🔧 Wrangler - Rear Brake Pads & Rotor Replacement

This job replaces your rear brake pads and rotors, which wear down over time and can cause noise, vibration, or longer stopping distances. On your Wrangler, the parking brake is a small drum brake inside the rear rotor “hat,” so rotor removal sometimes requires backing off the parking brake adjuster.

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

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• 🧯 Work on a level surface and use jack stands—never rely on a jack alone.
• 🧤 Let brakes cool fully; rotors and calipers can be extremely hot.
• 🛑 Keep the parking brake RELEASED during rear brake/rotor removal (it locks the rotor from the inside).
• 👓 Wear safety glasses; brake dust and rust fall straight down.
• 🧴 Do not press the brake pedal with a caliper removed.

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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
• 13mm socket
• 18mm socket
• Torque wrench (20-250 ft-lbs range)
• Large C-clamp
• Flathead screwdriver
• Rubber mallet
• Wire brush
• Bungee cord
• Brake parts cleaner spray
• High-temp silicone brake grease
• Anti-seize compound
• Mechanic gloves
• Safety glasses

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🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Rear brake pad set - Qty: 1
• Rear brake rotors - Qty: 2
• Rear brake hardware kit (clips/shims) - Qty: 1
• Brake fluid (DOT 3) - Qty: 1 quart

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📋 Before You Begin

• Park on level ground, steering straight.
• Put the transmission in 1st gear (manual) and set wheel chocks at the front wheels.
• Make sure the parking brake is fully released (rear rotors won’t come off otherwise).
• Loosen rear lug nuts 1/2 turn using a 19mm socket and breaker bar before lifting.
• Pop the brake fluid reservoir cap loose (under the hood) so fluid can rise when you compress pistons. Don’t spill brake fluid on paint.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Lift and support the rear

• Lift the rear using a floor jack under the rear axle tube (near the differential).
• Set the axle securely onto jack stands on both sides.
• Remove both rear wheels using a 19mm socket.

Step 2: Remove the rear caliper

• Turn the steering wheel is not needed; you’re working at the rear.
• Remove the two caliper slide pin bolts using a 13mm socket and ratchet.
• Lift the caliper off the rotor, then hang it from the suspension with a bungee cord (do not let it hang by the brake hose).

Step 3: Remove old pads and hardware

• Pull the old pads out by hand.
• Remove the pad abutment clips (hardware) from the caliper bracket using a flathead screwdriver.
• Clean the bracket pad “rails” with a wire brush and spray with brake parts cleaner spray.

Step 4: Remove the caliper bracket

• Remove the two caliper bracket bolts using an 18mm socket and breaker bar.
• Set the bracket aside.
• When reinstalling later: Torque to 122 Nm (90 ft-lbs).

Step 5: Remove the rotor (and deal with the parking brake if it’s stuck)

• Pull the rotor straight off the hub by hand.
• If it’s rust-stuck, tap around the rotor hat using a rubber mallet. Hit the hat, not the studs.
• If the rotor won’t slide off because the parking brake is dragging, back off the internal adjuster:
  • Remove the rubber access plug on the backing plate (behind the rotor area) using a flathead screwdriver.
  • Use the flathead screwdriver to rotate the star wheel to retract (loosen) the parking brake shoes until the rotor comes off.

Step 6: Prep the hub and install the new rotor

• Clean the hub face (where the rotor sits) with a wire brush and brake parts cleaner spray.
• Apply a very thin film of anti-seize compound to the hub face to help prevent future rotor sticking.
• Clean the new rotor friction surfaces using brake parts cleaner spray (removes packing oil).
• Install the new rotor onto the hub.

Step 7: Adjust the parking brake (only if needed)

• If you backed off the adjuster to remove the rotor, you must readjust it now.
• Through the access hole, use a flathead screwdriver to turn the star wheel until you feel a light, even drag when spinning the rotor by hand.
• Back the star wheel off slightly until the rotor spins freely with minimal drag.

Step 8: Reinstall bracket and compress the caliper piston

• Reinstall the caliper bracket and tighten the bolts using an 18mm socket and ratchet.
• Torque to 122 Nm (90 ft-lbs).
• Compress the caliper piston slowly using a large C-clamp (this pushes the piston back to make room for thicker new pads).
• Watch the brake fluid reservoir while compressing; remove excess fluid if it looks like it may overflow.

Step 9: Install new hardware and pads

• Install new abutment clips from the hardware kit onto the bracket by hand.
• Apply a thin coat of high-temp silicone brake grease where the pad ears touch the clips (metal-to-metal contact points only).
• Install the new pads into the bracket.

Step 10: Reinstall the caliper

• Place the caliper over the new pads and rotor.
• Install the caliper slide pin bolts using a 13mm socket and ratchet.
• Torque to 27 Nm (20 ft-lbs).

Step 11: Reinstall wheels and lower the vehicle

• Reinstall both wheels and hand-thread lug nuts.
• Lower the Wrangler to the ground using a floor jack.
• Tighten lug nuts in a star pattern using a torque wrench: Torque to 176 Nm (130 ft-lbs).

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✅ After Repair

• With the engine OFF, pump the brake pedal slowly 10-15 times until it feels firm (this seats the pistons against the new pads).
• Check brake fluid level and top off with DOT 3 if needed.
• Test the parking brake operation at low speed on a safe, flat area.
• Do a careful test drive: verify no pulling, grinding, or pulsation.
• Pad bedding (break-in): make 6-10 moderate stops from ~30 mph with cool-down time between stops. Avoid hard stops at first.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $450-$800 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $160-$350 (parts only)

You Save: $290-$450 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?

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