Tom, depends what level of Motorcraft you got. If they had been performing well, then I don't know if I would go to LTS. You are the best judge for your driving situation. 5,000 miles is nothing for a potential life of 100k.

If you're having an issue with the right rear (and the best way of finding a brake issue is with the infrared gun $20-30 from Harbor Freight) and look for the trend of hot or cold. There are different caused for a malfunctioning brake. It could be a caliper piston hanging up, but just as easily can be the slide pins or pads hanging in the bracket or even a hose. For the hose situation it always best to keep a wrench in the glove box that fits the bleeders as you can release or test for a hose issue.

I'd be inspecting to see if I can find something mechanical before ordering parts. A little more work pulling both rear tires to get to the caliper, and you have to make sure you push the caliper pistons in far enough to clear some of the nubs on the backs of brake pads. If you don't clear the phenolic pistons usually get chipped so the caliper needs to get replaced for that error. That happens way more then it should.

 

Thanks for the advice, Jack! When you say I need to push in the caliper pistons -- is that to determine where the problem might be? With the wheel off and caliper on, I've seen people insert a flathead screwdriver between the rotor and interior pad. The exterior pad has been removed to allow enough room for the next test. They will use the screw driver to apply leverage to the remaining pad to see if they can compress the piston. If the piston won't budge, I've seen folks crack the bleeder before trying again. If very little fluid leaks out, they assume the problem is with one of the pistons, slide pins, or a rusted pad. Conversely, if brake fluid spews out from the bleeder when they compress the piston, they know the problem is in the brake line since fluid can't return on its path to the master cylinder. In fact, since the brake lines are probably original, should I consider investing the $5 to proactively replace this one? I've seen people crimp the brake line before any brake work, and I'm guessing that's to prevent dirty fluid from getting pushed upstream. I guess there's also a fear of pushing contaminants towards the ABS, but I'm only basing that on something I read a long time ago, and I'm not even certain if that related to our vehicles, or if that was a general warning I read somewhere. I was worried about crimping my old line too much, so I was going to crack the bleeder when it came time to remove the calipers and fully compress the pistons when, and if, it came time to replace the pads. Having said all this, I have the feeling I have misinterpreted your suggestion. I certainly don't want to miss your point, so please set me straight if that's the case : )

 

NEVER CRIMP A BRAKE HOSE.

Opening the bleeder gives it an easier path out, not a bad thing to do. If the piston is rust bound, opening the bleeder doesn't matter. You can also find at this time the bleeder screw is rusted in place, and if so it's replacement caliper time anyway.

The reason for compressing for about 1/4" is to clear the nibs on the back of the pads.



And when you don't .... Then everyone complains about the crappy phenolic pistons when in fact they were fine until the caliper got pried out.





On the '99-04 you can do it this way if you're careful to not scratch the rotor. Two screwdrivers applies more even pressure.


But the way we would do it since we had the correct size c-clamp ... Notice the brake fluid dripping on the clamp from an open bleeder.





Replacing the hose at this age isn't a bad idea. Even though these get no motion, they can still age crack internally, and get abused if the person doing the brake job ever lets the caliper tension the hose, about as bad as crimping the hose. Replacing the hose gas you the way to a caliper bleeding and replacing the two copper washers. If the copper washers are not available, you can anneal them by heating red and allow to air cool.




But before you get too deep, the first thing before removing the caliper is to just back off the the caliper mounting bolts 1/4" and pushing them back and forth to see if the slide pins move in and out. If they do, then compress the inner pad and pistons 1/4-3/8" and remove the caliper, supporting it on a box or hanging it through the bridge inspection hole (screwdriver location) to the truck so the hose is not tensioned.

Then see if the pads slide in and out freely and not bound. If slides and pads move freely, then try to compress each piston inward to see how free it is. One goes in and the other will come out usually so you don't go far.

At this point an overall assessment of the situation is in order to determine what needs to be done.

Not going back in the conversation, but what was the problem again?
.

 

Motorcraft or NAPA Premium -- I've been using the polymer coated variety and they're reasonably priced, excellent quality.

In spite of all the hype you read, you'll find that many of the brands use the same foundary in China for rotors..........................

 

I wouldn't take that to heart.

