🔧 Sentra - Rear Brake Pad Replacement

Rear brake pads wear down over time and need replacement to keep braking safe and quiet. Your Sentra may have rear disc brakes (pads) or rear drum brakes (shoes), so the steps below include both—use the path that matches what you see behind the wheel.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate | Estimated Time: 1.5-3.0 hours

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Work on level ground and support the car with jack stands, never the jack alone.
• ⚠️ Do not press the brake pedal with a caliper removed.
• ⚠️ Brake dust is harmful—use brake cleaner, not compressed air.
• ⚠️ If brake fluid rises in the reservoir when compressing pistons, remove some with a fluid syringe to prevent overflow.
• ⚠️ Your Sentra uses a mechanical parking brake—make sure it is fully released before rear disc pad work.

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🔧 Required Tools

You'll need the following tools for this repair:

• Floor jack (rated 2-ton minimum)
• Jack stands (rated 2-ton minimum, pair)
• Wheel chocks
• Lug wrench or 21mm socket
• 3/8" drive ratchet
• 1/2" drive breaker bar
• Torque wrench (20-150 ft-lbs range)
• 14mm socket
• 17mm socket
• Flat trim/pry tool
• Needle-nose pliers
• Wire brush
• Bungee cord or mechanics wire
• Brake caliper piston wind-back tool (specialty)
• Brake cleaner spray
• High-temp silicone brake grease
• Fluid syringe or turkey baster
• Nitrile 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 pad hardware kit (clips/shims) - Qty: 1
• Brake cleaner - Qty: 1
• High-temp brake grease - Qty: 1

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📋 Before You Begin

• Park your Sentra on level ground, shift to P, and place wheel chocks at the front wheels.
• Release the parking brake fully (rear disc calipers won’t retract correctly if it’s applied).
• Open the hood and check the brake fluid reservoir level. If it’s near MAX, use a fluid syringe to remove a little fluid.
• Do one side at a time to avoid mixing parts.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Confirm rear brake type (disc vs drum)

• Look through the wheel: if you see a shiny rotor and caliper, you have rear disc brakes.
• If you see a mostly closed “drum” housing, you have rear drum brakes (these use shoes, not pads).
• Continue with the matching section below.

Step 2: Lift the rear and remove the wheel

• Use a lug wrench or 21mm socket to loosen lug nuts 1/2 turn while on the ground.
• Lift the rear using a floor jack and support with jack stands.
• Remove the lug nuts with a 21mm socket and remove the wheel.
• Reinstall later: Torque to 113 Nm (83 ft-lbs).

Step 3A (Rear DISC): Remove the caliper

• Find the two caliper slide-pin bolts on the back of the caliper.
• Remove them using a 14mm socket.
• Lift the caliper off the bracket and hang it using a bungee cord or mechanics wire (do not let it hang by the brake hose).
• Reinstall later: caliper slide-pin bolts Torque to 26 Nm (19 ft-lbs).

Step 4A (Rear DISC): Remove old pads and hardware

• Remove the inner and outer pads from the bracket by hand or with a flat trim/pry tool.
• Remove pad clips/hardware using needle-nose pliers.
• Clean the pad “lands” (where clips sit) using brake cleaner spray and a wire brush.

Step 5A (Rear DISC): Retract the rear caliper piston

• Rear pistons typically must be turned while being pushed in because the parking brake mechanism is built into the caliper.
• Use a brake caliper piston wind-back tool (specialty) to rotate and press the piston back until it’s fully seated.
• If brake fluid rises too high, use the fluid syringe to remove a small amount.
• Go slowly to avoid damaging the caliper.

Step 6A (Rear DISC): Install new hardware and pads

• Install new clips/hardware into the bracket.
• Apply a thin film of high-temp silicone brake grease where the pad ears slide on the clips (keep grease off pad friction material and rotor).
• Install the new inner and outer pads into the bracket.

Step 7A (Rear DISC): Reinstall caliper

• Lower the caliper over the new pads.
• Install the slide-pin bolts using a 14mm socket.
• Torque to 26 Nm (19 ft-lbs).

Step 3B (Rear DRUM): Stop here

• If your Sentra has rear drums, you do not have rear brake pads—you have rear brake shoes.
• Reply “rear drums” and I’ll give you the correct shoe replacement steps (different parts, different procedure).

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✅ After Repair

• Before moving the car, pump the brake pedal slowly 10–15 times until it feels firm.
• Check brake fluid level and top off only if needed (use the correct DOT rating shown on the reservoir cap).
• Do a slow test drive. Listen for grinding or pulling.
• Bed-in the pads: make 6–8 medium stops from ~40 km/h to ~10 km/h with cool-down between stops.
• Recheck lug nut torque: 113 Nm (83 ft-lbs).

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: ₹4,000-₹9,000 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: ₹1,500-₹5,000 (parts only)

You Save: ₹2,500-₹4,000 by doing it yourself!

Shop labor rates vary but typically run ₹800-₹1,500/hour. This repair takes a shop approximately 1.0-1.5 hours.

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🎯 Ready to get started?

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