Don't Judge a Rotor by its cover! - 2014 Dodge Dart Front Pad and Rotor Replacement - EASY DIY

Today we replaced Pads and rotors on my sister in laws Dodge Dart. During an inspection of the car a few weeks back I had noticed the front rotors were rusting out. While you can see the outside of the Rotor looks good the inside was no longer a smooth surface. This is very common where the back of the rotor rusts out faster. In these cases its needed to replace them along with new pads. The tools we used are as follows : Various ratches and Torque wrenches 25FT-130FT LBS 14 MM Socket 5 MM Allan Key socket E-20 Torx OR 12 Point 16 MM socket Hammer Flat Head Screw Driver Brake Grease Antisieze Brake caliper compression tool (pad spreader) Wire brush and/or files to clean brake caliper bracket Brake Cleaner Paper towels There is nothing too different about the dart compared to other cars and the order of operations is as follows. 1. Lift the vehicle and place it safetly on jack stands 2. Remove the wheel 3. Remove the Rotor retaining bolt ( 5 MM Allan Key) You can use a screw driver in the rotor to keep it from spinning 4. Remove the Caliper by taking out the two 14 MM bolts. hang the rotor out of the way without putting pressure on the brake line 5. Remove the caliper bracket with either an E-20 torx socket or 12 point 16 MM Socket 6. With caliper bracket removed use a hammer as needed to smack the rotor off of the hub. Be sure the retaining bolt is removed as mentioned in previous step. 7. With rotor removed clean the hub surface with a wire brush to ensure no built up rust. Then apply Antiseize compound. I use the silver aluminum antiseize. (This step is optional but I suggest it) 8. Clean the new rotor and put it on the hub face. Then install the Allan key bolt to secure the rotor to the hub 9. Remove the old brake hardware from the caliper bracket. Clean the surface on the caliper bracket where the hardware sits. Apply brake grease to the caliper bracket and then install hardware. 10. Install the caliper bracket on the vehicle and torque the torx bolts to 129 FT LBS. (replacing the bolts is suggested in the manual however I didn't feel this was required as the bolt was not damaged or any thread issue) 11. Remove the slide pins from the caliper bracket, clean off old grease and apply new then re-install. 12. Install brake pads with the pad with the squealer installed in the rear. Ensure pads are facing the correct way with pad material facing rotor. I suggest applying a small amount of brake grease to the pad ears. 13. Check your brake fluid reservoir to ensure its not over filled as this step will push fluid up. If going to overflow I suggest putting a rag or using a baster to remove some fluid until next step is done. Compress the brake caliper until its flush with the bore. You can use a pad spread to do this. If any air pockets come out in the rubber boot use a small pick or flat head to pry the seal up to allow the air out. 14. Apply grease to the caliper piston and the ears that touch the pads. 15. Install the caliper and torque the bolts to 25 FT LBS. 16. Inspect the work and ensure no grease is on the new rotor. Clean as needed. 17. Install the wheel and torque to spec (varies but anywhere from 90-105FT LBS) 18. Repeat on opposite side. 19. Before driving the vehicle be sure to pump the brakes to extend the calipers. Recheck Brake fluid level to ensure its above the minimum line and not above the maximum. This is a must.