 

I've read more in the above posts about brakes then I probably have in my whole life. There was a lot of good information. I have done the brakes on our cars for over 50 years so here is my 2 cents.

I've used Wagner Thermo Quiet Pads in all our cars and trucks over the years. They are competitively priced and they usually have some sort of rebate associated with them. They perform as well as the original pads that came with the vehicles. The manufacturer has a good help line and they have competent people that know what they are talking about. I also clean everything associated with the brakes and grease the slide pins with caliper lubricant. I replaced the pads at 80,000 miles and the truck has 105,000 miles now. I check each wheel when the tires are rotated. Everything looks good and there is minimal wear. All the rotors were checked and they were within spec so there was no need to replace. When I need new rotors which I believe will be next time, I will use Wagner rotors. If their quality control is as good on rotors as they are on the pads, I will be happy. I will probably replaced brake hoses next time.

Brake fluid is flushed and replaced every 6 years. I should probably do it more but the old fluid looks a tad dirty but seems to function properly. I'm a believer in Valvoline products and I use Valvoline
Synpower Synthetic Brake Fluid. I believe that the synthetic composition adds to the longevity of the fluid and the lack of problems with the calipers.

Brake jobs are still fairly simplistic so I believe anyone can do the job. And if you do it yourself, you'll know it is done right. About 50% of the mileage on this truck is with a 10,000 lb. trailer in tow.

 

Wagner (Federal-Mogul) is the supplier of the rotors to Ford under the Motorcraft program. Ford has a tighter spec for fit and finish then what is typically sold at the higher end of the rotor aftermarket world. When F-M was awarded the contract with Ford they spent about $10mil updating the foundry and machining operations to get in line with Ford. I suspect the Wagners are probably the closest to the Motorcraft that you can find, if not the same at this point. Motorcraft specs were as tight as OEM.

 

Hi Jack,
I first noticed a smell and a little smoke from the right rear wheel. I took it out on a test drive several weeks later and this time measured the temp of each rotor. The left was air temperature (about 40 degrees at that time) and the right was 220 F. So, after a little reading here, I suspected I had a sticky caliper.

I tried compressing the piston with a C-clamp while everything was still assembled as in your picture, but my clamp isn't steel, and it started to bend before the piston budged. I didn't want to damage the pistons as you mentioned, so I removed the entire caliper first. Then I removed and examined the pads, slide pins and pistons. I took a picture of the pistons and video to show the pins. They don't seem to move very freely, but I don't have a reference point. I opened the bleeder before compressing the pistons and I noticed that fluid seemed to spurt out as a I compressed the second piston, but it just oozed out as a I compressed the first. Again, not sure if that is abnormal or not, so it's in the video too. The condition of the rotors and pads are always visible in the video.

I'm about as new to online forums as I am to auto mechanics, so I'm not always sure of the etiquette. I posted the video on a thread that I started about the same time I joined this one. I thought if I posted it here, I might be hijacking the original thread.

I would sure appreciate your feedback. I feel like I'm the passenger trying to land the plane and your the voice of experience from the tower. If you have a few moments, I'd be grateful if you could respond here or the other thread. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...k-caliper.html

 

Posted in the other thread.

 

I consider myself to be an oem man of choice 9 outa 10 times but that being said I decided to go with the Power Stop 1-click setup extreme for trucks towing etc, The cost difference was not much. In the kit I got the drilled and slotted rotors, rebuilt and painted calipers, the extreme pads, new hardware and brake lube, front n rear. I don't do alot of towing or hauling heavy loads,I do my share, but its been 3 years ago and I'll have to check mileage. Just checked them the other day during a tire rotation and they're hardly worn! I couldn't believe it! I'm impressed to say the least. My sons mustang needs brakes now. Wanna guess what he'll be stopping with, Power Stop!!

 

OEM or Motorcraft only. "Performance" pads and rotors are ill suited for regular driving, but a lot of people buy into the marketing. Performance pads are designed to work at higher temperatures, none of which are seen during normal driving conditions. Fade is not experienced in one braking action, so no advantage on brake fade.

In the racing arena solid slotted rotors are used over drilled since solids act as a much better heat sink, drilled rotors also tend to form stress cracks under heavy use. The 'drilled' rotors on high dollar cars/race cars are often molded and ceramic...much different and considerably more expensive than what the aftermarket sells.