# Change rear brakes on Cruze



## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

Haven't had one apart but is there a bottom bolt?


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## joshuab (Apr 16, 2014)

Nope, there just seems to be a long steam w/ a circle cap on the end of it. There was a top bolt & I took it out that is far as I got.


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## iTz SADISTIK (Apr 6, 2014)

My thought is that the break pads are compressed and you need to use a clamp to compress the pads against the caliper in order to lift it off. Unfortunately I haven't changed the breaks on my Cruze yet but I also have drum rears. 

This guy has a nice guide. If the rear are anything like the front this should do: Chevrolet Cruze Front Brake Pads Replacement Guide - 2011 To 2014 Model Years - Picture Illustrated Automotive Maintenance DIY Instructions


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## joshuab (Apr 16, 2014)

Hello,

I have found something similar to my breaks in the back - please see the image I have attached & the notes on them On what I have done & what else is needed that I am confused on.


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## iTz SADISTIK (Apr 6, 2014)

Chevrolet Workshop Manuals > Cruze L4-1.4L Turbo (2011) > Brakes and Traction Control > Disc Brake System > Brake Caliper > Component Information > Service and Repair > Removal and Replacement

How to Change Brakes on 08-11 Chevy Malibu - YouTube

The first is a manual for the 14, I can't see crap but maybe it will help you since you're nose to caliper.

The second is a malibu and looks similar to what I think should be done. I believe it should pivot but not come completely off?


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

You guys are making an old mechanic nuts......The word is BRAKES!!!!!!!!! not Breaks......you take a break, you break your bones but you stop with BRAKES.

OP.....you need to compress the piston into the caliper a bit by prying the caliper body away from the rotor....just a but so the pads aren't dragging on the rotor.........however, you will need a special tool to finish pressing the piston into the caliper body.
The tool engages the inside of the piston and rotates it as though screwing it into the caliper bore.
This is how the park brake ratchets the piston outward.....by turning it.

I think you may be out of your league here.....tool is a multi fit kit...runs about $200.00.....you'll wish you had old fashioned simple drums after you make the investment.

Did I mention the correct spelling is BRAKES?
Heh heh.

Rob


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Ya that 'brakes' thing bugs the crap out of me too.


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## joshuab (Apr 16, 2014)

I know how to get the piston back into the caliper; my only concern is that bottom bolt if you would like at the image w/ the ball looking thing on the end is there a screw end on this that brings that thing out as like the top & then I can pull the caliper off & swap the pads & then the rest is simple for me. I just do not want to take anything loss that I am unaware of & wanting to take steps w/ caution so I don't mess anything up.


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

How many miles do you have on this car that you need to replace the rear pads. Rear brakes(disk or drum) should go upwards of 75000 miles before needing replacement. The fronts do 95% of the work. I don't have rear disks but those should be the same as the front. Did you compress the caliper? The only difficulty I had with removing the front ones was the way the mounting bracket requires you to pull out one side at a time. As long as you can pivot the caliper off the pads, it just may take some maneuvering to get the pads out of the bracket. It should nt matter top or bottom bolt. either way will pivot unless there is a brake line that prohibits movement! I think it is that way on the front. 

FYI I spelled brakes correctly!!!!!!!!!! That always got me when people spelled brakes as breaks!!!!! That's your good ole American spell check for ya Kinda like phone voice recognition!!!!! I try voice recognition for side effects of "Vimpat" a medicine I take and I get Side effects of Pat!!!!


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## joshuab (Apr 16, 2014)

Well I started noticing some loud noises & scraping from the guessing little metal things letting me know they are getting close to needing changed? The front was a breeze, If I know I needed to take that bottom bolt out that has the end part on it off to remove the caliper I'd be all set.

Did you have to remove the little bar w/ the circle thing on the end from the bottom of the caliper? before removing the pads from the rear or again maybe I am overlooking what you guys are mentioning - do I just compress the piston back into the caliper & then pull it on out after just taking the top bolt out?

Miles : 32,680


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Find that I am confused with four wheel disk brakes in just reading the shop service manual.

Fronts are conventional, just use a clamp to push the piston back into the caliper, although I prefer to loosen the bleeder and learn if I can push the piston in with my thumbs. Tells me the piston is free, gets rid of that old burnt brake fluid, and doesn't over flow the master cylinder. And since you are pushing out old fluid and not sucking in air, brakes don't have to be bled.

