How to Compress a 1999 Mazda 626 Brake Caliper

In their never-ending quest to make new and improved changes to their vehicles, automobile manufacturers sometimes forget to make replacing parts a user-friendly task. One good example is compressing the piston back into the brake caliper on the 1999 Mazda 626. It&039;s not that Mazda doesn&039;t want you to replace the brake pads yourself; just like any auto maker would, it wants to make sure the job is done right. Compressing the piston on your 626’s brake caliper requires a few special tools but can be done at home. The repair should take you 45 minutes.

Instructions

Open the drivers door on your 626 and apply the cars emergency brake. Raise and support the cars hood, then remove the cap on the brake fluid reservoir.

Siphon half of the brake fluid from the reservoir with a baster. Dont discard the fluid because you can use it later. Set the baster to the side of the work area in an upright position.

Loosen the lug nuts on the front drivers-side tire with a lug wrench 1/4 of a turn counterclockwise.

Raise the car with a car jack, then place a jack stand into position on the right of the car jack to help support the car&039;s weight.

Remove all of the lug nuts from the tire and then slide it off the hub assembly. Place the tire along with its lug nuts to the side of your work area.

Loosen the top caliper mounting bolt with a socket wrench and remove the bottom caliper mounting bolt completely. Lift the bottom of the caliper upward and off the rotor, then retighten the top mounting bolt to hold the caliper in this position.

Remove both brake pads and their shims. Insert the Mazda piston compression tool into position as if it were the brake pads themselves, and then begin turning the bolt on the tool with a socket wrench clockwise. As you&039;re turning the tools bolt, notice that the flat pads on the tool are expanding. This is what you want to happen. Keep turning the bolt until you see that the piston on the caliper has completely retracted, then remove the tool. If youre unable to acquire the Mazda tool, see "Tips."

Install your new brake pads and shims just as you removed the old ones. Loosen the top caliper mounting bolt, then lower the caliper back over the rotor. Install the bottom caliper bolt and tighten it by hand until it&039;s snug. Set your 3/8-inch drive torque wrench to 29 foot-pounds, and then tighten both caliper bolts until secured.

Mount the tire back onto the hub assembly and return each of the lug nuts by hand to insure proper threading. Tighten the lug nuts until snug, then remove the jack stand. Lower the car until the tire makes contact with the ground, then reset the torque wrench to 90 foot-pounds. Continue tightening the lug nuts completely.

Lower the car completely and remove the car jack. Release the emergency brake and pump the brake pedal until you feel it stiffen. Then repeat the front-caliper compression procedure for your passenger-side tire.

Place a wheel block in front of both of the front tires, then loosen the lug nuts on the drivers-side rear tire with your lug wrench. Raise and support the car at the rear just as you did in the front-caliper compression procedure.

Remove the rear tires lug nuts and then slide the tire off the hub assembly. Before you remove or loosen the calipers mounting bolts, look on the back of the caliper and you should see a hex bolt. This hex bolt (manual adjusting gear) is the secret to compressing the piston on the rear brake calipers.

Attach a 1/2-inch hex bit socket to your socket wrench, then turn the hex bolt on the caliper counterclockwise until you cant turn the bolt anymore. Once the bolt stops turning, the piston will have completely compressed itself back into the caliper. Then you can proceed with changing the brake pads and shims.

Tighten the rear caliper mounting bolts to 28 foot-pounds and the rear tire&039;s lug nuts to 90 foot-pounds with your 3/8-inch drive torque wrench. Pump the brake pedal again until it stiffens before you repeat the compression procedure for the passenger-side rear tires brake caliper.

Check the brake fluid level in the reservoir last. If you need to add more brake fluid, use the fluid in the baster. Place the cap back onto the brake fluid reservoir, shut the hood and remove both wheel blocks from the front tires.