Replacing brake pads

[JPExplorer98]

Has anyone replaced their brake pads before? Is there anything I need to know since it has ABS? This is the first vehicle I have owned to have it so I don't know anything about ABS. I just want to make sure I don't get in over my head.

By the way, I'm new to the board. This is my first post, YAY

 

[section525]

Welcome to the site! This is a great place to learn about your Explorer! Anything you could possible want to know, Explorer related or not, can be found by using the search function above.

Replacing the pads on a 95+ Explorer with disc brakes is a piece 'o cake! Once you get everything off, it is a very simple install. Here is a link to a thread that talks a little more about doing your own brakes. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=67529&highlight=brakes

Good luck!

 

[JPExplorer98]

Cool, that's what I thought. I just had to ask because someone told me their friend who is a "mechanic" couldn't do it on their Explorer.

 

[section525]

Tell your friend to find a new mechanic.

Plannin on doing any mods to your Explorer??

 

[swak6287]

do we need to comprese the caliper piston when we are done or can we just step on the brakes?

 

[matey]

i wouldnt do the rear ones you will find they are not that easy if you have nver done them i would take it to the shop you need a special tool to wind the caliper down do not under any circumstances apply a c clamp to the rear caliper it will break the front are easy though

 

[Bruce Rock]

Autozone has the tool you need in their free tool program. I just changed the rear disc pads and rotors on my wife's '95 Sable wagon. No problem, but I wouldn't want to try it without the tool. The tool has to screw the puck in since that's what the parking brake uses. Haynes says you could use a spanner wrench. It turned way too hard for any spanner wrench I've seen.

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

Matey, how come you say a C-Clamp wouldn't work on the rears?

I just did mine, using a small peice of plywood over the piston and a C-calmp, and it worked great!

 

[BradE.]

I've used a c-clamp and piece of wood on my rears too and never had a problem.

 

[MONMIX]

I did my rears with my own two hands. No problem at all.

 

[matey]

dont ya have to wind the rear ones back cause of the hand brake? thats the point of the tool other wise you could just push them down like the front ones

 

[Bruce Rock]

To those who have used a C-clamp on the rear calipers-Have you tried your parking brake?

 

[Howard]

On mine the handbrake has nothing to do with the rear callipers. It's a separate inbound disc over drum setup with it's own set of shoes. When I changed my discs and pads I did not have to use any special tools at all and found the job extremely simple to do.

 

[SteveVB]

What are you talking about?

The parking brake is a seperate drum brake on the backing plate. I think everyone is confused as to how the systems work. The parking brake and the wheel brake are seperate systems on the rear of the explorer. The wheel brake is a disc caliper system similar to the front, and the parking system is a SEPERATE drum brake system, which uses a drum integral to the rotor with the hardware on the backing plate/caliper mount.

You guys really need to read your manuals and see what you are working on. You are describing systems the Explorer doesnt have!!!!

 

[Jason_25]

Thanks for clearing that up Steve. I used a c-clamp as well with no problems but these guys were getting me worried

 

[dmasini]

It took me more time to jack up my truck and get the wheels off than it did to replace my rear pads and rotors. I also just used a c-clamp and I was fine.

Just remember if you change your rotors to make sure the E-brake is off

 

[Bruce Rock]

Sorry guys.

I checked my Haynes and the Explorer doesn't use the puck for the emergency brake.

I jumped to the wrong conclusion after reading the post about needing the tool to turn the puck and just having finished another Ford product that had used the puck for the emergency brake.

My Explorer has drums only, in the back.

In the future I'll try to keep my comments to what I have experienced with the Explorer.