Rears are confusing since I have been dealing with rear disks brakes since the 70's and deals with screwing in the piston with a special tool. Only thing the shop manual says on this issue is to first remove the brake caliper mass dampener, That looks like a lower bolt that holds in the pad holder. This is kind of new as the older calipers were a one piece cast iron housing. Looks like GM copied this two piece design from Toyota.

In regards to the piston that must be sticking out with worn pads, say absolutely nothing about it, the older ones had to be screwed back in with that special tool. This is when you learn that screw is a pile of rust and impossible to turn so end up paying a couple of hundred bucks for a new caliper.

And don't even mention using a clamp to push that piston back in, nothing period is said about this, just insert the new pads, reassemble it and put that brake caliper mass dampener back in as the last step. Guess I will never learn until I try it, or take an old one apart to study the mechanism. No principles of operation on this caliper either. Manual has 198 pages on brakes that just explains how to replace parts.

But what is common with the old style rear disk calipers, is a notch still exists in the piston that must be mated with a pin on the pad to prevent that piston from turning. Manual just says to rotate the piston, but doesn't say how, with your fingers? No special tools is shown nor even mentioned.

GM also managed to come up with an erratic caliper brake, in driving yesterday, at times pedal would go darn near to the floor when applying the brakes, other times was perfectly normal. Really curious as to what they are doing, but can't find any explanation. Could lay out 110 bucks, buy one and take it part to learn. Won't be the first time I had to do this. 

In regards to bleeding, preferred method is to have a special scanner to remotely activate the ABS pump because they still admit if any air in the ABS modulator, its the only way to get it out. Get around this by hot wiring it.

Parking brake was also a mystery, but this is explained, automatically self adjusting. A rod as part of the parking brake assembly has two jagged tooth jaws on it. Assuming that rod stays stationary, when releasing the hand brake with those front facing jagged teeth, should slide rearward for a new bite on the rod for the adjustment.

Sounds like of dumb to me as if those teeth wear out, have to replace the entire hand brake assembly, $$$$. All this stuff wear a good old fashion double nut that was very easy to adjust would no longer have to be adjusted. With any vehicle with stretched out cables, only had to adjust those nuts maybe once or twice during the life of the vehicle.

AND DID NOT HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE HAND BRAKE ASSEMBLY.

Think somebody is smoking crack with some of these ideas.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

The mass damper is that long shaft aimed toward the vehicle center with the rubber dampened ring around it.
When you remove the piston side pads, the piston has a large female hex in the center.
The tool mentioned is just the correct size hex and this is installed and turned (in so doing, turning the piston) inwards back into the caliper bore.
Do not try to press the piston in.....it will shear the internal adjuster threads......repeating, the rear pistons screw back in using the tool.
Reasembly is just that but before you step on the brakes, apply/release the handbrake several times....initially there will be no resistance at the handle.
With each handle pump you are turning the internal piston screw outwards, adjusting the rear brakes.
Once the handle has resistance at about the half travel point and tightens no further it can be assumed the brakes are adjusted.
Now you can start the engine and apply the pedal a few times.....should be back to normal.

Rob


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Kind of like left out using an allen hex to turn in that piston. And could explain why not a special purpose tool.

Major mystery is the erratic operation of these things, sometimes a full pedal, other is almost clear to the floor. With older rear disk brakes, when the pedal went to the floor, always went to the floor.

Chilton's manual does say to screw in the piston all the way into the bore, but doesn't say how, neither the Chilton nor the Cruze shop manual shows any kind of hex hole, assumingly in the center of the piston. 

Both say to press the brake pedal 2/3's of the way down in 15 second intervals to seat the piston. Nothing about working the parking brake to crank that piston until its seated.

Cruze is also this way, when I felt the brake pedal going low, would work the hand brake a couple times, pedal would come right back up. Also noticed from the reflection of the DRL's on the vehicle ahead of me, these lights would flash on and off with the handbrake.

Typically do take manuals with a grain of salt, hire guys for more than their literal ability than common engineering sense. With an SUV for changing the ball joints, took four hours for the first side. Then asked, why did we remove all this stuff like the manual said! Second side took 45 minutes. With another to change a water pump, guy must have had the engine on his desk to write this up. No way could this be done his way with the engine in the vehicle. This goes on and on.


