Help with brakes for first timer!!

[jason_0891]

I am getting ready to do the brakes on my 2003 explorer 4x4. I am a fairly handy person so I think I can handle it. I have never replaced disc brakes before and I am not sure what to expect. I have done drum brakes on my 69 stang so I'm not entirely new to brakes but I was just hoping for some pointers or things to expect. I know the rotors will need to be turned or replaced. Is this a harder job being that my truck has 4 wheel drive? Also I'm not sure about topping off brake fluid and things like that. And will collapsing the pistons on the caliper to make room for new pads possibly overflow the master cylinder? Its little details like that I'm worried about. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[bigapple]

(couldnt find a brake diagram picture to refer to so i apologize)

ive never gone into the nitty gritty with the amount of brake fluid and disconnecting brake lines and such but removing your rotors is a piece of cake... after u remove the wheel itself, the pads will need to be removed from the caliper... the lower small screw on the caliper itself needs to be removed... once u do that, grab the bottom part of the caliper and it should swing up to expose the pads... pull the pads out an put the caliper back down or leave it up if u want (removing the pads is most important)... after this step, look on the backside of the spindle and there should be two large screws holding together the brake caliper assembly... remove them and it will expose the rotor only with no obstructions... once its off, hit the front of the rotor with a hammer until the rotor pops off... the rear wheels vary a bit on how theyre assembled but its the same principle... if u need help, post back

 

[budwich]

you are not supposed to "pushed the fluid back" into the reservoir... you are supposed to open the bleed screw and let the fluid drain out. This prevents contamination of the brake system especially the ABS module.