How to Fix Brake Rotors & Pads on a Mazda Protege 5

The braking system in your Mazda Protege is a simple system in terms of moving parts. However, the system is complicated in the sense that everything must work 100 percent of the time. This is the design goal for every braking system. Unfortunately, braking systems don't always work 100 percent of the time. To reduce the possibility of critical brake failure, you'll need to fix the brake rotors and pads on your Mazda Protege 5 the moment you notice a problem. Problems usually present themselves in one of a few ways: You will either feel feedback in the steering wheel (it will vibrate) when the brake rotors are warped or failing or you will hear a metallic scraping sound coming from the brakes when you depress the brake pedal. This scraping sound is the brake pad wear indicator. It warns you that your pads are about to fail and need to be replaced.

Things You'll Need

• Socket wrench with socket set
• Rubber mallet
• Zip-ties
• C-clamp
• Screwdrivers (flat head and Phillips head)
• New brake pads and rotors
• Tire wrench
• Jack with 2 jack stands
• Shop rag
• Brake parts cleaner
• Thread locker

Instructions

1. Break the lug nuts loose on the front wheels by turning them 1/4 turn counter clockwise.

2. Lift the Mazda up onto jack stands. Place the floor jack under the front support of the vehicle and jack up on it. Place the jack stands under the pinch welds and lower the vehicle onto the stands.

3. Continue loosening and removing the lug nuts.

4. Pull the wheel off the wheel hub assembly.

5. Remove the upper and lower caliper mounting bolts. Remove the caliper. Then, secure the caliper with zip-ties to the coil springs on the suspension above the rotor.

6. Remove the brake pads from the caliper. Put the worn face of the old brake pad over the caliper piston and orient the pad in the center of the piston. Put the C-clamp over the brake pad and clamp down on both the caliper and the pad to force the piston back into the caliper assembly.

7. Pull off the old brake rotor and install the new brake rotor.

8. Insert the new pads into the Protege's caliper.

9. Reassemble the brake caliper, and put the brake system back together. Assembly is the reverse of dis-assembly.

10. Lower the Protege to the ground and torque the lug nuts to 100 pound-feet.

Tips & Warnings

• Place a small amount of thread locker on the threads of the bolts to prevent them from coming loose during normal braking.

References

• Mazda 323, Protege Repair Manual 1990-2000; Haynes Manuals, Inc.; 2001