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## gbaker (Aug 29, 2015)

Hey guys, I'm looking at my back brakes as well . I have the same problem. I need to get both top and bottom bolts out as I need to lubricate my sliders as they are sticking badly. The bottom bolt has this 4 inch cover( damper) over or hiding the bolt. Did we find out how to get this off to get to the bottom bolt. It is item 14 in the picture. Can anybody help.


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## brett004 (Mar 11, 2014)

Just thought Id add some info to assist others as I have just changed the rear pads on my wife's MY15 Holden Cruze.
1. Handbrake off and chock.
2. Rear jacked up to remove both wheels.
3. remove damper module (or whatever you call it) 13mm spanner.







4. Remove top slider bolt 10mm spanner.







5. Pull caliper assembly away.







6. Remove brake pads (they will just clip out).







7. Using a 6" Grinder disk removal spanner wind the piston all the way back in. (They changed from allen key to 2 indent lugs in later models).














8. Fit new pads.
9. Reassemble caliper assembly.







10. While on jacks repeatedly pull hand brake on and off to readjust caliper piston.
11. Refit wheels and test drive.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Back then and for a couple of bucks, could pull the backing plates clean, and get them electroplated, but our EPA banned electroplating.

So only other choice is to try to find a paint that is almost as good, still looking. Ever get the feeling everybody, (government) is against us?

Was watching that father son battle program in American Chopper, the claimed they were sending parts to be chromed plated in Tennessee, bit never could find them. Now, Mexico, I could believe or China, or just about anywhere except in the good old USA. 

Sure can't expect good drum brakes without a clean backing plate, road salt sure doesn't help. They are against us.


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## anthonysmith93 (Jul 15, 2015)

brett004 said:


> Just thought Id add some info to assist others as I have just changed the rear pads on my wife's MY15 Holden Cruze.
> 1. Handbrake off and chock.
> 2. Rear jacked up to remove both wheels.
> 3. remove damper module (or whatever you call it) 13mm spanner.
> ...


Glad someone finally figured it out haha, I was reading this thread wondering why people thought it was so hard to do, seems pretty basic to me and I'm no mechanic!


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Robby said:


> You guys are making an old mechanic nuts......The word is BRAKES!!!!!!!!! not Breaks......you take a break, you break your bones but you stop with BRAKES.
> 
> OP.....you need to compress the piston into the caliper a bit by prying the caliper body away from the rotor....just a but so the pads aren't dragging on the rotor.........however, you will need a special tool to finish pressing the piston into the caliper body.
> The tool engages the inside of the piston and rotates it as though screwing it into the caliper bore.
> ...


Brakes, breaks - the way some folks drive I think they break their brakes.


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

I'm about to embark on changing rear disc pads on my 2012 LTZ, I wonder... should I expect a allen wrench, or do I have to find a grinder disc removal type wrench?

Also... which way do you turn the screw? Years ago, when doing rear disc brakes on my sister's Trans-Am , I manged to turn things the wrong way on the self adjuster mechnisiam and the entire brake piston came apart, which I was then unable to repair on my own... I don't want a repeat of that situation...

Disc brake should be so easy... and they are, except for rears when you have to figure out how they handle the emergency brake... I'm sure it's not that hard after you've done it sucessfully once... but so far on rear discs, I'm 0 for 1. ( that failure was some 36 years ago, haven't even tried to do another rear disc bake pad replacement since. )


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

Well, I did the drivers side rear brakes last night , for some reason the outer pad had been hanging and wore out way quicker then it should have. Even so, the car has 100,000 miles on it, and the breaks were original equipment, so I can't complain too much.

