🔧 Ridgeline - Front Brake Pads & Rotor Replacement

You’ll be removing the front calipers, swapping the pads, and replacing both front rotors. New pads and rotors restore safe stopping power and prevent pulsation or grinding.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate | Estimated Time: 2-4 hours

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Support your Ridgeline with jack stands before working underneath.
• ⚠️ Never let the brake caliper hang by the rubber brake hose.
• ⚠️ Brake dust is harmful; use brake cleaner, not compressed air.
• ⚠️ If brake fluid is near “MAX,” it may overflow when compressing pistons.
• ⚠️ Battery disconnect is not required for front brakes on your Ridgeline.

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🔧 Required Tools

You'll need the following tools for this repair:

• Floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Wheel chocks
• 19mm socket
• 3/8" drive ratchet
• 1/2" drive breaker bar
• 12mm socket
• 17mm socket
• Torque wrench (20–200 ft-lbs range)
• Flat trim tool
• C-clamp (6" minimum)
• Impact driver (hand-held) (specialty)
• #3 Phillips bit
• M8 x 1.25 bolts (30–40mm long)
• Wire brush
• Brake parts cleaner
• Catch pan
• Bungee cord
• Nitrile gloves
• Safety glasses

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🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Front brake pad set - Qty: 1
• Front brake rotors - Qty: 2
• Front pad hardware/clip kit - Qty: 1
• Silicone brake lubricant - Qty: 1
• Brake cleaner - Qty: 1

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📋 Before You Begin

• Park on level ground, turn the engine off, and set the parking brake.
• Place wheel chocks behind the rear wheels.
• Crack the front lug nuts loose with a 19mm socket and breaker bar before lifting.
• Open the hood and loosen the brake fluid reservoir cap (leave it sitting on top). This helps the pistons push back easier.
• Take a quick photo of pad/clip layout.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Lift and secure the front end

• Use a floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum) to lift the front.
• Set the truck down onto jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum) at solid lift points.
• Remove the wheels using a 19mm socket and ratchet.

Step 2: Remove the front brake caliper

• Turn the steering wheel to give you more room (left for right side, right for left side).
• Remove the caliper slide bolts using a 12mm socket and ratchet.
• Lift the caliper off the bracket and hang it from the suspension using a bungee cord.
• Do not stretch the rubber brake hose.

Step 3: Remove the old pads and hardware

• Pull the inner and outer pads out by hand.
• Remove the stainless pad clips from the caliper bracket using a flat trim tool.
• Clean the bracket pad “lands” (where the clips sit) using a wire brush and brake parts cleaner.
• Clean metal helps pads slide smoothly.

Step 4: Remove the caliper bracket

• Remove the caliper bracket bolts using a 17mm socket and breaker bar.
• Lift the bracket off and set it aside.

Step 5: Remove the rotor

• If equipped with rotor retaining screws, remove them using a impact driver (hand-held) (specialty) with a #3 Phillips bit.
• If the rotor is stuck to the hub, thread two M8 x 1.25 bolts (30–40mm long) into the rotor “push” holes evenly and tighten them with a ratchet to press the rotor off.
• Remove the rotor and set it aside.

Step 6: Prep the hub and install the new rotor

• Clean the wheel hub face with a wire brush and spray with brake parts cleaner.
• Install the new rotor onto the hub.
• If you have retaining screws, reinstall and snug them using the impact driver (hand-held) (specialty) and #3 Phillips bit.
• A clean hub helps prevent brake pulsation.

Step 7: Reinstall the caliper bracket

• Position the bracket and start both bolts by hand.
• Tighten using a 17mm socket and torque wrench.
• Torque to 108 Nm (80 ft-lbs)

Step 8: Service slide pins and install new pad hardware

• Pull the slide pins out of the bracket by hand.
• Wipe them clean and apply a thin coat of silicone brake lubricant.
• Reinstall slide pins and make sure they move smoothly.
• Install the new stainless hardware clips into the bracket.
• Slide pins let the caliper move evenly.

Step 9: Compress the caliper piston

• Place an old pad against the piston face.
• Use a C-clamp (6" minimum) to slowly push the piston back into the caliper.
• Watch the brake fluid reservoir while compressing; use a catch pan and remove a little fluid if it starts to overflow.
• Go slow to avoid damaging seals.

Step 10: Install the new pads and reinstall the caliper

• Apply a very thin layer of silicone brake lubricant where the pad backing touches the caliper/bracket (do not get any on pad friction material).
• Install the new inner and outer pads into the clips.
• Lower the caliper over the pads.
• Install the slide bolts using a 12mm socket and torque wrench.
• Torque to 34 Nm (25 ft-lbs)

Step 11: Reinstall wheels

• Reinstall the wheels and hand-thread the lug nuts.
• Lower the truck off the jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum) using the floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum).
• Tighten lug nuts in a star pattern using a 19mm socket and torque wrench.
• Torque to 127 Nm (94 ft-lbs)

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✅ After Repair

• Press the brake pedal slowly 10–15 times until it feels firm before driving.
• Check brake fluid level and reinstall/tighten the reservoir cap by hand.
• Test in a safe area at low speed first; confirm normal stopping and no pulling/noises.
• Bed-in procedure: make 8–10 moderate stops from ~40 mph down to ~10 mph, allowing short cool-down between stops.
• Recheck for leaks and verify lug nut torque after your first drive.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $450-$850 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $160-$380 (parts only)

You Save: $290-$470 by doing it yourself!

Shop labor rates vary but typically run $100-$150/hour. This repair takes a shop approximately 2-3 hours.

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🎯 Ready to get started?

HowToo makes it easy: same-day/2-day shipping on every part, plus all the tools and specialty tools you need! Check out the parts and tools sections below to add everything to your cart.