Rear Brake Pad Installation

[Funmart6]

When changing the rear brake pads, should some brake fluid be removed from the master cylinder? I have looked at instructions at V8SHO and it doesn't say anything about this for the rear brakes, but requires removal of some fluid when changing the front pads, so wouldn't some fluid need to be removed when changing the rears as well because you still have to compress the caliper piston right?

 

[Slo-Sho]

Unless the resevoir is filled right up to the top then I wouldn't worry about it. If it is actually filled up to the top...then yes, common sense would tell you that fluid will spill out.

 

[Funmart6]

Thanks, That is what I thought and wanted to confirm.

 

[Funmart6]

:banghd: Anyone know where to find a rear caliper piston adjustment tool? I tried this cube thing and it was crap so it is going back to the parts store, I called several parts places and they all had no idea what I was talking about when I described it . I am giong on a mission today to find one, I printed out pictures from V8SHO to help. I changed one side of the rear brakes using needle nosed pliers to rotate the piston, this broke the tips of the pliers off rendering them useless. :cry: I guess if I don't find the tool, then I could always just get bigger needle nosed pliers to finish the job.

 

[SHOZ123]

Take the cheap cube and grind off two points on the 4 point side.

 

[Funmart6]

Well. No luck!!! I went to several parts places and no one had the "T-handled" Caliper piston adjustment tool that I am looking for, but I did find a better quality of cube that fit the slot pattern on the piston. Everyone that I showed the pictures to had never seen this tool, they all tried to look it up in their books and came up with nothing. So, my question remains, where would you find this thing? Anyone work on brakes for a living, does anyone have this tool? I did however complete the brake job using the "new" cube but it seems it would be an easier go of it with the other "mystery" tool.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

No AutoZone's where you are? They have the right kit, and will loan it to you for free. You just need to leave a deposit until you return it.

 

[Funmart6]

No AutoZone's where you are? They have the right kit, and will loan it to you for free. You just need to leave a deposit until you return it.

Ummmmm, Yes there are actually two here and I went to both of them, showed them the picture of what I wanted and the people there had never seen this particular tool and didn't know how to get one. One guy there did suggest that I call Ford and ask a mechanic what they use, and of course they had that cheap cube. Dead end trail there. Oh, and no-one said anything to me about loaning a kit.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Ummmmm, Yes there are actually two here and I went to both of them, showed them the picture of what I wanted and the people there had never seen this particular tool and didn't know how to get one. One guy there did suggest that I call Ford and ask a mechanic what they use, and of course they had that cheap cube. Dead end trail there. Oh, and no-one said anything to me about loaning a kit.

Don't show them anything. They're morons (sorry Dale and any other 'Zoners on the forum). Just tell them you want the caliper piston service kit. It's in the kit, which most have probably never opened. I wish I could remember the part number. Perhaps sdpatt does, you might try PM'ing him since he probably doesn't check the Gen III sections.

 

[Slo-Sho]

:banghd: Anyone know where to find a rear caliper piston adjustment tool? I tried this cube thing and it was crap

They sell them at Harbor Freight Tools for ~$19.99. You use a 3/8" drive to turn the piston back in while the threaded rod compresses it. Light years better than the cube. Like trying to eat mashed potatoes through a straw, doable but not desirable.

 

[Slo-Sho]

 

[Funmart6]

Thanks for all the replies, I did complete the job using a cube, pain in the butt, but it worked. These are some strange pistons on our cars. I also changed the rear pads on my wife's Expedition (yes it has 4 wheel disc brakes too) but the piston set up is the type that allows you to use a standard piston compression tool, or "C" clamp. Makes me wonder why our set up is different? Can anyone explain to me how these things work, I mean, when braking do the pistons rotate? After the piston is compressed, or rotated into the caliper housing allowing you to install new pads, how much braking is needed to seat it back against the pad itself?
Am I making sense? I also noticed on the backing plate of the new pads there is this ****** like thing, does that need to be fitted inside the slot on the piston, or will this eventually line up, or does it matter at all????

 

[Slo-Sho]

Your Expedition has the parking brake 'shoes' and is separate from the rear disc caliper, that's why you can just press it back in normally. If you remove the rotor you will find a drum brake for the parking brake. Nice huh? The ****** on the pad is supposed to go into the slot on the caliper piston. With the tool I posted above a rear disc job is cake and takes all of 2 minutes to turn the piston back in.

 

[Funmart6]

Thanks for explaining it all to me, I am by no means a mechanic, in fact, I actually went back and reworked my brake job yesterday morning (after working all night) because I was getting all kinds of squeaking coming from back there. :cry: At a friends recomendation, I removed the pads and filed the edges down a bit giving them a beveled edge, I also found that I did not have the caliper mounting bolt (sleeves?) lined up correctly on the drivers side. I made the corrections and now have no squeaks at all. I do want to find one of those kits so maybe next time the job will go much better.

 

[Funmart6]

:banghd: This is getting old!!!! My squeaks have returned. I have checked everything and all parts are tight and installed correctly, and still they squeak ! I have been told that sometimes new pads will squeak a bit until they have a few miles on them but I have put about 100 miles on these pads now and I still have squeaks, although not as bad as before, but still they should be noise free!
Anyone have any suggestions?

How about this? These new pads did not come with shims, but the old pads had shims. Should I have put the old shims on the new pads? I still have them and thought I might try that. I am just getting tired of doing a brake job every other day, one good thing. at least I get to do all this work indoors!

BTW, they squeak when pulling away from a dead stop, taking tight turns left or right, and there is a pulsating sound coming from the drivers side only which I thought sounded like a wheel bearing, but the sound was not there before I changed the pads, go figure.

I am about ready to take this car to a mechanic and say fix it!!!

 

[SHOZ123]

You need the shims. What kind of pad did you get? Have you bedded them in?

 

[k_mesaros]

Did you turn the rotors? Did you play with the parking brake before bolting everything back together? Did you use caliper **** on the BACKS of the pads and the pins? Don't worry too much about the shims, most of the time they just become unstuck to the back of the pads, then cause more problems.

Kevin

 

[Funmart6]

The pads are from AutoZone, $12.99 lifetime warranty. I did not turn the rotors, they are smooth so I figured they were okay. I also did not touch the parking brake at all. I also did not use any grease, so I guess I will do this all over again in a day or two. The shims, by the way, are a clip on type and I will probably use them anyway. The pads on the front had shims that attached to the pad backing plate via an adhesive strip, therefore I think I will apply a little "Seal All" to the shims to insure a snug fit.

The only reason I changed these pads was because my wife drove the car about 4 or 5 miles with the parking brake set and it wore out the passenger side pads. I was even thinking about putting my driver's side pads back on and see if the noise continues, this is the side I am most concerned with. After I get this all sorted out I guess I will be an expert at brake jobs

What exactly is bedding them in and how do you do this?

 

[k_mesaros]

You need to get the same micro inch finish on the rotors that comes on the pads from the manufacturer in order for them to work well together. Machining them on a lathe, and the scuffing them with emery cloth works nicely. As far as bedding them in, just drive around the block a few times, lightly applying the brakes at regular intervals. Don't slam them, don't drive down a mountain towing something right away. Got to let them break in. 200 miles should do it for breaking in. What I mean by playing with the E-brake, in case you are wondering because I was not very specific, is after the calipers are on you need to depress and release the E-brake a few times. This unscrews the piston that you had to screw in in order for the pads to fit.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Kevin

 

[Funmart6]

Thanks Kevin, that is very helpful information, I will re-do the brake job and this time I will have the rotors turned.