The 2012 does not have the hex , but requires something like a disc grinder too to turn the piston back in. The drivers side requires turning the piston clockwise as your looking at it's face. I have not yet done the passenger side, but I wonder if it needs to turn counter clockwise... or if they mounted the emergency brake mechanism upside down on that side. I'll likely find out over the weekend when I replace that side. ( it's not metal to metal yet, so there was no immediate need to change that side and I just wasn't in the mood to do it last night )

All in all, it's a pretty easy job changing the rear disc brake pads once you know how to screw the piston in.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

iggy said:


> Well, I did the drivers side rear brakes last night , for some reason the outer pad had been hanging and wore out way quicker then it should have. Even so, the car has 100,000 miles on it, and the breaks were original equipment, so I can't complain too much.
> 
> The 2012 does not have the hex , but requires something like a disc grinder too to turn the piston back in. The drivers side requires turning the piston clockwise as your looking at it's face. I have not yet done the passenger side, but I wonder if it needs to turn counter clockwise... or if they mounted the emergency brake mechanism upside down on that side. I'll likely find out over the weekend when I replace that side. ( it's not metal to metal yet, so there was no immediate need to change that side and I just wasn't in the mood to do it last night )
> 
> All in all, it's a pretty easy job changing the rear disc brake pads once you know how to screw the piston in.


How did the other side turn out? What did you actually use to turn the pistons in, could you put a screwdriver in the slot sideways and turn it?


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

Sunline Fan said:


> How did the other side turn out? What did you actually use to turn the pistons in, could you put a screwdriver in the slot sideways and turn it?


 I haven't actually done the other side yet, my car started making other noises related to the valve train and I completely forgot about the brakes. Actually, I have no reason to believe the other side actually needed new pads just yet, it was never hanging like the drivers side was.

I bought a tool , but ended up using a wrench I had for my angle grinder. The tool I bought is one of these...

https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-28600-Disc-Brake-Piston/dp/B0002SQUFY

You might be able to just use a screw driver, but there isn't a slot that goes across the whole piston, only two notches. Your screw driver would likely slide off and you cut yourself, or something like that happening... Better off just to get the tool.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

iggy said:


> I haven't actually done the other side yet, my car started making other noises related to the valve train and I completely forgot about the brakes. Actually, I have no reason to believe the other side actually needed new pads just yet, it was never hanging like the drivers side was.
> 
> I bought a tool , but ended up using a wrench I had for my angle grinder. The tool I bought is one of these...
> 
> ...


Did my brake job yesterday. Front pads and rotors and rear pads. Both rear pistons turn in clockwise. My dad had a tool that I borrowed (looks just like the one above but not a Lisle), but I found the whole tool and every combo on it was too small to fit the Cruze piston. I might have been able to file some down to make it fit, but I didn't bother.

Instead, I just used needle nose pliers. With the caliper hanging on a wire, I put the pliers in the two slots and just turned them clockwise. Really wasn't that hard to turn at all, having a tool for it seems pretty unnecessary. My old Thor polisher has the pad held on with a similar style nut, and tightening it is more difficult that turning this piston in.

All in all, very pleased with the new brakes. Still had 75+% pad left at 52k, but the rotors were very unevenly grooved, so they made for some unpleasant braking.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

This tool has been around for the last 30 years or so to rotate the rear disc caliper piston. Worked with all pistons.










They changed it again? Has two radial opposed holes in the piston now, now you need something like this.










A disc with two mating pins on, if there is even one disc that mates with the two holes in your piston.

Screw it, just used a long pair of long nose pliers to rotate that piston in. But as that pad wears, that piston sticks way out and is exposed to all kind of road salt, corroded, so if you can screw it back in, jammed so tight, it would never self adjust anymore. Seen some so bad, just had to buy new calipers, not cheap, but its your live. Those piston boots also dry up and crack. And if cleanable, should be replaced. Like coating those with silicon, on the outside so doesn't hurt anything.


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## commutertg (Feb 2, 2013)

Has anyone encountered a significant wear disparity between the left and right rear brakes? My 2013 LT all of a sudden has worn the Right Rear pad all the way down. Changed the fronts at 100k, but the rears were fine, now the left rear is fine, but the right rear is done. Any experience with replacing the caliper on the right rear? It wasn't easy to find one.


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## Mr95Kenny (Jan 13, 2019)

Watch my howto video!

https://youtu.be/MYu3uxi9oOc


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## guuyuk (Nov 12, 2015)

NickD said:


> This tool has been around for the last 30 years or so to rotate the rear disc caliper piston. Worked with all pistons.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They have this set at Harbor Freight for around $16. I originally needed it for my 2003 Mini Cooper for it's rear calipers, since then I have used it on the wife's cars over the years. Best 16 bucks I have spent in quite a while.​


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