attempting a brake job

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Mike Ioco

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Clinton Township, MI
Everyone says it's so easy, so I'm trying it out. I'm following the steps in the project, however I feel I"m missing something.



I took off the bottom caliper screw, and then put one C-clamp on the caliper, but I don't get that. How do I lift it off then? It seems if I'm pressing the pads against the rotor, then it's not going to come off! How do I life it up? And do I need two C-clamps? I feel like such an idiot!
 
Okay, I figured it out. Put the caliper on, compress piston, remove, compress bottom piston, remove, caliper lifts off. It wasn't clear on the project.



Is it normal for the rotor to move around on it's own? Mine is all over the place!



And my inside shoe is down to metal, while the outside has a 1/4 inch left! Is that abnormal?
 
They will be loose till you get in and pump up the brakes to seat them near the rotors again. I was getting ready to post to let you know, I usually take the rotor off and just use the C-Clamp on the rear brake pad, to get the pistons back in. When I changed mine, mine where the same. The inside one was down to metal, while the outside one wasn't.;)
 
What about prying off a pad that won't come off? The passenger side pads both look good, but the inside one is on TIGHT. I can't get it off! Do I just use hammer and screwdriver to tap it loose, or wedge a screwdriver b/t the pad and rotor?
 
Wow. That could be a problem. You may want to LIGHTLY tap it but be careful. You don't want to really give the rotor a good rap. Could end up cracking it. You may want to take a look at the caliper after you get it loose. You could have a stuck piston there. Just be careful and see if you can get it broke loose.;)
 
Welcome. That's what the site is for. By the way, did you get any "brake grease"? Just a suggestion. If you notice the brakes squeeling it would help to put some on. I get it from the front desk at Advance Auto in small packets for like $.99.;)
 
I did get some grease. Does that go on the side of the pad that hits the caliper?

I also noticed that the new pads have shims. I don't see anything about that in the project. Is that optional? Do the ST's not need them maybe?
 
Yeah, what I did was put it on the backs of the pads, on the front of the pistons, on the guides of the pads (part of the pad that touches the caliper), and pretty much any part that comes in contact with metal. (of course not the pads) As for the shims, yes, use them, and put alittle grease for good measure.;)
 
I didn't use the shims, I wasn't sure of the purpose, and I thought it was snug enough without them, so I left them out.



I did have a hard time with the metal retainer clip that holds the shoes in. On the one side it got sort of squeezed in the caliper when I brought it back down, and bent the crap out of it. Unfortunately, I didn't realize it until I spun the wheel and heard the tinny metal grinding. It took a while to straighten it back out, but I got it.



Put evetrything back together, and it seems to work well. No more grinding! The only place the rotors looked bad was there the one pad was wore down to metal, and then some.



On a related note, I also noticed on that wheel that there is a liittle side to side play when the truck is jacked up. Enough to be noticable. The passenger side seemed tight. What could cause the play?
 
STylin,

I do not recommend pushing the caliper pistons back in without opening the bleeder nut and getting all that old contaminated fluid out of the caliper, Especially with ABS brakes. You are pushing all the cruddy fluid back up into the ABS unit. This can damage the expensive parts in the ABS unit.



I Know that opening the bleed screw will require you to bleed the brakes, but it's the preferred method on vehicles with ABS.



I do it everytime I do a brake job even if the vehicle does not have ABS, since you should actually flush your brake system every 2-3 years or when ever you do a brake job.



Another benefit of opening the bleed nut before pushing the pistons back in, is that it requires much less pressure so you can push the pistons by hand with your fingers. I can feel if there is any binding in the caliper idicating that the piston/bore is corroded and pitted. I learned that trick over 20 years ago.



...Rich



 
RichardL's advice is the keeper! Also, use some Silverlube, by Permatex, on all the pins,

sliders, and contact points on your calipers and sliders...NOT on the brake pad to rotor

surface, itsself!!! I have not clarified this info once or twice, and have seen people do it!

(My Bad!). Nothing should go between your brake pad surface and rotor surface except

pure, clean atmosphere! Be sure to seat, bed, or buff the pads in for the first few miles

of driving before you do the trailer towing or Nascar-type braking thing!

The shims prevent rattles, the Silverlube prevents squeaks.

For my info, never done brakes on my trac, yet. Do we have a dual-piston setup?:unsure::)
 
THe one auto parts store asked if I had dual or single after I told him make model and year, so I'm wondering if some had single, and some dual. Mine had dual.



Interesting note about bleeding. The project said NOTHING about that. :angry: Why hasn't that ever been added? I recommend the project be taken down if it's not going to be thourough. I DID get some brake fluid that leaked out of somewhere after compressing my pistons. It looked like it came from the resivoir. I thought it might have been because I compressed both sides at the same time.



Man, I hope I didn't wreck anything....:(
 
STlin,

You probably did not ruin anything, yet. Just get your brake fluid flushed and replaced with fresh fluid.



The project may not mention that you should flush out the old fluid rather than push it back up into the ABS system, but then most Ford manuals don't mention it either. Most auto repair experts will recommend that you not push the pistons back without upening the bleed nut to get rid of the old fluid. When you see what the fluid that comes out looks like after a couple of years, you will understand why you don't want that to stay in your brake system.



...Rich
 
The rotor will be loose until you put the rim on and tighten up the lug nuts. The caliper self centers over the rotor as you pump up the brakes. That is why it is so important to ensure the slides are clean and have a light coat of grease on them.



Now, if it was two wheel drive then the system is WAY different, but that is another story...
 
I got home today after about 30 miles, and noticed a distinct smell. I also noticed my rim coated in brake dust again. :blink:



I jacked it up and spun the tire, and noticed some resistance seemingly from the brakes. Pulled off the tire, and now that I knew what I was looking for, I noticed that the rotor wasn't moving around much. I lifted the caliper and realized that the lower slide is completely seized! I couldn't budge it. I peeled the rubber boot back and all I got was rust. I tried to encourage it with some hammer taps and the like, but couldn't break it free!



Now what!? How much of the caliper do I have to replace, and how much will it cost me?



NOW I realize why just the rear pad was down to metal and the other 3 still had 1/8 - 1/4" left on them. The back of that router is pretty well gouged too. :wacko:
 

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