A friend of mine at work has a 99' E150 his wife uses daily as well as for pulling a boat in the summer. Since getting this van a couple of years ago it has been in the shop 9 times for brake problems. The most common problem is the front rotors warping. They have been turned a couple of times and replaced under warrenty a couple of times. The brakes front and back were just replaced (new drums/rotors) 9 months ago and they need it again. He's had it both to the dealer and repair chains and neither has found any cause for the problems they just want him to pay to replace them again. The Ford tech claims that there is no upgrade available.

My questions are:

1. Is this normal wear? He drives < 30k per year and tows a med sized ski boat approx. 2 hours 15 times a year.

2. Is it possible to swap brakes from a E250 or E350 to his E150? I'm assuming that the E250/E350 would have larger/heavier rotors. If it is possible what is involved (spindles/rotors/calipers)?

 

no this is not normal. e250 and 350 have differant lug pattern and spindles. sounds like someone drives with the left foot on the brake pedal.

 

Sounds like he's putting the cheapest possible parts on it, that or he drives like an idiot. You can't expect a heavy van to stop on a dime from 70+mph and not warp the rotors, also if he is towing that boat at anything over 60ish he will warp them pretty quick too. My advice is to buy the BEST rotors and bendix TITANIUM pads, ($33 at Advanced Auto).

 

Also, get the rear brakes checked again.
E150's are notorious for braking virtually solely on the fronts, with the rears only coming in when it's virtually stopped.
Get your bud to check the trailer brakes too, as that will make it worse.

A quick n dirty way to test that out is to pull the E-brake out (count the notches) until it just starts dragging on the backs, release it & pull it back out 1 notch less than you counted, then test the brakes again. When I did that to mine, I about bust my nose of the steering wheel!

I have to agree with the other guys: sounds like his wife is driving it like a car & giving it great footfulls of brake, instead of braking earlier & gentler.

 

I changed my front pads last spring at 26,000. Metal to metal. They eat up front brakes. If I couldn't do it myself, it would get traded in. I live in a hilly town..that doesn't help. I've taken to driving around in 2nd gear mostly for engine braking. Ford needs to fix their crap brakes, at least on the E150. I had another van before this one..85 E150 that was just as bad on brakes. Too bad, otherwise they're pretty good. At least the brakes are easy to work on.

 

I have a 92 E150 and go ~40k between front brake pad changes. Now when I was using the CHEAP autozone pads ($15) I was replacing them almost monthly. I bought Bendix Titanium pads at Advance auto ($32) and they worked from day one and it stops on a dime, almost 10k miles later they are still in good shape.

 

Thanks P,

I'll give them a try next time. I bought the Autozone specials for about $25. Albany was the brand..never heard of them. Time wil tell. I don't drive much, so maybe I'll get a couple of years out of them. They are black and give off alot of dust. On the plus side they're quiet and stop good.

Thanks again

 

That was the other thing that the Benidx pads stopped was the dust.

 

Hey guys,
Any thoughts on the "new" ceramic brake pads. I know they come on some top end sports cars and are supposed to wear like iron and are highly fade resistant. Anyone out there had any experience w/them. My 2000 eats front brakes. I am a very experienced driver and rarely use the brakes on a hill, I use the trans.
Thanks.

 

I replaced after warping rotors while towing my friends 5000# trailer to Fla. ( make sure if you tow a heavy trailer that it has it's own trailer brake #1).

I turned rotors a couple of times but kept warping. (I bought cheapos). I spent the bucks at a normal parts store and got Raybestos rotors and premium pads and I 've had no problem since. I do have to be careful when I tow my 6000# trailer. I know if I do some panic stops that this will probably happen again. I do have trailer brakes on my trailer and I set them to be on the touchy side.

On the other hand I got to use a 2003 E350 V-10... wow It hauled as... and towed like a dream. A 1 ton chassis makes a big difference. Stiffer tires and springs, bigger brakes and a big V10.

 

Thanks for the brand recommendations! I've been meaning to try the V10, just to see how it sounds. I have the 5.8, and it starts to run out of breath trying to climb hills in O.D. on the turnpikes.
Not meaning to jump subject, just thinking out loud.

Has anyone tried FORD brake parts?. If so, What U think of them?

 

If the FORD brake parts emit black dust like I see on all the new vans and suv's then I don't want them.

 

I've been real happy with the Raybestos Brutestop line of pads on my 89.

 

Nice looking van you have there: that's my favorite shaped model.
(plus it looks like mine, but cleaner!)

 

Its only a 10 foot paint job. and the interior is starting to fade bad. Gotta spend some money on it this year. Drat. Less Mustang racing.