XBSITE - The Definitive Source for the Scion xB

Changing your front pads honestly require very little effort.
In fact, I would say it was a 3 out of 10 on the hard scale.

TIPS: Don't touch the brake pedal when the brakes are apart; Take your time and do one side fully then move on to the next.

STEP ONE: Take off the wheels (21mm socket needed)

STEP TWO: Examine your brake equipment. If you see ripples in your rotors, then you need to get them turned. You can take them to a local auto parts store and they can do it for a small fee.
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STEP THREE: Unbolt the Caliber (17mm wrench). These 2 bolts will be VERY TIGHT. Just remember they need to go back on just as tight.
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STEP FOUR: Slide the Caliber off the rotor and set it on t op of the rotor. Then continue to remove the brake pads. At this time you can also remove the rotor. It will just wiggle off.
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STEP FIVE: CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. Spray brake cleaner ALL OVER the caliber, and rotor. Make sure you clean the grim from around the piston. Just make sure you clean real good.
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STEP SIX: Remove the cap from the master cylinder. Then place a rag under it so you can catch any brake fluid that may come out.
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STEP SEVEN: Using a C-clamp, push the piston back into the caliper. Please go slowly.
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STEP EIGHT: Put the new pads in and put everything back together. Then CLEAN some more.
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MAKE SURE YOU PUT THE CAP BACK ON THE MASTER CYLINDER.

Other Pics:
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nice write up david i be doing the brakes on my ride soon they squeal every now and then

great write up in this subject. i will use this when i need new breaks.

Just a little fyi -- you need to have two "14mm" wrenches to loosen the caliber bolts on the xb. I found this out the hard way. After turning and turning on the top bolt wondering why this thing isn't getting any looser I realized that the lock nut was also turning along with the retaining bolt. Needless to say I was frustrated and used way more energy than needed. Then came the fact that the brake pads still had plenty of meat on them. So all that frustration for nothing. Just my luck. Well at least I learned something from this experience.

another little FYI for everyone.

its not always a good idea to push the break flooid backwords threw an ABS system.
the way to avoid this problems is to still use the c-clamp and just open the bleeded valve and push all the flooid from the caliper out and close the bleeder valve.
you will not have to worry about bleeding the breaks with this method, ive done it 100s of times with NO problems.
some ABS sytems don't react too well to the flooid being pushed backwords, it does something to a diafram............ anyway its just as easy to open the bleeder valve and push the flooid out there and "beter safe then sorry"

Great... im planing to change mine too... this is great

Ray, were you removing the bolts that hold the entire caliper assembly onto the hub? Or where you removing just the sliding caliper pins?

realy all you need to do is remove the lower sliding caliper pins and swing the caliper up.
but it doesn't hurt anything to remove the hole thing

Yes the two bolts that hold the caliper to the bracket. Where as David removed the whole assembly. His 1st pic shows the top bolt. There is a jam nut located right next to the little rubber boot that the retaining bolt screws into. You need to get a wrench on both it and the bolt.

i got a technique people can use that dont have a c-clamp. Before the caliper is removed stick a relatively large flat head screw driver into one of the the rotor slots in the middle and wiggle left to right. This will depress the caliper enough to get the brake pads in.