🔧 Colorado - Rear Brake Pad & Rotor Replacement

This job replaces the rear brake pads and rear brake rotors on your Colorado. The rear brakes use a disc brake setup with a caliper, caliper bracket, pads, rotor, and an internal parking brake shoe inside the rotor hat.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate | Estimated Time: 2-3 hours

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Work on a flat, solid surface and support your Colorado with jack stands. Never rely on a jack alone.
• ⚠️ Do not press the brake pedal while the rear calipers are removed.
• ⚠️ Rear brake dust can be harmful. Use brake cleaner, not compressed air, to clean parts.
• ⚠️ Keep grease and fingerprints off the pad friction material and rotor braking surfaces.
• ⚠️ The parking brake must be fully released before removing the rear rotors.
• ⚠️ Battery disconnect is not required for this rear brake service.

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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
• Safety glasses
• Nitrile gloves
• 1/2-inch drive breaker bar
• 1/2-inch drive torque wrench
• 3/8-inch drive ratchet
• 19mm lug nut socket
• 13mm socket
• 18mm socket
• 10mm wrench
• Flat-blade screwdriver
• Brake caliper piston compression tool (specialty)
• Bungee cord
• Brake cleaner
• Wire brush
• Small hammer
• Brake spring spoon or brake adjusting tool (specialty)
• Catch pan

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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 pad hardware kit - Qty: 1
• Brake lubricant - Qty: 1
• Brake cleaner - Qty: 2 cans
• DOT 3 brake fluid - Qty: 1 small bottle

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📋 Before You Begin

• 🅿️ Park your Colorado on level ground, shift to Park, and leave the parking brake released.
• 🧱 Place wheel chocks in front of both front tires.
• 🔍 Check the brake fluid level under the hood. If it is at the MAX line, remove a small amount with a clean suction tool before compressing calipers.
• 🧼 A caliper is the clamp that squeezes the brake pads against the rotor. The rotor is the round metal disc behind the wheel.
• 🔧 A torque wrench tightens bolts to a measured amount so they are not too loose or too tight.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Loosen the Rear Lug Nuts

• Use a 19mm lug nut socket and 1/2-inch drive breaker bar to loosen each rear wheel lug nut about half a turn.
• Do this while the tires are still touching the ground so the wheels do not spin.
• Loosen only. Do not remove yet.

Step 2: Raise and Support the Rear of the Truck

• Use a floor jack to lift the rear of your Colorado at the rear axle center section.
• Place jack stands under the rear axle tubes, one on each side.
• Lower the truck gently onto the jack stands using the floor jack.
• Lightly shake the truck by hand to confirm it is stable before working underneath or around it.

Step 3: Remove the Rear Wheels

• Use the 19mm lug nut socket and 3/8-inch drive ratchet or breaker bar to remove the lug nuts.
• Remove both rear wheels and place them flat under the truck as an extra safety backup.

Step 4: Remove the Rear Caliper

• Start on one side only. Keep the other side assembled so you can use it as a reference.
• Use a 13mm socket and 3/8-inch drive ratchet to remove the two rear caliper slide pin bolts.
• Slide the caliper off the rotor by hand. If it is snug, use a flat-blade screwdriver to gently wiggle it loose.
• Hang the caliper from the suspension with a bungee cord.
• Do not let the caliper hang by the rubber brake hose.

Step 5: Remove the Old Brake Pads

• Pull the old brake pads out of the caliper bracket by hand.
• Use a flat-blade screwdriver if a pad is stuck in the bracket.
• Look at the old pads. Uneven wear can mean stuck slide pins or bracket hardware.

Step 6: Remove the Caliper Bracket

• Use an 18mm socket and 1/2-inch drive breaker bar to remove the two caliper bracket bolts.
• Remove the caliper bracket from the axle flange.
• These bolts are usually tight, so keep the socket square on the bolt head.

Step 7: Remove the Rear Rotor

• Make sure the parking brake is fully released.
• Try to pull the rotor straight off by hand.
• If the rotor is stuck to the hub, spray the center hub area with brake cleaner and tap around the rotor hat with a small hammer.
• If the rotor moves but will not come off, the internal parking brake shoes may be holding it.
• Use a brake spring spoon or brake adjusting tool through the adjustment access opening to back off the parking brake adjuster until the rotor slides off.
• Do not force it off the parking brake shoes.

