new rotor with any Acetone based brake cleaner and remove as much oil from it as possible. Without removal of the oil, the rotor will smoke when used the first time. I used some nail polish remover to do the cleaning.
6


* Use a dab of a high temperature brake grease on all screws after cleaning them. You can buy a grease tube for $1.
* Slap in the new rotor. Hold the new rotor in position by screwing in one of the lower lug nuts.
* Clean the brake pad holder assembly and screw it back using the 17 MM screws. Make sure these screws are very tight.
* Clean the caliper assembly. Put the shims on the back of the pads and use the high temperature brake grease on the back of the shims.
7


* Slap in the new brake pads. The pad with the long metal tab goes in the back. Put back the 2 pin springs. See photo.
* Put back the caliper assembly. Put the 14 MM caliper screws back and make sure the caliper assembly can move side by side slightly. Make sure the rotor can rotate slightly.
8


* Remove the solo lug nut that was holding the new rotor in place.
* Put back the wheel. Put the 4 lug nuts back with the pointy edge inside. Start with the bottom one and tighten criss-cross.
9


* Carefully rotate the steering wheel so the front wheels are straight again. Jack up the front-right side slightly in order to remove the 2x4s or jack stands first and then remove the hydraulic jack carefully.
* Follow the above steps for the left-front wheel. Put everything including the hub cap back. Inside the car, press the brake slowly all the way down a few times. Fill the brake fluid reservoir with DOT3 brake fluid if necessary.

Tips & Warnings

If you are not sure, ask a pro to help you. If you think it is too difficult, you can put in a small-gigs ad on Craigslist for free and have someone local help you for under $30.

Use caution and protective gears.