Well, my simple brake job has now been thrown a kink. At least the drivers side (haven't got to the passenger side yet) rotor is mildly scored. The inner pad wore through and scored it about 1/4-1/2" wide from the edge.

It seems that replacing these rotors is not a lot of fun, so I'm now weighing my options. I'm not sure I have the time/tools to do this job today, so I'm considering throwing a $20 set of pads on there to get me by until I'm ready to pull the rotors. So, perhaps some of the experts here can help me with the following questions:

1. How long would you expect this job to take? I have done quite a few brake jobs, but never one that involved having to pull hubs and deal with packing bearings, etc.

2. What special tools do I need? I think it's just one socket, unless I'm missing something.

3. Does anyone know where to find a step by step procedure? Steve83 referenced one in a coupe of different posts I found when searching, but the link no longer works. My Haynes seems to have a decent procedure, but I can't have too many to refer to.

My truck is a 93 F250 4X4.

Thanks.

 

The Haynes manual gives a step by step instruction to do the job.
I did mine a couple months ago.
Best wishes.
Gene

1996 xlt 4x4 ext cab 223,000 miles

 

I'm about to do mine aswell, I think your looking at about an hour per side by the time you clean everything and regrease it,and change the rotor, don't forget new seals for the back of the hub, you need the 4 prong socket, snap ring plyers, and a pick like tool to get the ring out that holds the hub gears in.take your time, and lay everything out on news paper to keeptrack of the order how it came out, good luck Randy

 

Can you get the rotor turned, or is it under spec thickness? I would never replace just one rotor--always in pairs.

Jason

 

You can get the rotors turned, as long as they are within the tolreances.
I usually install new parts on whatever work I do.
A snap ring pliers and a pic set is very helpful.
I bought a pic set at walmart for about $9.
Take your time, and follow the book.
Best wishes,
Gene

 

I just did my '87 4X4 two weeks ago. The rotors were just under specs as were the drums.. So I went all the way.. new rotors, drums, calipers, front bearings, wheel cylinders and shoes and pads.. It ended costing $190 for the front and $138 for the back.. I replaced the master cylinder and booster last year.. The front bearings cost more than I had figured on at $22 ea. I forgot what good brakes feel like..

 

You do not have to replace both rotors because one is too thin. Replacing rotors individually is fine.

If you're not going to pull the rotors to get them turned, you can have everything apart and back together in about an hour. No special tools are required. I've seen two different types of calipers on fords, one has slide pins top and bottom, and one has one slide pin on the bottom that is held in place with a bolt. They both come apart in about two minutes.

If you're pulling the rotors, then you'll need a pick set (helpful, but not required), snap ring pliers, a spindle socket, and an 11/64" alan wrench to get the hub screws off. Figure on a couple more hours to do this if you've never done it before.

 

if your not pulling the rotor's it's a real easy job.

take off the wheel

compress and pound out the caliper pins

replace pads

put caliper back on

pound pins back in.

just did this on friday. cannot belive FORD does not use caliper bolts.

 

Yeah, it seems kind of primitive, doesn't it?

 

I've always done calipers with bottom slider and bolt,but the ones with two pins top and bottom, I see your saying compress and pound out, how do you compress them? before pounding out. thanks Randy

 

I ended up putting on new cheapie pads and left the rotor. The passenger side rotor was OK. It was quite easy, although sitting in the 90 degree sun wasn't too pleasant. I didn't notice any vibration, etc. from the scored rotor.

To compress the caliper pins, just squeeze with a pair of pliers. Pry on the back side until the tab where you are compressing clears, then use a punch to knock them the rest of the way out. I used a nail punch and turned it around backwards so the side you normally pound contacted the pins. My description kind of sucks, but I think it would make sense if you saw the setup.

BTW, I gave them a heck of a workout today. I have a 12' heavy duty trailer that I estimate at 1000 lbs or so, which I loaded with ~6000 lbs of gravel. Fortunately, the terrain was flat and I knew that getting it moving was much less difficult than getting is stopped.

One thing that was odd though - when I would nail the brakes, it was like there was a momentary pause before they'd really grab. The pedal actually felt stiffer for a split second, without noticeable braking, then depressed normally. Once I thought about it, I'm not sure it wasn't always like this, as I'm not sure I've ever had to slam on the brakes since I've had the truck. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

I'm no expert obviously, but you might have to seat those pads. by doing a real hard stop, not skidding but just about.