Introduced in 2001, the Mazda Tribute is the imported version of the Ford Escape although it's manufactured in the U.S. Featuring two- or four-wheel drive, the SUV also features front disc brakes, but can have either rear drum or rear disc. Replacing the rotors on either the front or rear axle employs the same procedure although the rear rotors cover small brake shoes that act as part of the parking brake mechanism. While pads should be replaced every time rotors are changed, it's not always required, especially if the pads were just replaced.
Place a wheel chock behind one of the rear tires if you're replacing the front rotors or in front of one front tire if you're replacing the rear rotors. You should apply the parking brake if you're replacing the front rotors but do not apply it for the rear, or you will not be able to remove the rotors.
Loosen the lug nuts 1/8 of a turn with the lug nut wrench on the two wheels of the axle you're lifting.
Lift the axle with the jack and support the Tribute on jack stands in a safe and secure manner.
Remove the lug nuts and wheels.
Place the 6-inch C-clamp over the caliper housing so the top of the clamp is on the back of the caliper and the front drive of the clamp is on the backing plate of the front pad. Be careful to avoid pinching the outboard pad-retaining spring clip with the clamp.
Tighten the clamp enough to make the caliper move back and forth on the slides about 1/2 inch. You do not need to compress the piston completely to replace the rotors, but you need to make sure you have enough room to place the caliper and pad assembly back onto the new rotor.
Remove the two caliper anchor bolts using a breaker bar and a metric socket.
Remove the caliper assembly from the rotor and then hang the assembly to the chassis with a caliper hook.
Remove any rotor retaining rings that may (or may not) be present on the lug studs. These thin metal retainers do not have to be reused. Cut them off with a pair of cutting dikes and discard them.
Remove the rotor. If the rotor is stuck to the hub, spray a liberal amount of penetrating lubricant along the hub-to-rotor seam and strike the plate of the rotor with a hammer to break it free. Be careful on the rear rotors because you can damage the brake shoes integrated in the parking brake system.
Clean the surface and edges of the hub flange with a die grinder and a coarse reconditioning disc. Remove as much rust and corrosion as you can.
Spray the new brake rotors with brake cleaner spray to remove the rust prevention coating they come packaged with. Spray both sides of the rotors. For the front rotors, spray some into the vents as well. Dry the surface of the rotors with a shop rag. It's okay if the vents are still wet as the aerosol spray self-evaporates fairly quickly.
Place the new rotor onto the hub flange and then replace the caliper assembly over the rotor. Align the caliper bolts to their respective holes in the knuckle and tighten them with the torque wrench set at 110 foot-pounds and a metric socket.
Replace the wheel and lug nuts and then tighten the lug nuts to 100 foot-pounds with the torque wrench and socket.
Repeat the rotor replacement for the other side. Rotors should always be replaced in axle sets.
Pump the foot brake until it feels firm when the Tribute is lowered back onto the ground. This will seat the pads to the new rotors. Remove the wheel chock and then test-drive the Tribute for proper braking operation.
