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Buick LaCrosse Rear Brake Pads Replacement Guide
How to change the rear disc brake pads on a 2nd generation 2010 to 2016 Buick LaCrosse sedan with pictures.

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2016 LaCrosse Front Wheel
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Slightly Loosen Lug Nuts
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Raise Rear of Vehicle
This automotive maintenance tutorial was specifically written to assist owners of the second generation (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016) GM Buick LaCrosse sedan in changing the rear disc brake pads and lubricating the caliper slider pins.

Owners of other General Motors vehicles such as the Chevrolet Impala, Monte Carlo, Malibu, Spark, Sonic, Cruze, Volt, SS, Camaro, Caprice, Corvette, Trax, Equinox, Traverse, Tahoe, Suburban, Colorado, Silverado, Buick Verano, Regal, Cascada, Encore, Enclave, Envision, GMC Canyon, Sierra, Terrain, Acadia, Yukon, Savana, Cadillac CT6, ATS-V, ATS, ELR, CTS, XTS, XT5, SRX, Escalade and Holden Commodore may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

The tools needed to complete this procedure include a lug nut wrench, a floor jack, two jack stands, a 13mm socket with a 1/4" drive ratcheting wrench, a "C" or "F" clamp, a Lisle 28600 piston tool and a tube of brake caliper grease.



 

A few compatible replacement sets of new rear brake pads with their part numbers are as follows: ACDelco 14D1430CH, Wagner QC1430, Monroe CX1430, Dura International BP1430 Ceramic and Bosch BC1430.
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Spin Off 5 Lug Nuts
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Five Lug Nuts Removed
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Caliper, Bracket & Rotor
The first few steps are to park the car on a level surface and turn off the ignition.

Make sure that the emergency / parking brake is not engaged.

To prevent the vehicle from moving, chock both sides of the front wheels.

Loosen the five lug nuts on the front wheel by turning them counterclockwise a 1/4 turn with the lug nut wrench.

Carefully raise the rear of the car with the floor jack and securely support it with at least two jack stands.

Spin off the 5 lug nuts and set them aside in a safe place.

Remove the rear wheel to reveal the caliper, bracket, rotor and the rear suspension.

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Rear Brake Caliper
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Loosen Lower Caliper Bolt
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Loosen Upper Caliper Bolt
The rear brake caliper is held in place to the bracket by two bolts on the back side of the caliper with the bolt heads facing in towards the trunk.

My 13mm socket and ratcheting wrench wouldn't fit over the caliper bolts due to the rubber brake fluid line being in the way so I instead had to use a standard 13mm wrench.

Loosen the two caliper bolts by turning them clockwise (as seen from the outside of the vehicle) with the 13mm wrench.

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Spin Out Bottom 13mm Bolt
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Remove Top Caliper Bolt
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Lift Caliper Off Pads
Spin out the two caliper bolts and set them aside in a safe place.

Pull the caliper out of the bracket and off the old pads.

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Rest Caliper On Suspension
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Wear Bar - Top Inner Pad
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Remove Old Outer Pad
Carefully rest the caliper on the suspension or suspend it from the spring with a bungee cord or some twine.

Remove the two brake pads from the bracket and make a mental note of where the wear indicator or "squeal" bar was situated.

On this 2016 LaCrosse, the wear bar was located at the top of the inner brake pad.

I recommend buying the ACDelco 14D1430CH brake pads since they have excellent reviews on Amazon.

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Replace Pad Abutment Clips
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Pull Out Caliper Slider Pins
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Lubricate & Replace Pins
If your new set of rear pads includes replacement brake hardware, pull the old metal pad abutment or "anti-rattle" clips out of the top and bottom of the bracket.

Apply a thin layer of brake parts lubricant grease to the top and bottom of the pad abutment clips where they will come in contact with the bracket or the new pads.

Push the new pad abutment clips on to the top and bottom of the bracket.

In order for the caliper to operate smoothly, the two caliper slider pins or "guide pins" should be well lubricated.

Pull the two caliper slider pins out of their rubber dust boots in the bracket.

Apply some brake caliper grease to the two pins before pushing them back in to place.

In order for the caliper to fit over the thicker new brake pads, you'll need to turn back the "screw-in" type rear caliper piston.



 

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Caliper Piston Tool
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Screw In Caliper Piston
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Wear Bar - Top Inner Pad
Test fit each side of a brake caliper piston tool such as the Lisle 28600 until you find which side has the best grip on the piston.

