If a customer with an above-listed 2001-’02 Maxima complains of a clunk, knock or rattle noise from the rear of the vehicle while driving on rough road surfaces or over harsh bumps, it may be caused by the brake pads moving in the brake caliper housing.
A replacement spring retainer kit that consists of replacement pad retainers, inner and outer shims and brake pads is available to address this condition.
Figure 1
Service Procedure:
1. Test-drive the vehicle under the conditions described above to confirm the symptoms.
Tip: Lightly apply the parking brake while the incident is occurring to verify if the noise is reduced or eliminated. If the application of the parking brake does not reduce or eliminate the noise, this bulletin does not apply. If the application of the parking brake does reduce or eliminate the noise, proceed to step 2.
Figure 2
2. Remove the rear wheels. Then, starting with the left rear:
3. Remove the brake caliper assembly pin bolts (see Fig. 1).
4. Loosen the parking brake cable by removing the parking brake cable bolt (seeFig. 2).
5. Remove the brake caliper assembly to gain access to the brake pad, shim and pad retainer.
Figure 3
Warning: Do not allow the brake caliper assembly to hang from the brake hose. Use a piece of wire to hang the caliper from the rear coil spring.
6. Remove the left brake pad, shim and pad retainer.
7. Use Nissan brake cleaner to remove Poly Butyl Cuprysil (PBC) grease and/or brake dust from the torque member (see Fig. 3).
8. Remove the red plastic tabs from one of the replacement pad retainers in the spring retainer kit and install the replacement pad
Figure 4
retainer (see Fig. 4 on page 52).
9. Repeat step 8 for the other replacement pad retainer.
10. Install the inner and outer brake pads, outer shim and new inner shim from the spring retainer kit.
Note: Use PBC grease between the brake pad, shim and piston to reduce potential noise. Be sure to put the inner and outer shims in the correct location (seeFig. 5 on page 52).
Figure 5
11. Carefully push the piston back into the brake caliper body.
Warning: Do not try to force the piston back into the brake caliper. Caliper damage may result.
12. Reinstall the brake caliper assembly to its original location.
13. Reattach the left upper and lower caliper assembly pin bolts. Torque the bolts to proper torque specifications — 22-31 Nm, 2.2 – 3.2 Kg-m, 16-23 ft.-lb.
14. Reinstall the parking brake cable bolt.
15. Repeat steps 3 to 14 for the right rear brake.
16. Reinstall the rear wheels.
Note: When re-installing the wheels, evenly torque the wheel lug nuts to the proper torque spec. — 98-118 Nm, 10 – 12 Kg-m, 72-87 ft.-lb.
17. Repeat step 1 to test drive the vehicle and verify that the noise is no longer present.
Andrew Markel is an ASE Certified Technician and former service writer, and he brings this practical knowledge to the ImportCar team as director of content. He has more than 20 years on the staff of Import Car.
Published:
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