hi guys.
i'm gonna change my brakes this weekend.
just a quick question.
are the rear calipers the same as the front..
all i need is a c-clamp to push it back in right?

i know for my maxima it was different..

The rear caliper is not the same as the front, but you can use the C clamp to push the pistons in.
Be sure you remove some brake fluid from the master cylinder before you do the brake job or you will have a big mes!

Most of the time you should not have to remove fluid from the fluid reservoir. When replacing rotors or pads, I have only removed the reservoir cap to lessen the pressure of collapsing the piston(s) when compressing them with a C clamp and have not spilled any fluid. Some anti-chatter lube on the backside of the pads, i.e. (shims/metal brackets) as well as some brake-pin grease will facilitate the brake job. And a can of Brake Clean spray to remove any grease, etc from your new rotors/pads goes a long way. I have never had to bleed the brake lines unless I replaced the master cylinder and that has only been once in 32 years of owning 7 cars.

you may not NEED to bleed the brake system with a brake change, however it is wise to completely replace the brake fluid regularly- every 2 years is a common reccomendation.

you may not NEED to bleed the brake system with a brake change, however it is wise to completely replace the brake fluid regularly- every 2 years is a common reccomendation.

Are there any major set backs to having the fluid stay more than 3 years (aside from dirty fluid)?

Brake fluid is hydroscopic (it absorbs water/moisture) so after time you can lose hydraulic pressure (water doesn't compress the same as the fluid) and the brakes feel mushy and fluid can overheat.

I've always kept up with changing fluid in my bikes (especially the sport-bikes where you can notice/feel a difference) but am not so diligent about doing it in my cars/trucks. Unless the brake fluid is really f*cked up you probably won't notice a difference and you might just be opening a can of worms. Get some air in there during bleeding and there goes your whole afternoon trying to get it out.

A mityvac is supposed to make the job a lot easier but I've never tried one. I borrowed the advance autoparts loaner unit but it was buggered up and I couldn't get it to work right.

Brake fluid is hydroscopic (it absorbs water/moisture) so after time you can lose hydraulic pressure (water doesn't compress the same as the fluid) and the brakes feel mushy and fluid can overheat.

I've always kept up with changing fluid in my bikes (especially the sport-bikes where you can notice/feel a difference) but am not so diligent about doing it in my cars/trucks. Unless the brake fluid is really f*cked up you probably won't notice a difference and you might just be opening a can of worms. Get some air in there during bleeding and there goes your whole afternoon trying to get it out.

A mityvac is supposed to make the job a lot easier but I've never tried one. I borrowed the advance autoparts loaner unit but it was buggered up and I couldn't get it to work right.

I had the same attitude toward changing the fluid, I did not want to fix something that was working fine to begin with. I may have felt some change in the brakes on my other vehicles but never really thought of changing the fluid out. Something to always keep in mind though so I may try it out on my Jeep cherokee to see if it helps any. Thanks for the reply