Attach the caliper piston tool to a short extension bar and a 3/8" drive ratcheting wrench.

Move to the right rear area of the engine bay and twist off the brake fluid reservoir cap in the counterclockwise direction. (The cap is black plastic and has the letters "DOT 3" printed on it.)

Slowly turn the piston tool in the clockwise direction to retract the screw-in type caliper piston until it is flush with the rubber dust boot surrounding it.

Thoroughly clean off the brake rotor, caliper bracket, brake caliper assembly and the lug nut studs with brake parts cleaner spray. Do not use compressed air or blow with your mouth to clean off the brake parts since breathing in brake dust can be harmful to your health. Brake dust can be carcinogenic (causes cancer) if inhaled.

 If your vehicle exhibits shuddering, pulsating, or vibrations during braking, you may need to have your rotors "turned" (resurfaced) or just replace them with brand new rotors. If this is the car's first front brake job and the rotors appear to be in excellent condition, you should be able to just replace the pads with great results.

To remove the existing rotors and install new ones, just remove the single Torx T30 set screw and remove the two 18mm bolts on the rear of the caliper bracket that attach it to the steering knuckle. Then loosen the old rotor with a rubber mallet, pull it off, and slide the new one in its place.

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Install New Outer Pad
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Push Pads Against Rotor
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Lower Caliper Over Pads
Install the new brake pads in to the bracket with the wear bar situated at the top of the inner pad.

Push the two pads together until they are flush against the rotor.

Lower the caliper over the new brake pads and in to the bracket.

If the caliper won't fit over the new brake pads, you may need to turn back the caliper piston a bit further.

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Spin In Lower Bolt
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Replace Top 13mm Bolt
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Tighten Counterclockwise
Line up the bolt holes in the caliper with their corresponding bolt holes in the slider pins within the bracket.

An optional step is to apply some Loctite Blue (medium strength) threadlocker to the caliper bolts to prevent them from vibrating loose. Although properly tightened caliper bolts should not become loose during normal driving.

Spin in the two caliper bolts by hand a few turns in the counterclockwise direction (as seen from the outside of the car).

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Tighten Bottom Bolt
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Rubber Valve Cap
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Brake Fluid Bleeder Valve
Tighten the two caliper bolts with the 13mm wrench in the counterclockwise direction (as seen from the outside of the vehicle) to just past hand tight or about 25 lb-ft of torque.

Double check that the two caliper bolts are tight before moving on to the next steps.

If your brake pedal previously felt soft, "mushy" or spongy, the brake fluid might be contaminated with water or the brake lines may contain a few air bubbles.

It would be best to bleed the brake lines at this time in order to flush out the old fluid and replace it with fresh DOT 3 brake fluid. For more on this topic, check out my Brake Line Fluid Bleeding With An Assistant DIY Guide or alternatively the Brake Line Fluid Bleeding With A Power Bleeder Guide.

The brake fluid bleeder valve is covered by a rubber cap and located just below the upper caliper bolt.

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Replace Rear Wheel
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Spin On 5 Lug Nuts
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Slightly Tighten Lug Nuts
Replace the rear wheel and spin on the five lug nuts by hand in the clockwise direction to prevent them from becoming cross threaded.

Slightly tighten the five lug nuts in a "star" or "criss cross" pattern with the lug nut wrench.

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Lower Car From Stands
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Torque To 110 lb-ft
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Rear Brake Pads Replaced

Carefully lower the car from the two jack stands by using the floor jack.

Progressively tighten the five lug nuts in a star pattern to about 1/4 to 1/2 turn past hand tight.

It would be best to use a torque wrench or an electric impact wrench with a torque stick to tighten the lug nuts to 110 lb-ft of torque.

Sit in the driver's seat of the vehicle and firmly push the brake pedal a few times to restore the brake line pressure. Check the brake fluid in the reservoir and verify that it is at the proper level. If it is low, pour in some new DOT 3 fluid.

To break in your new rear brake pads, just drive normally for the first several hundred miles while trying to avoid any hard or "panic" stops which may glaze over the new brake pads and cause them to be noisy and not perform as well.

It's also a good idea to regularly check your driveway for drops of brake fluid which may indicate a leak, check the brake fluid level in the reservoir and also check that the lug nuts are still tight.

Be sure to record the brake job in your vehicle's service records.

For more, check out my other 2010-2016 Buick LaCrosse DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.
 

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