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i have a 1995 mx-3 v6 1.8. the rear pads definetly need to be replaced but one rear rotor or caliper is rusty and seems to have nothing left to it.. the brake makes a horrible grinding sound.. how would i go abouts to fixing this on a budget and hopefully on my own.. any suggestions would be apprecaited

unfortunatly nothing is ever cheap when comes to brakes...when u do one you should do the rest(thus makeing it expensive.)

my rears were rusted up pretty good too.i couldnt even push it with a truck!! i took my back tires off sprayed them (rotors that is)with "PB BLASTER" and and smacked them around with a hammer until i got them free. this also took alot of turnning them front to back with my hands.

good luck.

I'd go with a set of slotted and drilled rotors. As far as replacing them yourself, fairly simple. Just make sure you bleed the brakes real good afterwards.

Unless you are going to be doing autocross or any type of racing where you would be doing some heavy braking consistently, I wouldn't recommend slotted or drilled rotors. Other than visual appeal, they wouldn't offer up much braking improvement since slotted rotors are meant to remove glaze from pads due to consistent heavy braking and the drilled holes are meant for eliminating heat pockets between the pads and the rotor (under heavy braking conditions --- i.e. autocross, racing). Otherwise, cross-drilled and/or slotted rotors will just grind away your pads a lot faster. Stock rotors will be sufficient, just go with upgraded pads (Hawk makes a nice set and ceramic pads last a long time (some say at the expense of grip but to each is own). For budget, just go with OEM rotors and upgrade the pads.

thanks for the replies.. thats kinda what i thought i needed.. but how easy is it to do myself? or would it be worh just paying for someone to do it.. mechanics can charge a lot for labour

The rear calipers are a floating type caliper whcih means that the caliper slides back and forth on a pair of pins which connect it to the spindle bracket. Once those pins are seized, they are pretty well impossible to unseize. At that point you're looking at new rear calipers. The best prices for this stuff is on Rockauto.com. The rotors are pretty cheap at your local discount parts store, but the calipers can be a little pricey. If the brakes are really bad you may want to look at the flex lines as well. If they're old and cracked they should also be replaced.

Your brakes are really important, don't cheap out.

As far as doing the work yourself...it's not that hard. If the old rotors are really rusted onto the hubs you may need an air hammer to get them off. It can be done with a big hand held hammer, but you have to be careful not to damage the studs. Unbolt the caliper brackets from the spindles, undo the hydraulic lines, hammer off the old rotor, clean up the hub surface, install the new rotor, put new pads in the new caliper (you can get them already loaded from rockauto) slide it over the rotor, reattach the e-brake cable, bolt it to the spindle, bleed the system. Done.

Those stupid screws holding the rotor to the hub will almost always strip. Here's how I get them off:

Step 1: Spray w/ ample PB Blaster, wait 5 mins and repeat, then let sit for another 20 or so
Step 2: Get a screwdriver that will fit and hammer the screws a bit, not trying to take them off yet.
Step 3: Get a small socket set and find a philips head bit that will fit in a socket, so you have more leverage than just trying to use a screwdriver. Apply alot of forward pressure when doing this so that you have the least likelihood of stripping the screws.

Step 4: If the screw strips, go to a hardware store and get a screw removal bit for your drill. They work in reverse (counter clockwise).


You only really need 1 of those screws and I recommend replacing them w/ 2 new ones if you can.

Moved to Suspension/Brakes/Wheels/Tires

onlytrueromeo wrote:Those stupid screws holding the rotor to the hub will almost always strip. Here's how I get them off:

Step 1: Spray w/ ample PB Blaster, wait 5 mins and repeat, then let sit for another 20 or so
Step 2: Get a screwdriver that will fit and hammer the screws a bit, not trying to take them off yet.
Step 3: Get a small socket set and find a philips head bit that will fit in a socket, so you have more leverage than just trying to use a screwdriver. Apply alot of forward pressure when doing this so that you have the least likelihood of stripping the screws.

Step 4: If the screw strips, go to a hardware store and get a screw removal bit for your drill. They work in reverse (counter clockwise).


You only really need 1 of those screws and I recommend replacing them w/ 2 new ones if you can.

http://www.drillspot.com/products/62858 ... Driver_Set" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Get one of those...

I did not reinstall the screws. they are not necessary IMO and they just make future work more difficult.

mazdags94 wrote:Unless you are going to be doing autocross or any type of racing where you would be doing some heavy braking consistently, I wouldn't recommend slotted or drilled rotors. Other than visual appeal, they wouldn't offer up much braking improvement since slotted rotors are meant to remove glaze from pads due to consistent heavy braking and the drilled holes are meant for eliminating heat pockets between the pads and the rotor (under heavy braking conditions --- i.e. autocross, racing). Otherwise, cross-drilled and/or slotted rotors will just grind away your pads a lot faster. Stock rotors will be sufficient, just go with upgraded pads (Hawk makes a nice set and ceramic pads last a long time (some say at the expense of grip but to each is own). For budget, just go with OEM rotors and upgrade the pads.

Depends on what type of pads you get as far as chewing up the pads is concerned...but I see your point. The reason I go with these is because I frequently travel at speeds of 120+ MPH (Autobahn 6, aka German International Raceway), and stau's (traffic jam's) occur quite suddenly around here, so the setup I have allows me the shortest stopping distance possible, with little additional cost vs stock set up.

I had the same problem twice with my 93 GS. The rear brakes seased up so I forked over the $650 to get new rotors, calipers and pads, however lo and behold they seased just 4 months later. I don't know if its because I always felt the urge to drive the wheels off the car or if the balance between front and rear braking was off somehow... I just replaced it again and am hoping for the best... cheers

thanks for the replies.. my calipers on my 95 mazda are in good condition. apparently i had no rotor and no back brakes. lol.. all is fixed now for like $300.. got some dude to buy the parts at a discount and had him install them in his driveway.. i love driving my car now.