Much provided you don't gain a garage packed with learned mechanic's tools, you can all the more spending money your own Nissan Maxima brake pads. This is a relatively straightforward operation that takes about Ten to Twenty minutes per pair of brake pads once you have the car raised and stabilized. Brake designs in the Nissan Maxima have changed little since the line was introduced in 1976, so these instructions can lead you through the process of any model year.
Instructions
1. Park the car on a level surface where you have plenty of room to work. If the car was recently driven, let it cool, as the wheels, brakes and rotors may be very hot.
2. Stick a wheel chock behind each of the rear tires.
3. Use a tire iron to loosen the lug nuts on each of the front wheels. Only loosen each one about two full revolutions. This is just to make it easier to remove them later.
4.8. Remove the top half of each caliper from the bottom half by removing the bolts that hold the halves together. Depending on your model year or whether or not your Maxima has aftermarket brakes, you may need to use a flat-head screwdriver, Phillips-head screwdriver or socket wrench to do this. When you remove the bolts, leave the top halves of the calipers sitting on top of the caliper mounts until you reach the next step.
Position both jack stands under the front axle on each side of the car, then slowly and carefully release the pressure on the jack to lower the car onto the stands. Slide the jack out from under the car.
6. Use the tire iron to finish removing all of the lug nuts on the front two wheels, then pull both front tires off the wheel spindles.
7. Look at the brake calipers on each of the front rotors. The brake calipers are the large metal components that are slightly curved and bolted around the rotors. On some Maxima models and some aftermarket brake designs, there is a cage-like wire apparatus snapped around the caliper to reduce vibration. If you see these, pull them off by bending the edges apart slightly and lifting them off of the calipers. They will bend right back to their original shape.
Slide a floor jack under a solid section of the front end suspension. Carefully jack the car up until you have room to slide jack stands under each side of the front axle.5.
9. Tie the top half of each caliper to the undercarriage using some twine or a bungee cord. Make sure there is no stress on the brake line, which is the cable coming out of the top or back of the caliper. If you let the caliper dangle by the brake line, you could damage it.
10. Pull the two brake pads out of the slots on each caliper mount. If they're stuck to the rotor, use a flat-head screwdriver to pry them off.
11. Slide two new brake pads into the slots on each caliper mount. They should install the same way as the old pads were installed, with the brake pad material touching the rotor.
12. Untie the top halves of the calipers one at a time and reinstall them on the caliper mounts with the original bolts.
13. Replace both front tires, then replace and tighten all of the front lug nuts.
14. Slide the floor jack back under a solid part of the suspension and jack the car up until it is just high enough for you to be able to remove the jack stands. Pull the jack stands out, then gently lower the car back to the ground.
15. Move the wheel chocks from behind the rear tires to just in front of the front tires.
16. Repeat Steps Three through Fourteen on the rear wheels and brakes.