Step 8: Clean the Hub and Bracket

• Use a wire brush to clean rust from the wheel hub face where the rotor sits.
• Use brake cleaner and a catch pan to rinse debris from the hub and bracket.
• Remove the old pad hardware clips from the caliper bracket by hand or with a flat-blade screwdriver.
• Use the wire brush to clean the areas under the clips.
• A clean hub helps prevent brake vibration.

Step 9: Install the New Rotor

• Spray both faces of the new rotor with brake cleaner to remove protective oil.
• Slide the new rotor onto the hub by hand.
• If the parking brake shoes rub lightly, that is acceptable. If the rotor will not turn, back off the adjuster using the brake spring spoon or brake adjusting tool.
• Hold the rotor in place with one lug nut installed by hand.

Step 10: Install New Brake Hardware

• Install the new pad hardware clips into the caliper bracket by hand.
• Apply a thin layer of brake lubricant to the pad contact points on the hardware only.
• Do not put lubricant on the rotor or pad friction material.

Step 11: Reinstall the Caliper Bracket

• Position the caliper bracket over the rotor.
• Thread the two bracket bolts by hand first to avoid cross-threading.
• Use an 18mm socket and 1/2-inch drive torque wrench to tighten the caliper bracket bolts.
• Torque to 148 Nm (109 ft-lbs).

Step 12: Compress the Caliper Piston

• Place an old brake pad against the caliper piston.
• Use a brake caliper piston compression tool to slowly push the piston fully into the caliper.
• A piston is the round part inside the caliper that pushes the inner brake pad.
• Watch the brake fluid reservoir under the hood while compressing. Use a 10mm wrench only if you need to open the bleeder screw slightly to control fluid, then close it right away.
• If the bleeder screw is opened, keep the area clean and catch fluid in a catch pan.

Step 13: Install the New Brake Pads

• Install the new rear brake pads into the caliper bracket by hand.
• Make sure the friction material faces the rotor.
• Apply a small amount of brake lubricant to the pad ears where they slide in the hardware.
• Do not grease the pad face.

Step 14: Reinstall the Caliper

• Lower the caliper over the new pads by hand.
• Make sure the rubber brake hose is not twisted.
• Install the two caliper slide pin bolts by hand.
• Use a 13mm socket and 3/8-inch drive torque wrench to tighten the slide pin bolts.
• Torque to 31 Nm (23 ft-lbs).

Step 15: Repeat on the Other Side

• Repeat Steps 4 through 14 on the opposite rear brake.
• Use the assembled side as a visual guide if you are unsure how the pads or clips sit.

Step 16: Reinstall the Rear Wheels

• Remove the temporary lug nut holding each rotor by hand.
• Install the rear wheels onto the hubs.
• Thread all lug nuts by hand first.
• Use a 19mm lug nut socket and 3/8-inch drive ratchet to snug the lug nuts in a star pattern.

Step 17: Lower the Truck and Torque the Lug Nuts

• Use the floor jack to lift the rear slightly off the jack stands.
• Remove the jack stands.
• Lower your Colorado until the tires touch the ground.
• Use a 19mm lug nut socket and 1/2-inch drive torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern.
• Torque to 190 Nm (140 ft-lbs).

Step 18: Pump the Brake Pedal

• Before driving, press the brake pedal slowly several times until it feels firm.
• This moves the caliper pistons back out against the new pads.
• If the pedal stays soft or sinks, do not drive. Recheck the work and brake fluid level.

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✅ After Repair

• ✅ Check the brake fluid reservoir and top off with DOT 3 brake fluid if needed.
• ✅ Start your Colorado and press the brake pedal again. It should feel firm.
• ✅ Test the parking brake in a safe area to make sure it holds properly.
• ✅ Road test at low speed first. Make several gentle stops to confirm normal braking.
• ✅ Bed in the pads by making 8-10 moderate stops from about 30-35 mph, allowing short cooling time between stops.
• ✅ Avoid hard braking for the first 200 miles unless needed for safety.
• ✅ Recheck lug nut torque after 25-50 miles using the 19mm lug nut socket and 1/2-inch drive torque wrench.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $450-$750 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $140-$280 (parts only)

You Save: $310-$470 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.

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