2WD Front Rotor Question

[lee2489]

I am going to be doing a brake job on the explorer tomorrow. I went to do it two weeks ago assuming it would be an easy job like the ranger. Well, 3 hours later and i still hadn't accomplished anything but get dirty. i did some research and found this thread. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107949&highlight=front+rotor+99+2wd . I still have some questions though that maybe someone could answer. If i take the rotors off to get turned, do i have to replace the bearing and the seal on the back side? Should i wait until i need new rotors to do this? How do i know if the bearing needs replacing? Also, the inside brake pad is almost to the metal but the outside one is good. Is this normal and should i replace both at the same time? Thanks.

 

[firepop5]

Have you gotten the rotors off yet? 2wd and 4wd removal are different. If the rotors aren't too messed up they can be turned. They have a minimum thickness listed on them. If they have grooves on them they should be turned or replaced.
The seal should be replaced. The bearings don't have to be replaced unless they are damaged or worn. Clean off all the grease with brake parts cleaner and examine them closely. If they are scored , pitted or very loose replace them.
If yoyu are doing a brake job, replace all pads on both wheels.

 

[lee2489]

Thanks, I did get them off and turned one and had to replace one that had a deep groove in it. The axle nuts were so loose i took them off with my fingers. Everything went well. Thanks for the info. The only issue is that i had to use a spreader on the calipers to get them back on. I opened the bleed valve, spread them, closed the bleed valve, then put them back one. Then i put more brake fluid in the master cylinder. Now the brake pedal is soft and goes way to close to the floor for my comfort. Is this normal?

 

[my pos mounty]

Thanks, I did get them off and turned one and had to replace one that had a deep groove in it. The axle nuts were so loose i took them off with my fingers. Everything went well. Thanks for the info. The only issue is that i had to use a spreader on the calipers to get them back on. I opened the bleed valve, spread them, closed the bleed valve, then put them back one. Then i put more brake fluid in the master cylinder. Now the brake pedal is soft and goes way to close to the floor for my comfort. Is this normal?

No it is not normal. When you go to push the puck back into the caliper body, use the old inboard brake pad and a large C-clamp. Open the master cylinder cover (clean it off first of course), leave the cover on it loose. SLOWLY push the puck back in by turning the C-clamp. Some brake fluid may be pushed out of the master cylinder, just be prepared for that.
Do not open the bleeder screws as that may allow air to enter the system, which is what I suspect happened to you. I suggest bleeding your brake system, starting with the rear passenger side, then the rear drivers side, then front passenger side and lastly front drivers side.

 

[lee2489]

Thanks for your help. Is there a how to thread on brake bleeding? I have been looking for about 30 min now and can't find one.

 

[my pos mounty]

Well, Theres a real easy, one-man way, of doing it. Buy a vac pump (I have one called a mity-vac) that makes it all very easy. (they are available at most auto parts stores) It comes with a little pamphlet that will tell you how to set it all up, but you pump it up to create vacuum on the bleed screw, crack the screw open, and the vac pump sucks out the fluid.
OR, you need a helper and:
A wrench to open/close bleeder screws
a clear plastic tube the same inside diameter of the outside diameter of the bleed screw
an old water bottle or other clear plastic container
extra brake fluid
Some patience

Truck up on jackstands (insert long winded safety speech/disclaimer here)
remove tires/wheels.
Place the wrench on the bleeder screw and get it loosened just a little but not so much as to allow brake fluid to leak out, leave wrench in place
Place the plastic tube on bleeder screw and the other end of the tube all the way to the bottom of the clear plastic bottle. Add a little brake fluid to the bottom of the plastic bottle, just to submerge the end of the tube.
Helper starts truck, pumps brake pedal until it gets hard, then holds it down
You crack open the bleed screw, helper holds brake pedal to the floor until you re-tighten bleeder screw. then repeat until you do not see any more air coming out of the bleeder screw. Move to next caliper. Add brake fluid as necessary to master cylinder.

Again, start at the passenger side rear, then drivers side rear, then passenger side front, then drivers side front.

 

[hworksinc]

No it is not normal. When you go to push the puck back into the caliper body, use the old inboard brake pad and a large C-clamp. Open the master cylinder cover (clean it off first of course), leave the cover on it loose. SLOWLY push the puck back in by turning the C-clamp. Some brake fluid may be pushed out of the master cylinder, just be prepared for that.
Do not open the bleeder screws as that may allow air to enter the system, which is what I suspect happened to you. I suggest bleeding your brake system, starting with the rear passenger side, then the rear drivers side, then front passenger side and lastly front drivers side.

Haha... I posted the same thing in the other thread on the parking brake problem...

 

[lee2489]

Thanks a ton guys. I think i will try the helper option. Two more questions. Do i need to take the calipers off to do this? Is this time sensitive, will it damage anything to drive it for a few days like this till i get time to do this? Thanks again.

 

[lee2489]

If i didn't open the bleed valve on the back two, do i still have to bleed those? or can i start with the front passenger one?

 

[my pos mounty]

If you did not replace or touch the rears, they should be fine. BUT, since your going to be bleeding the fronts, why not bleed the backs as well, until NEW brake fluid comes out of the bleeder screws, thereby replacing all the brake fluid. (Remove the old brake fluid from resevoir, do not touch brakes until you refill resevoir) Brake fluid absorbs water/condensation, and that condensation will pool at the caliper pucks, eventually causing them to rust internally and seize. You could be saving some aggrivation later by doing it now.

 

[lee2489]

well, i started today and tried to follow my pos mounty's instructions. as i tried to fit the tube over the "bleeder screw", and open it with the wrench at the same time, i started to consider the possibility that i had no idea what the bleeder valve was. i realized i was an idiot and when i push the piston back in last week when i did the brake job, i unscrewed the thing that connects the line to the caliper. i thought this was the bleed valve. sorry for the confusion and i hope i didn't damage anything. needless to say, my tube was much bigger than needed and now i'm going to go and try it on the real bleeder screw.

 

[my pos mounty]

The "real" bleeder screw is on top of the caliper and looks alot like a grease fitting. Let us know how it all went, and don't worry about feeling stupid, we were all rookies at one time. Live and learn, the learning is actually the fun part!

 

[lee2489]

I couldn't get the bleeder screw to unscrew. it wouldn't budge and it started to round off. Any tips?

 

[hworksinc]

The bleeder screws are often a bit rusty if they've never been used before. Give them a shot of PB Blaster and give it some time to penetrate the rust. Make sure you're using the right size wrench - I rounded off the bleeder screws on my first car by using an SAE wrench that was "close enough" rather than the proper metric size. I've found that a closed box wrench works best. If it's really stuck, you could try vice grips to break it loose, but be careful.