brake job woes...

[big_hoovie]

Today I planned on doing a complete brake job on my X. I had the drums turned, got new shoes, new rotors, pads and calipers. I started taking the passenger side disc brake apart, starting with the caliper. The piston that pushes the inner pad was ground down, and it looked like the inner pad had come away, and it was that piston that was doing the braking. The driverside caliper was similar, but the boot was in better condition.

After taking the hub assembly apart, I got to the axle nut, which isn't a standard size(2 1/2") no, it's actually 1/8" of an inch smaller(2 3/8" for the mathematically challenged), so we had to find a socket that would fit. after going to a store and looking around(we were getting the brake parts, so it wasn't a special trip) I noticed the socket for the dana 44 axle(2 1/2")...so we left it, and started working on the drums.

Seeings as this was the first time either one of us(myself or my father) had done drums, this became an interesting challenge, and while taking it apart(I'm sure more than a few of you had this happen), I removed one of the springs, started to go after a different part, and the whole assembly went SPROING!, and I had a pile of parts in the pile of rust on the floor. One of the stupidist things I've seen was the little clip used to hold the actuator arm(I think that's what it was called) to the rear brake shoe - instead of a cotter pin, it was a clip, but not a snap ring, but a slip that we had to use pliers and screwdrivers and a hammer to remove. After getting everything together again, with the new shoes, it was twisted, so that had to be played with(read: forced) to the proper position.(it was bound on a ridge on the drum backing(or whatever it's called)).

after the rear brakes were done(we had help from my brother and a friend of his - they did the other side) it was back to the front. We called several places and found one that had the 2 1/8" ROUNDED(not mentioned in haynes) hex axle nut socket. They closed in one hour, are a half hour away, and it's raining on Saturday(lots of slow moving traffic). So we get there and get the socket, and are on our way. After getting home, we start to go to town on the passenger side, and get the breaker bar, and start wrenching, and it gets about 1/16" from the rotor, and doesn't move any more, but spins. After trying for a half hour, while my father worked on the driver side caliper, we switched, and he did the other caliper, while I tried to get the driver side axle nut off(have you noticed that I missed something VERY important here?). After going back to the bible(read: Haynes manual) We discover that the stupid little key was still in there. After pulling the keys from both sides, the nuts came off fine, and everything goes smoothly from there, except it's now almost 10 pm(started at 11 am), shops are closed, we need a new axle nut(good luck finding it) and two bearing seals(should have thought of that when we picked up the socket), so am staying the night at my 'rents and will pick up the parts at 9 in the am, and hopefully will be on a shakedown run by noon.

I should also mention that it's good I noticed the rotors were too thin, because the inner side on both of them were crap - they were all wavy, and I was suprised to find no holes worn through.


Sorry about the rant, but I had to get it out of my system...It's been a very long day today, and I'm not done with what should have been a simple job. If anyone's interested, I'll keep you updated with how everything finishes up.

 

[Glacier991]

Too bad you hadn't found and read the Useful Thread on doing the First Gen disc brakes, with pics.... it is a little more useful than Haynes... might want to take a look now:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122696

 

[dreamr]

I had a night like that last night........Only a mercedes oil pan and no engine hoist

It's part of the fun though and you learn from your experience. Next time the brakes will be smooth as you know what to watch for......

Smile and laugh at it then go enjoy your new found security with good brakes.

 

[EMG7895]

Before you go to the store tomorow check your brake lines and bleeders, they are probably rusted bad.

 

[Glacier991]

Dreamr is right, we have all been there on one project or another. And likely will again. Welcome to the fraternity !

 

[Ford_Racing_Guy]

good time to pick up some new bearings as the new rotors will have the outer races already pressed in

 

[big_hoovie]

The final Day

That thread on doing the brakes would have come in REALLY useful(especially the part about removing the key), and it would have saved a lot of irritation and anxeity - I'll get to that later.

brakelines were perfect - they are only 3 years old. bleeders came with the calipers(remember that the piston on the right side matched perfectly all the grooves on the inside part of the rotor)

the bearings were in perfect condition - no excess play whatsoever, and they rotated perfectly.


