I'm an engineer so I tend to over think things too much. Hence the following questions regarding rear disc brakes on my 2001 S10 Blazer:

1. Wear indicator tabs (all four pads have them), towards front or rear of vehicle? Does it matter?
2. Shims...didn't see any on the old pads, new ones came with them. Do I need to use them? Anything to be aware of when I do?

Thanks!

 

your new pads will only fit one way you will probaly have to take those factory shims out to get your new pads in well at least i had to and i went with the ceramic pads got 5 years on a set just changed them last week and they probaly would have lasted longer if my caliper would not have stuck

 

1) Wear indicators on the rear pads point to the front.
2) Yes, use the shims.

 

also another thing to look over is where the shims slide onto. make sure it isnt a rotted mess. if you slide the shims on and then put the brake pads and they dont move freely or a little bit of resistance, pull the shims back off and wire wheel the metal down. ive seen on other vehicles where they will actually cause the brake pads to jam in there and over heat the rotors.

 

Thanks everyone. I had put the indicators to the front, thinking the force of the braking would have less chance of bending them up against the pad and snapping them off. I also used the shims. I replaced the rotors, greased everything up (had to get a new caliper mount as one slide pin was seized up), and everything is nice and smooth. It was the least of my worries as I also replaced my backing plates, so I had my axles out.

 

new here wanting to know how to disengage rear brakes? can i bypass the proportion valve and just go from the master cylinder to the front brakes? or can i plug the rear brake lines in the proportion valve?" thanks for your help.

 

got any pics of your backing plate replacement? I have to do mine before winter hits...