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How to Remove a 2005 Nissan Xterra Brake Rotor

The 2005 model year was a big one for Nissan’s mid-size SUV, the Xterra. Nissan replaced the standard 2.4-liter engine and optional 3.3-liter engine with just one engine -- a 265-horsepower, 4.0-liter V-6, which was good for an additional 55 horsepower over even the supercharged 3.3-liter engine. The 2005 Xterra came standard with four-wheel-disc brakes, and replacing the rotors on the front and rear brake system was the same process, sans the differing torque specifications.

Things You'll Need

  • Ratchet
  • Socket set
  • Floor jack
  • Jack stands
  • Combination wrench set
  • Bungee strap
  • Rubber mallet
  • Torque wrench
  • New brake pads
  • Drain pan
  • 8-inch C-clamp
  • New DOT 3 fluid
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Instructions

    • 1

      Loosen the lug nuts from the wheels with the failed rotor or rotors using a ratchet and socket. Raise the end of the vehicle, front or rear, from which you are removing the rotor, using a floor jack. Slide jack stands under the Xterra’s frame rails and lower the SUV onto the jack stands. Remove the wheels.

    • 2

      Remove the upper and lower caliper bolts with a ratchet and socket as you hold the caliper pins steady with a combination wrench. Pull the caliper from its bracket and hang it from a nearby suspension component using a bungee strap.

    • 3

      Pull the brake pads from the caliper bracket and pull the pad slippers, the thin metal shims above and below the pads in the caliper bracket, from the caliper bracket. Remove the two bolts securing the caliper bracket using a ratchet and socket, and remove the caliper bracket.

    • 4

      Pull the rotor from the hub. If the rotor does not pull off easily, lightly strike the rear of it with a rubber mallet to free the rotor.

    • 5

      Slide the new rotor onto the hub and reinstall the caliper bracket. Hand-tighten the caliper bracket’s bolts, then torque them to 136 foot-pounds on the front or 76 foot-pounds on the rear, using a torque wrench and socket.

    • 6

      Press new pad slippers, which come with the new brake pads, into their grooves in the caliper bracket until they snap into place. Slide new brake pads into the caliper bracket.

    • 7

      Position a drain pan under the brake caliper. Set the old inner brake pad inside the caliper so it contacts the caliper’s piston or pistons. Place an 8-inch C-clamp over the caliper so its screw part contacts the old inner brake pad and its fixed part contacts the rear of the caliper’s body.

    • 8

      Open the caliper’s bleeder valve with a combination wrench and immediately tighten the C-clamp to compress the caliper’s pistons. Once the C-clamp stops moving, immediately close the bleeder valve with a combination wrench.

    • 9

      Reinstall the caliper onto its bracket and hand-tighten the caliper bolts. Torque the caliper bolts to 32 foot-pounds on the front or 24 foot-pounds on the rear with a torque wrench and socket, as you hold the caliper pins steady with a combination wrench.

    • 10

      Repeat steps 2 through 9 to replace the rotor on the other side of the vehicle. It is best to replace the rotors in sets of two to avoid uneven braking.

    • 11

      Reinstall the wheels onto the vehicle’s hubs and hand-tighten the lug nuts. Raise the Xterra off the jack stands with a floor jack and lower the SUV to the ground. Tighten the lug nuts in a crisscross pattern to 98 foot-pounds.

    • 12

      Press and release the brake pedal until it feels firm, then check the fluid level in the brake master cylinder. If the level is not between the “Min” and “Max” lines, unscrew the cap form the master cylinder reservoir and add new DOT 3 fluid until the level is at the “Max” line.

    • 13

      Take old brake fluid to a used automotive fluid recycling center for disposal. Some auto parts stores take old fluids free of charge.

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