So Sunday morning, we call around to try to find a replacement axle nut, and no one has it. The only thing out there was a 2 1/2" axle nut, which would fit the hole on the hub, but we didn't know if the threads would match(remember there are grooves for the key), so we drove about 20 minutes or so to get to the shop that had the 2 1/2" nut, and find out it's wrong, and they had nothing that even closely resembled the X's nut. By a stroke of fate, my father decided that we would take back roads home, to avoid lights and traffic, and along the way we pass what I took to be a salvage yard(I had never been to one, so I had to assume what one would look like) where I saw people milling about, and a sign that read "OPEN SUNDAYS". I told my father to stop and look, and he verified that it indeed was a salvage yard - we were lucky indeed! We went in, was allowed to look around, found what we needed, and in ten minutes, we were back home, getting tools.

Just a side note about that axlenut - while we were at a pepboys(the only store that had the 2 3/8" ROUNDED hex nut socket) I saw the 2 1/2" as well, and the one I needed read on the label for 1990 and up(ranger, bronco II and explorer), while the other one read 1993 and up. This told me I was definitly looking for a 91 or 92, and POSSIBILY something newer.

Back at the salvage yard, I went to the X I found(A '92) and noticed a '94 next to it, with none of the 4wd stuff on the spindle, so I took the socket, and checked the size - sucess! pulled the key with the pencil magnet(this worked really well), pulled the nut, and left(they didn't charge us a dime for it, which was fortuitious, as we probably would have paid $20 for it, since it meant the job would be finished in a few hours)

and a few hours later(I'll spare details, as the rest is jut finishing up a brake job, which is detailed in the linked post earlier) we were done, and on our shakedown run, which tossed absolutly NO suprises.

total, it took about 2 days to finish the job, but I can do drums and discs, as well as take the 4wd stuff apart blidfolded, in about a minute.


There were a couple of different things I did, as versus what the author did in the linked post. I used gasoline to soak all the parts to remove the old grease, pliers were used on the snap ring(and a mallet tapping on top of the pliers to get it on to the spindle). I didn't use moly greas, I used standard hi-temp wheel bearing grease. A punch and a ball peen worked wonders for removing the retaining clips holding the calipers on(I used the hammer and a block of wood for replacing them)

I do have a question - in the brake writeup, something is mentioned about lubrication some slides so the caliper can move...I assume that the slides in question are the retaining pins that hold the caliper in place? If this is the case, I guess I need to go do that ASAP(wasn't mentioned in the book,that we saw, so it wasn't done)

 

[Maniak]

Yes, those are the pins.. I use brake caliper grease (can't always find it at chain autoparts stores).. I buy a tube of it and I can get about 6 or so lubes (both sides) out of that tube.

I at least check by brakes every 3 months or so (or when I get back from a wheeling trip).. When I check my brakes I pull the calipers and regrease the pins (once I clean them off)..

~Mark

 

[Tony H]

You don't usually need the Socket because the Nut should not be on tight at all. You don't want to over tighten the bearing.
If yo pull the Plastic part off, then the Key, the nut should be almost hand tight. Channel locks will get the job done.

I'm mentioning this incase you overtightened them with the socket.

The stupid clip on the Emergency Brake part of the rear brakes. Yeah I agree dumbest thing in the world. Auto parts stores do carry the Spring Click equivalent. Alittle harder to handle with grimy fingers but at least they don't get all mangled.

Good learning experience. Congrats!

 

[big_hoovie]

I used the socket to torque the nut properly - 35 ft. lbs., then back off a quarter turn, then 16 in/ lbs.(slightly less than finger tight). Besides, you never know when you are going to need a replacement axle nut off of a junkyard X, which has been slightly stuck for a year or so...socket comes in mighty handy, as it's tough to work channel locks around the lugs.

I have to say though, that now that I have done them once(first time makes one a bit nervous, as you are working on what makes you stop), I wouldn't hesitate to do them again.

 

[EMG7895]

SInce your in NH the next time you do them the bleeders might be the hardest part. I had to use a torch hammmer and vice grips on mine for ab out an hour before it loosened.

 

[Tony H]

Like most car jobs. Once you do it and the mystery is gone, the next time is Cake.

Yesterday I did an Intake Manifold Gasket on my '91.

YIPES! That was the first time I had to really dig into this Motor. I like Carbureted cars when an intake manifold takes 45 minutes not 7.5 hours.
So much stuff to get off and out of the way.

 

[big_hoovie]

I just dread the day that I have to replace the power steering pump...I'm not looking forward to having to pull so much apart...