How to Replace Front Brakes 2008-14 Cadillac CTS
Created on: 2018-05-31
How to repair, install, fix, change or replace your own worn, squeaky, fading old front brakes on 08 Cadillac CTS
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step 1 :Removing the Wheel
- Loosen the 22mm lug nuts with the vehicle on the ground
- Raise the vehicle with a floor jack
- Secure the vehicle on jack stands
- Remove the lug nuts
- Pull off the wheel
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step 2 :Removing the Brake Pads and Rotor
- Remove 14mm bolts from the brake caliper
- Pull the caliper aside and secure it with a bungee cord
- Pry the brake pads off with a flat blade screwdriver
- Remove 18mm bolts from the brake caliper bracket
- Pull off the brake caliper bracket
- Remove the T30 Torx screw from the rotor
- Pull the rotor off
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step 3 :Preparing the New Brake Pads and Rotor
- Clean the surface of the hub with a wire brush
- Clean the brake pad slides with a wire brush
- Clean the caliper with a wire brush
- Apply grease to the caliper slides
- Clean both sides of the rotor with brake parts cleaner
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step 4 :Installing the Brake Pads and Rotor
- Slide the rotor on
- Tighten the T30 Torx bolt to the rotor
- Put the caliper bracket back into place
- Start the bolts by hand
- Tighten the bolts to 166 foot-pounds of torque
- Add grease to the brake pad tabs
- Install the new brake pads into the bracket
- Put an old pad in the caliper
- Use a large C-clamp or compressor tool to the old pad to push the pistons back
- Put the caliper on
- Thread bolts by hand
- Hold the caliper slide with channel lock pliers
- Torque bolts to 48 foot-pounds
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step 5 :Reattaching the Wheel
- Slide the wheel into place
- Start the 22mm lug nuts by hand
- Tighten the lug nuts preliminarily
- Lower the vehicle to the ground
- Tighten the lug nuts to 100 foot-pounds in a crossing or star pattern
Tools needed
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14mm Wrench
Large C-Clamp
Socket Extensions
Torque Wrench
Hammer
Channel-Lock Pliers
Pry Bar
18mm Socket
Flat Blade Screwdriver
T30 Driver
Bungee Cord
Anti-Seize Grease
Ratchet
Needle nose pliers
1/2 Inch Breaker Bar
22mm Socket
Hi, I’m Mike from 1A Auto. We’ve been selling auto parts for over 30 years!
In this video, we will be removing and replacing front brakes on a 2008 Cadillac CTS4. If you need these parts or other parts for your vehicle, click the link in the description and head over to 1aauto.com. We're going to pull this wheel off. We use a 22-millimeter socket and a breaker bar. You could also use a 7/8 socket. We're going to break the lug nuts free before we put the vehicle up.
Now we're going to raise and support the vehicle. Just making sure these are all loose. Now I can just use the socket and twist out the lug nuts. Pull the lug nuts out. I'm going to take the tire off. If you have to, you can hit it with your hand. Next we're going to take these caliper bolts out. We’re going to use a 14-millimeter wrench. Just going to hit them off. Loosen them up, if this caliper slide starts spinning, you can fit a wrench in on there. I'll get this bottom one out too.
Next thing, I'm going to pry the caliper out. You can get these pry bars at 1aauto.com. So we can grab right under here. Pull it up. Right under there, pry it under here and pry it out. We're going to use a bungee cord to hold this caliper out of the way. Over there. I'll take these brake pads off. I'm going to take these caliper bracket bolts out, they're 18-millimeter. I'm going to use an 18-millimeter socket on a breaker bar to break them free. These are tight.
Now I'm going to use an 18-millimeter socket and a ratchet. Take the bolts out. I'll go to the next one, take this one out before I take them out completely. And I can do it by hand. As I'm twisting these bolts out, I'm going to support the caliper bracket with my other hand. Pull the bolts out, and I can pull the caliper bracket straight out.
Next we're going to take this Torx screw out. I'm going to use a T30 socket and a ratchet. This is a little bit tricky to get out, but it is coming out. We're going to tap this rotor in these locations with this hammer. You can get these at 1aauto.com. Popped right out. Then we can pull it off.
