Front Brake Pads?

[Hudsonf]

I'm replacing the front pads and rotors on my 2005 Explorer. I'm having trouble getting the new pads to slide in. Is there a trick to this? I was running out of daylight so I had to give up tonight. The pads look the same as the old ones. They did come with new stainless steel slides. Could the slides be wrong or am I doing something wrong? Any advise appreciated. TIA

 

[Exproblems]

I'm replacing the front pads and rotors on my 2005 Explorer. I'm having trouble getting the new pads to slide in. Is there a trick to this? I was running out of daylight so I had to give up tonight. The pads look the same as the old ones. They did come with new stainless steel slides. Could the slides be wrong or am I doing something wrong? Any advise appreciated. TIA

All you have to do is loosen the cap on the master cylinder reservoir "first" and take a "large C-clamp" and compress the piston of the brake caliper back into it's housing or flat against the caliper/piston housing. I use a large crescent wrench that I have to lay flat across the mouth of the caliper piston and I place the threaded rod end of the C-clamp against the crescent wrench and compress it that way. This helps compress the piston evenly from side to side back in it's housing. Use any hardened piece of steel you have that fits between the caliper mouth. The other end of the C-clamp I place against the back of the caliper housing when compressing. This will give you the added room to install the thicker, new pads. Very simple to do. You have to do this for each caliper you install new brake pads into. When done installing new pads, re-tighten the cap on the master cylinder. Good luck!

 

[Hudsonf]

Thanks for the reply! The caliper is not the problem. I cant get the pads to slide on the caliper bracket and on the stainless sides..

 

[swshawaii]

Certain brands of aftermarket pads are a very tight fit in the caliper abutment clips. Easiest solution is lightly filing the pad ears. If the pads are painted or powder coated, the finish thickness alone is enough to prevent installation. Using high temp silicone brake lube on all brake hardware contact points will prevent noise, binding, and corrosion.

 

[Hudsonf]

Certain brands of aftermarket pads are a very tight fit in the caliper abutment clips. Easiest solution is lightly filing the pad ears.
If the pads are painted or powder coated, the finish thickness alone is enough to prevent installation. Using high temp silicone brake lube on all brake hardware contact points will prevent noise and corrosion.

It was definitely that the fit is to tight. I just brought the bracket, slides and pads onto the porch where i cold get a good look at what the problem was. The way the slides are made the pads were hitting them on the end. I wire brushed the bracket and pad ends and installed the pads from the inside with a little help of a screw driver pushing on the part the pad was hitting. Now I need to see if I can install the bracket with the pad already on.

 

[Hudsonf]

Went right on just like it's supposed to. Now tomorrow I'll finish my brake job. Thanks swshawaii and Exproblems! The wife and I are making a unexpected trip trip from N.J. to Fla. and the front brakes were close to metal to metal.