[spotty]

Whereas in my 96 FSM the brake procedures specify that, on both the front and back brakes, the wear indicators should be on the outboard pads and oriented down, there doesn't seem to be an explicit orientation given in the 05 FSM.

I have seen shops install these pads with the wear indicators any which way. My one experience letting someone else put pads on my 96 resulted in no noise from the indicators before the pads wore down to zero thickness. Oops. When I replaced pads (and rotors), I found the front indicators on both wheels in the wrong positions.

I just did pads all around on the 05 for the first time, and whoever did the previous job put the pads on seemingly in random orientations (the rears had three out of four pads with indicators - that was weird, usually there are only two). I put all the new indicators outboard and down, just like the 96, but I couldn't find confirmation in the book. Anyone know for sure?

 

[Ranger]

They put brake pad wear indicators back on the '05's? I thought they did away with them in 2000.

 

[spotty]

The Akebono ceramic pads I got had the indicators, as did the old pads I removed. I don't see anything in the 05 FSM about the electronic wear sensors. It does talk about the mechanical wear indicators in a "theory of operation" section, though.

 

[Ranger]

The question is, do you have anywhere to plug the indicator into and where the old ones plugged in to a connector?

 

[basscatt]

The question is, do you have anywhere to plug the indicator into and where the old ones plugged in to a connector?

==============================:yeah:

does the car have a plug for the wear indicators on the pads?

 

[padriver]

You're asking about the mechanical indicators, right? The FSM is indeed not specific about the orientation of those.

I'm going to do the rear pads soon, and my car most probably still has the original pads. I can take some pics of how it came from the factory.

 

[spotty]

No, there is no electrical connector for a wear indicator (and no electrical component on the old pads). Just looked again today when I had the wheels off.

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You're asking about the mechanical indicators, right? The FSM is indeed not specific about the orientation of those.

I'm going to do the rear pads soon, and my car most probably still has the original pads. I can take some pics of how it came from the factory.

That's right, I'm asking about the mechanical indicators (the metal tabs that screech against the rotor when the pads get thin). I'd love to know how they came from the factory (inboard or outboard, and top/bottom, as well as whether rear and front are the same or different). Thanks!

 

[Ranger]

I always put the pad with the wear tabs on the inboard side as that is usually the one that gets direct pressure from the piston and wears the most.

 

[padriver]

Finally I got around to doing the rear brakes. Turns out that the pads still have plenty of friction material left, so I did not replace them, despite the original plan.

Interestingly, both the inner and outer pads have the indicators on them, on the top (outboard) and on the bottom (inboard). I don't know if this is factory, it might be since the replacement pads I bought (ACDelco Professional Durastop) have the indicators only on one side.

Some pics of the pads, driver and passenger side, inboard pad top, outboard pad bottom:

 

[TheFlash]

are you sure those are wear indicators? or anti rattle springs to hold the pad down in the caliper?

 

[MoistCabbage]

The pad retainers are the metal clips laying besides the pads. The metal pieces protruding from the pads themselves are the wear indicators.

 

[TheFlash]

Yes, but I was referring to the front brake pads when he said they are some times installed any which way.
The fronts have the same style metals clips as the rears that slip it to each caliper plus they have 2 top clips that slide and snap on to the each pad. I believe those top clicks are anti rattle.