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I am planning on changing the brake pads on my 08 Ranger this weekend. I am assuming that that this will be a straight forward operation. Pull the caliper, compress the pucks with a clamp, install the new pads and then reinstall the calipers. Turn the rotors if needed. Is there anything special that I need to know?
Thanks
Scott
Make sure you clean up all the sliders and grease them with a caliper grease. Make sure all places the pads will slide on are also clean and re greased. anymore, if the rotors are smooth and not warped, turning them down is not necessary. Most rotors now a days don't give you allot to take off. The thinner they are the more chance you are taking that they will warp. Other than that, yes, pretty strait forward easy job. If you can get the bleeders open, its not a bad idea to bleed them out and put fresh brake fluid in.
To remove rotors you have to remove bolt in center of hub, clean/repack bearings or replace them and retorque when reinstall.This is assuming it's a 2 wheel drive. If 4 wheel drive that isn't necessary.
Thanks for the quick response. I was mainly concerned about compressing the puck. I did the front brakes on the wife’s Miata last month and was unable to compress the puck. After some research, I found out there was a small gear under a bolt that I had to turn to retract it. I had never come across anything like it on any car I had worked on. I thought it better to ask before I got my hands dirty.
Thanks to all!
Scott
The only pistons in a caliper that wont "push" back in would be rear calipers that have a parking brake lever on them on a four wheel disc brake setup. If the parking brake is inside the rear rotors then the caliper would push back in and not have to be turned and pushed at the same time to get it back in. I will assume we are taking about the same thing your calling a "puck" is the caliper piston. All front calipers push back in, with the exception of some of the older Subaru's and I think Saab's.
Yes, when I say puck, I am referring to the caliper piston. The Miata I was referring to was the front brakes and you could not compress the piston into the caliper in the normal way (I use a C clamp). You had to use a star bit to turn a gear that retracted the piston. I had never come across anything like it before. Thanks for all the great input.
Scott
Yes, when I say puck, I am referring to the caliper piston. The Miata I was referring to was the front brakes and you could not compress the piston into the caliper in the normal way (I use a C clamp). You had to use a star bit to turn a gear that retracted the piston. I had never come across anything like it before. Thanks for all the great input.
Scott
Ya, thats a new one to me too... What year was the Miata?? Cant say I have ever heard of a Mazda with front calipers that cant be just pushed back in... The backs are like that, but never heard or seen fronts that way...
bazaar, The rears should be the ones set up that way. I'm not doubting you, I just have never seen a Mazda set up like that in the front. The caliper they list for that car don't show the fronts being that way. Maybe the car is polish, and it was built backwards, lol...