🔧 ProMaster - Rear Brake Pad Replacement

Replacing the rear brake pads restores safe stopping power and prevents rotor damage when pads get thin. On your ProMaster, the rear pads sit inside a sliding rear caliper, so you’ll remove the caliper, swap pads, and compress the piston before reassembly.

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

Assumption: rear disc brakes with a sliding caliper (most ProMaster 1500).

---

⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Support the van with jack stands—never rely on a floor jack alone.
• ⚠️ Chock the front wheels; your ProMaster is FWD and can roll easily.
• ⚠️ Brake dust is unhealthy—use brake cleaner, not compressed air.
• ⚠️ Do not press the brake pedal while the caliper is off the rotor.
• ⚠️ Keep grease off pad friction material and rotor faces.
• 🔋 Battery disconnect is not required for this job.

---

🔧 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
• 1/2" drive breaker bar
• 1/2" drive torque wrench (30-250 Nm range)
• Ratchet (3/8" drive)
• 13mm socket
• 18mm socket
• 6" extension (3/8" drive)
• Flat-blade screwdriver
• C-clamp (6" minimum)
• Bungee cord
• Wire brush
• Brake cleaner
• Safety glasses
• Nitrile gloves

---

🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Rear brake pad set - Qty: 1
• Brake caliper hardware kit (clips/shims) - Qty: 1
• Brake lubricant (silicone brake grease) - Qty: 1
• Brake cleaner - Qty: 1

---

📋 Before You Begin

• 🧰 Park on level ground and leave the transmission in 1st gear.
• 🧱 Place wheel chocks in front of and behind a front tire.
• 🛑 Release the parking brake (rear calipers can bind if it’s set).
• 🧼 Open the hood and locate the brake fluid reservoir; do not remove the cap yet, but be ready to watch the fluid level when you compress the pistons.

---

🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Loosen the rear wheel lug nuts

• Use a 19mm socket and breaker bar to crack the lug nuts loose about 1/2 turn while the tire is still on the ground.

Step 2: Lift and support the rear corner

• Use the floor jack to lift the rear at a safe jacking point.
• Set the van down onto jack stands.
• Give the van a gentle push to confirm it’s stable before you work.

Step 3: Remove the wheel

• Use a 19mm socket and ratchet to remove the lug nuts, then remove the wheel.

Step 4: Inspect the caliper and rotor

• Spray the caliper and bracket area with brake cleaner.
• Check the rotor for deep grooves or cracking. Light grooves are usually OK, deep ridges may mean rotor replacement.

Step 5: Remove the caliper (sliding portion)

• Use a 13mm socket and ratchet to remove the two caliper slide-pin bolts.
• Lift the caliper off the bracket.
• Support the caliper with a bungee cord so it doesn’t hang by the brake hose.
• Torque on install: 35 Nm (26 ft-lbs)
• Slide pins are the caliper’s “tracks”.

Step 6: Remove the old brake pads and hardware

• Pull the inner and outer pads out of the bracket by hand.
• Use a flat-blade screwdriver to carefully pop out any stainless pad clips (hardware) from the bracket.

Step 7: Remove the caliper bracket (if needed for hardware cleaning)

• If you can’t properly clean/replace hardware with the bracket in place, remove the bracket bolts.
• Use an 18mm socket, breaker bar, and extension to remove the two caliper bracket bolts.
• Torque on install: 175 Nm (129 ft-lbs)

Step 8: Clean the bracket and install new pad hardware

• Use a wire brush to clean rust where the pad clips sit (the pad “lands”).
• Spray with brake cleaner and let it dry.
• Install the new hardware clips by pressing them into place by hand.

Step 9: Compress the caliper piston

• Position an old pad against the piston face, then use a C-clamp to slowly push the piston back into the caliper.
• Watch the brake fluid reservoir while compressing; if it gets close to overflowing, stop and remove a little fluid safely (do not spill on paint).
• Go slow to avoid damaging seals.
• A C-clamp squeezes the piston back in.

Step 10: Lubricate pad contact points (not friction surfaces)

• Apply a thin layer of brake lubricant (silicone brake grease) where the pad “ears” touch the hardware clips.
• Do not get grease on the pad face or rotor.

Step 11: Install the new pads

• Slide the new inner and outer pads into the bracket by hand.
• Make sure they move freely in the clips (no binding). If they stick, re-clean the bracket lands with a wire brush.

Step 12: Reinstall the caliper and bolts

• Set the caliper over the new pads.
• Install the slide-pin bolts using a 13mm socket and ratchet.
• Finish with a torque wrench: Torque to 35 Nm (26 ft-lbs)

Step 13: Reinstall the wheel

• Install the wheel and hand-thread the lug nuts.
• Lower the van off the jack stands using the floor jack.
• Use a torque wrench with a 19mm socket to tighten lug nuts in a star pattern: Torque to 180 Nm (133 ft-lbs)

Step 14: Repeat on the other rear wheel

• Rear pads should be replaced as a pair (left and right) for even braking.

---

✅ After Repair

• 🦶 Pump the brake pedal 10–15 times until it feels firm (this seats the pistons against the new pads).
• 🧴 Check brake fluid level and top off only if needed.
• 🔎 With the engine running, press the brake pedal and check for any unusual noises.
• 🛣️ Bed-in the pads: make 6–10 moderate stops from ~30 mph to ~5 mph, with cooling time between stops. Avoid hard panic stops for the first ~200 miles.

---

💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $350-$650 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $80-$220 (parts only)

You Save: $270-$430 by doing it yourself!

Shop labor rates vary but typically run $100-$150/hour. This repair takes a shop approximately 1.5-2.5 hours.

---

🎯 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.