So I have a issue with my front brakes in my 92 F-150 2wd.

When driving I can hear a distinct grinding its very faint and when you hit the brakes at a light when your slowing down you can feel it a bit in your steering wheel. and you can really hear it sounds like a binding noise in the front and a bit of a wobble.

now this comes at a bad time.... I got quoted about 600-700 for new rotors and pads to be installed.... if I have a warped rotor I have a appointment for a inspection tomorrow. if it turns out to be a rotor and I have to replace both 700 is a price I am not willing to pay for such a repair. is there a guide online that shows how to replace front rotors and pads?

 

Heads up.. brake jobs are where garages make all thier money. New rotors, calipers, and pads for this thing should not cost more than about $250-$300, and installation time will be under an hour for any highschool kid with no idea what a lug wrench is.

But don't replace parts unless absolutely necessary, if you have a slight warp in a rotor just have it machined, and don't replace the calipers unless it pulls to one side or the other. The brake pads you choose will have a big effect on the sound you get from the brakes.. some metalic pads squeel a lot, as well as the stopping power, and the amount of dust generated as they wear down.

 

Conanski what would you recommend for a new set of rotors and pads.

and if my calipers require replacing?

 

Here's also a quick visual check on your calipers: the pad wear will tell you a lot about your calipers. As Paul said, a pull when braking is usually a sign of a bad caliper or collapsed hose, with it being the caliper in over 95% of those cases. Look at the wear on your pads- if the outside (wheel side) pad is worn evenly with the inside pad, that's always a good sign. If one pad is worn more heavily, it tell us something- if the outside pad is worn more, it indicates a sliding problem with the caliper. If the inside pad is worn, it indicated a hydraulically binding caliper.

Think of the caliper like a hand where you're pinching, touching your thumb to your forefinger- this is how the caliper works- the piston forcing out of the caliper is like the thumb. It pushes the inboard pad against the rotor, and because the caliper "floats" on its sliders, it moves the whole caliper towards the center of the truck, which causes the outboard pad to come into contact. This is how it "grips" your rotor and slows you down.

A hydraulic problem with a caliper is usually only fixed by replacing/rebuilding the caliper. a sliding problem is likely to stay even if you replace the caliper. To fix a sliding problem, clean the sliders and the caliper and spindle surfaces they ride on. Clean them with a wire brush, and when you reassemble, use a good high temp silicone grease (a thin layer is enough- don't slop it on)

If rotors are within spec, they can indeed be turned. One problem with turning them is that once they are turned, they will be a bit thinner and with less mass, will be more prone to warpage in the future. This problem can be greatly reduced by making sure your rear brakes are adjusted properly. Rear brake adjustment is an often overlooked chore that, when done, makes life a lot easier on your front brakes, and makes maintenance on the front brakes much cheaper and less frequent.

The two big indicators that your rear brakes need adjusting are heavy nose diving of the truck when stopping, and a low. but firm brake pedal.

 

ROTORPROS - Home Page

Awesome prices there. I got my diamond slotted rotors for about 140, if i remember correctly. OEM's would be cheaper in cost, of course, and you can get those just about anywhere. As far as your calipers go, rebuild em and clean em up like new.

 

Rotors for a 2wheel drive F-150 should be what? about 50 bucks each, or less? A good set of pads, 35 bucks or so.

The rotors may come ready to go on the truck, or so they claim. If not 7 to 15 bucks each for labor depending on where you go to have them turned "truing" to the hub's center. For the best results having the rotors turned once mounted on the hub is the best way to go regardless of how they come out the box.

"Truing" new rotor's only very lightly touches the rotor and doesn't drastically make them thiner.

Shouldn't take you much more then a half hour, 45 minutes to do the job total. Even stumbling some figuring it out the first time should be under a hour.
If you install them right out of the box be sure and use brake cleaner to remove the oil coating they will have on them to keep them from rusting. It will contaminate your new pads if you don't clean it off first.

The price quote you received is totally out of line for the work/parts needed. Never go back there again.

Fix it yourself and use some of the money you save to buy a service manual for your model/year truck.

 

^ Exactly! a haynes manual will walk you through the brake job step by step. And if you have any questions, we're here, too.

 

Good time as any to ask you guys and hopefully help someone else who may be wondering as well.

I'm getting ready to replace my front brakes and rotors (ones really bad Conaski, so I'm going to just replace them both, high miles, but I agree with you on normally getting them turned). Something I've heard here but can't seem to find any good info on is, what are some of the best brands of rotors, and possably calipers to use on our trucks that are cheap but not junk? I've heard nothing but bad things about the cheap Asian ones and I'm wanting to avoid them and give my money to a US company. Is the best route to get them at the dealership?

I've also been looking some and have noticed there are 3 different sizes of rotors that are for my year, how do I tell which size it is without taking them off? Gross weight ratings? Or is it something I can find using the vin#?