Racer X
SHO Pilot, Retired
So, I thought I'd get a jump start on my brakes tonight, and do the teardown tonight. I was also curious as to why I had metal on metal contact, but it looked like the pads had at least 3/16th of material left. I definitely didn't expect to see this when I pulled it apart...
*as always, click pic for high res*
No, you're not seeing things. The pad is that bent!
For a couple of minutes, I couldn't grasp why that had happened, until I examined the brake pad support arms on the spindle.
The ridges worn into those arms are keeping the pads from sliding freely, and causing binding and ultimately bending. They also say hindsight is 20/20... the condition of these pads explain A LOT of the braking problems I've been having this past year, from the pedal being soft and spongy, from it just vanishing altogether (it would come back after a couple of pumps; did this twice)... all kinds of weird things. I guess Ford figured this out at some point also.
In the interim, I'm going to smooth the ridges to allow the pads to move smoothly, but ultimately, a 94/95 upgrade is in my future in a big way. I'd recommend pre '94 owners to follow suite.
*as always, click pic for high res*
No, you're not seeing things. The pad is that bent!
For a couple of minutes, I couldn't grasp why that had happened, until I examined the brake pad support arms on the spindle.
The ridges worn into those arms are keeping the pads from sliding freely, and causing binding and ultimately bending. They also say hindsight is 20/20... the condition of these pads explain A LOT of the braking problems I've been having this past year, from the pedal being soft and spongy, from it just vanishing altogether (it would come back after a couple of pumps; did this twice)... all kinds of weird things. I guess Ford figured this out at some point also.
In the interim, I'm going to smooth the ridges to allow the pads to move smoothly, but ultimately, a 94/95 upgrade is in my future in a big way. I'd recommend pre '94 owners to follow suite.