These are our old brakes pads and rotors, and these are our new brakes, pads, and rotors from 1aauto.com. As you can see, the brake pads have the same shape. They have the same gears on the ends, and the squealers are in the same locations.
Here we have our rotors from 1aauto.com. You can see the machine surfaces are the same, the height is the same, and these are drilled rotors and slotted, and that helps for added cooling and better performance. Those are all the same. Get yours at 1aauto.com, and you'll be ready to rock and roll.
Now we're going to want to clean this hub surface. We're going to use a wire brush. You want to get in all this area right here so that the rotor goes true to the hub. You can use a smaller wire brush to get in there, and that'll make the rotor sit more flat. Should be good.
We're going to spray a little brake parts cleaner on here. Clean it up. Now I'm going to hang the rotor on like that first, backwards, and we're going to take some brake parts cleaner. Spray it down because there's a coating on the rotors to prevent rust. Wipe that down with a paper towel. Then we'll flip it back over.
We're going to line the hole up for that Torx screw. Should line that up there. Take the brake parts cleaner again, spray it down and wipe it off. You want to keep in mind, when installing these performance ones with the holes, that these slots go in this direction. You can double-check the website for fitment. This happens to be the driver's side, so as if the slot is cutting into the wind.
Next we're going to take our Torx screw and screw it back in. Take our Torx bit and thread it in there. Use a small ratchet. I'm going to clean the caliper bracket with a wire brush. Just going like that. Trying to get some of the dirt and the rust off. Pull these pad guides up so that we can get in underneath. Then we can reinstall the pad guides. And do the same for the other side.
With the pad guides out, use a little flat blade screwdriver to pull those off. I’m using a wire brush again. And we can reinstall the pad guides.
Now we're going to pull out the caliper slide pins. These ones seem to be pretty tight in there, so I'm going to grab them with some pliers. Twist them out. I'm going to use a little bit of brake parts cleaner, clean them off, and use a rag to wipe them. I can spray a little brake parts cleaner down the hole and clean it off with the rag.
I'm going to use a little bit of brake caliper grease. Stick it on the guide pins. Slide those back on. There's this rubber boot right here. You want to make sure that rubber boot goes all the way around the pin. And I'm going to do the same for the other side. Now our bracket's ready to hang back on the vehicle.
Now we're going to hang our caliper bracket back on. Take the bolts. Get the bolts started by hand. You may have to wiggle the bracket to get the bolts to line up. I'm going to use my 18-millimeter socket and ratchet. Now we're going to torque these caliper bracket bolts to 166 foot-pounds.
Install the brake pads. We’re going to use a little bit of brake grease. Put it on the ears of the pads and on the back of the pad, just a little bit. This pad happens to go on the inside. The one with the squealers, on this vehicle. So we'll install that. We'll do the same with the other side. Little bit of grease on the ears and some grease on the back of the pad. Slide it in. I'm going to pull the bungee cord off the caliper. Take one of the old brake pads. We have this caliper piston tool. You can get these at 1aauto.com.
Stick it in here. This is going to compress the piston back into the caliper. As we're doing this, brake fluid is going from the caliper, and then it is going back up into the master cylinder reservoir. And because we're not disconnecting anything on the hydraulic side of the brakes, there is no need for us to have to bleed the brake system when we're done this brake job. Because this is only a single and there's dual, I'll have to go back and forth slowly as it pushes one piston in at a time.
Now we're going to slip our brake caliper over the pads. You're going to want to make sure your brake hose is not twisted in the back. And I'll go all the way down. I'm going to install our calipers bolts. I'm going to use some channel lock pliers to hold the brake caliper pin as I torque these to 48 foot-pounds. And do the same for the top. Hold these with my channel lock pliers and torque these to 48 foot-pounds.
We'll reinstall the tire. We're going to install these. I'm going to use a 21-millimeter socket to screw them down. We're going to torque these with our torque wrench and a 22-millimeter socket to 100 foot-pounds. We're going to torque it in a star pattern. That's going to fasten the wheel to the rotor evenly and will prevent warpage.
Thanks for watching. Visit us at 1AAuto.com for quality auto parts, fast and free shipping, and the best customer service in the industry.
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