I am replacing my front brakes on my 2001 f250 and I replaced the brake pad retaining clips and now I can not get the new pads in place because of the new clips. what am I doing wrong????

 

put one of the old pads back in, loosen the air bleed fitting, use a large screw driver to push the old pad onto the rotor to compress the brake piston. install new pads.

 

I have a caliper compressor. I can not get the new pads to seat into the new clips it seems like the new clips are backwards but I have taken them off and tried putting them on in different ways but no luck

 

I use a big c clamp. Be sure to open the reservoir before attempting.

 

When you say "retaining clips" do you mean the stainless steel pieces that come in the box of new pads? I've bought pads that either didn't fit or if you were able to jam them into place, they wouldn't slide on the clips to release when you take your foot off the brake pedal. I think pads that are tight in their clips cause uneven rotor wear. First I clean the caliper areas where the clips attach and then I take the grinder to the ends of the pads to make them a little sloppy in the caliper bracket. I then spread a very light layer of high temp grease on the ends where I ground. Makes for even rotor wear.


I've done brakes where I had to knock the old pads out of the caliper bracket with a hammer...they gotta be making extra heat and causing uneven wear.

 

after taking a break in the house for a few mins I found my mistake. yes the stainless steel clips I had somehow put them in a different way thankfully I had not taken apart the other side yet so I was able to use it a reference and go from there.
thanks for the input
I guess from being in a hurry and working in the sun with a heat index of 110 I was rushing to finish and did not pay attention to what I was doing.

 

I did the same thing when I replaced mine. I thought someone else gave me the wrong part. I found out I was the dumbarse trying to put the clips in the wrong way. Man did I cuss those things for pissin me off!!!!! Now I laugh at my dumbarse!!!

 

i know how you feel I felt the same way I thought that either the brake pads were different from the old ones or the clips were different, etc. I did not think that I could have done something wrong at the time and after seeing the other side it hit like a brick I felt pretty dumb

 

Hang a tarp or put and umbrella over you to block the sun, you can get heat stroke in minutes plus it'll cool it down a little so you wont be in such a hurry.

 

Brake service 101 always leave the opposite side intact so you have a road map for reassembly...and you will need copious amounts of this when finished at those ambient temps!