Here you can find information regarding the assembly of the dakota's braking system. This information
will include the procedures to replace and repair certain main components within the system
as well as the corresponding torque specs for bolts involved in the parts. The listing of procedures will begin
with the most common and move inwards towards the inner parts of the brake system and
the least common repairs that are needed.
How to Change the front brakes
The front brakes on the Dodge Dakota are disc brakes just like the rear brakes. Disc brakes uses a series of brake pads that
push onto a brake rotor in order to create friction and stop the vehicle. To change the rear brakes on the Dakota you must first
remove the rear wheel and then remove the caliper slide bolts from the caliper. This will allow for the rear caliper to be removed from the
brake rotor. Once removed you have access to the rear brake pads. You can simply remove the pads and place new pads in their place. Be sure to
align the new pads into the metal holders. From here you can reinstall the rear brake caliper while making sure the pads stay in place. The
rear brake caliper slide bolts get torqued down to 22 ft-lbs. If you replace the brake rotor at the same time you will need to reinstall the
rear caliper bracket and torque it down to 148 ft-lbs. Since this is a rather higher torque spec I always add some loctite to ensure it stays
tightened. If you remove the rear caliper banjo bolt be sure to torque it back up to 30 ft-lbs once done.
The rear brakes on the Dodge Dakota are drum brakes and require many small components in order to complete replace them. I recommend getting a kit
whenever replacing drum brakes as there are a lot of little seals and springs which are used in the system. To start with replacing rear drum brakes
jack up the rear end of the vehicle and remove the wheel from the side you want to work on. From here we will need to pound off the rear brake drum which
covers up most of the braking components and acts as the brake itself. A lot of times this is really stuck onto the vehicle so you may need a pry bar and
a large mallet. Once removed you can see where all of the old drum brake components are. One by one replace the old parts with the new ones. The most important
of these are the brake shoes which are the most frequently worn part on the drum brake. Be usre to install the shoes spring properly otherwise you will end up
with your rear brakes sticking when they shouldn't be.
