Ok, I am the furthest thing from a mechanic.
But I am broke and desperate and my 94 Explorer had NO stop so I attempted to fix the brakes myself.
Armed with a pitiful array of tools, an online Chilton guide and an instructional Youtube video, I went to work.
Please understand that I couldn't know less about this if I was Amish.
The main problem (so I was told) was the rear wheel seal (whatever that is) so I bought the list of stuff at the auto parts store and took the rear brake apart. This involved lots of cursing, a prayer to God thanking him for this opportunity to practice patience and a piece of hay twine which is what I finally managed to pull the springs off with.
I found, and replaced, the seal thingy, after a phone call to my cousin, where he laughed at me and told me the screws were not reverse threaded. What he didn't tell me is that they may as well have been as I was working from the wrong side to them.
With the help of more hay twine, and a friend to provide that third hand God forgot to give us, I actually managed to get them back together!
If I didn't mention before, to the unmechanical drum brakes can only be described as Satan's jigsaw puzzle, so I was insanely proud of myself and tackled the front brakes, where I had been told I had a stuck caliper pin.
I did the driver's side relatively easily, replaces the caliper pins and pads, patted myself on the back and went to the problem side.
I've no idea if the caliper pin was stuck, but there was a brake pad missing and that piston thingy(which I found out was the actual caliper) was shot to hades as it had pressed against the ?rotor? and worn to the point it was virtually gone.
After 3 days I got a ride to the store that actually had the part, and put it on. After all I'd been through, this was easy. I took a test drive and it ACTUALLY WORKED!
So a little later my husband and family got in the car so we could all go to the store. About 12 miles down the road there was some clunking and grinding and that nice, brand new, front passenger caliper spit out a chewed up brake pad.
When you can stop laughing (go ahead, it's ok) does anyone know what I did wrong?
But I am broke and desperate and my 94 Explorer had NO stop so I attempted to fix the brakes myself.
Armed with a pitiful array of tools, an online Chilton guide and an instructional Youtube video, I went to work.
Please understand that I couldn't know less about this if I was Amish.
The main problem (so I was told) was the rear wheel seal (whatever that is) so I bought the list of stuff at the auto parts store and took the rear brake apart. This involved lots of cursing, a prayer to God thanking him for this opportunity to practice patience and a piece of hay twine which is what I finally managed to pull the springs off with.
I found, and replaced, the seal thingy, after a phone call to my cousin, where he laughed at me and told me the screws were not reverse threaded. What he didn't tell me is that they may as well have been as I was working from the wrong side to them.
With the help of more hay twine, and a friend to provide that third hand God forgot to give us, I actually managed to get them back together!
If I didn't mention before, to the unmechanical drum brakes can only be described as Satan's jigsaw puzzle, so I was insanely proud of myself and tackled the front brakes, where I had been told I had a stuck caliper pin.
I did the driver's side relatively easily, replaces the caliper pins and pads, patted myself on the back and went to the problem side.
I've no idea if the caliper pin was stuck, but there was a brake pad missing and that piston thingy(which I found out was the actual caliper) was shot to hades as it had pressed against the ?rotor? and worn to the point it was virtually gone.
After 3 days I got a ride to the store that actually had the part, and put it on. After all I'd been through, this was easy. I took a test drive and it ACTUALLY WORKED!
So a little later my husband and family got in the car so we could all go to the store. About 12 miles down the road there was some clunking and grinding and that nice, brand new, front passenger caliper spit out a chewed up brake pad.
When you can stop laughing (go ahead, it's ok) does anyone know what I did wrong?
