The PT Cruiser features front disc brakes as standard equipment. Regularly changing the brakes on your PT Cruiser helps preserves its braking performance and your safety on the road. Worn brake pads can cause a number of problems, including poor stopping power, grinding noises on braking and damage to the brake caliper and rotor. Changing the brakes is a straightforward task that takes less than an hour.
Instructions
- 1
Open the hood and disconnect the negative terminal cable from the battery. Remove the brake master cylinder cover and remove one-third of the brake fluid from the cylinder with a brake fluid siphon. Properly dispose of the fluid and replace the cover on the master cylinder.
2Loosen the lug nuts on the wheel with a lug wrench. Raise the front of the vehicle with a floor jack and support the front end with jack stands. Remove the lug nuts from the wheel and pull the wheel off the axle.
3Place a C-clamp on the outboard pad in the opening of the caliper and the rear caliper housing. Tighten the C-clamp until the caliper piston is pushed inside the caliper. Locate the two 13 mm bolts at the rear the caliper and remove them with a ratchet and socket. Lift the center section of the brake caliper off of the rotor.
4Remove the brake pads and caliper slides from the caliper. Apply a small amount of brake lubricant to the top of the new caliper slides and place them in the caliper, along with the new brake pads.
5Slide the center section of the caliper over the brake pads and tighten the 13 mm bolts with a ratchet and socket. Fit the wheel over the axle and reattach the lug nuts by hand.
6Remove the jack stands from underneath the vehicle and lower the vehicle to the ground. Tighten the lug nuts with a lug wrench. Reconnect the negative terminal cable to the battery.
7Turn on the car and pump the brake pedal five times to move the pistons into place. Check the brake fluid level in the master cylinder and refill it to the MAX line if needed.
