Has anybody changed their brakes?

[HawksWR37]

I just finished changing the brakes on my 04 GT and it has been the hardest job i think ive ever done by myself on a car. First of all i didn't expect 4 bolt calipers. The top two bolts were simple to remove but the big ones beyond that were ridiculous to get off. I ended up going to rent an impact wrench and it didn't even fit behind the damn caliper. So i finally resorted to PB blaster and a mallet! that finally broke them loose. So i finally got the caliper off to change the rotors and put the bottom part of the caliper and pads on and i couldnt get the pistons to compress far enough!!!! well i got it back on and it was way to tight and caused my brakes to start smoking so i had to take them back apart and try to compress the pistons even farther. well it worked and they quit rubbing so bad. so now on to the back. I figured that these would be a lot simpler since they are a little caliper.... WRONG. These were so dumb. the bolts are like in the worst positions. after some more blaster and hammering i got those off and got the caliper off. well aparently ford never wanted you to change your pads because they were the tightest fit ever. well the mallet came in handy again. got the pads on and the piston refused to go back in!!! finally got them on though. just wondering if anyone else ever had this much trouble with theirs?

[306Power]

Well on rear calipers when you go to put the pistons back into them you typically have to rotate them while you put them back into the caliper. Do you have a breaker bar to use on tough bolts? That would have helped a lot I bet. Or if you have a torch you can torch them and let the metal around the bolt expand and take them off.

[HawksWR37]

well i mean i was rotating them while trying to put them back on but there was about a quarter of an inch more pad than there was space for.and yeah i have a breaker bar but it wouldnt fit behind my caliper

[306Power]

I have never changed the rear brakes on the Mustang but the front were no problem, Ill be doing the rear probably here soon so we'll see lol.

[Black92LX]

the bolts can be a little bit tough from time to time but a little heat and a breaker bar work nicely. Though if I remember correctly only 2 bolts actually need to be removed to get the caliper of the knuckle.

As for the pistons not compressing fully you did remove some fluid and leave the master cylinder lid open correct??
If not you aren't going to compress them fully.

If you were trying to compress the rear and weren't using the caliper tool, it's nearly impossible to compress them fully.
The tool makes it very very simple.

[facemelter71]

the bolts can be a little bit tough from time to time but a little heat and a breaker bar work nicely. Though if I remember correctly only 2 bolts actually need to be removed to get the caliper of the knuckle.

As for the pistons not compressing fully you did remove some fluid and leave the master cylinder lid open correct??
If not you aren't going to compress them fully.

If you were trying to compress the rear and weren't using the caliper tool, it's nearly impossible to compress them fully.
The tool makes it very very simple.

Why would you remove fluid? Your not supposed to add fluid to a brake system.Its a sealed system and there is a reason it is low.Weather it be the pads are gone and worn out or you have a leak.
Ive never "topped" off a Brake reservoir,if its low I start wondering why.
Also not a good idea to leave the lid off.Even for 5 minutes.Brake fluid is Hygroscopic and attracts water.

[Black92LX]

Why would you remove fluid? Your not supposed to add fluid to a brake system.Its a sealed system and there is a reason it is low.Weather it be the pads are gone and worn out or you have a leak.
Ive never "topped" off a Brake reservoir,if its low I start wondering why.
Also not a good idea to leave the lid off.Even for 5 minutes.Brake fluid is Hygroscopic and attracts water.

To be able to relieve pressure in the pistons. It's not common to remove some fluid from your master cylinder prior to a brake job to make piston compression easier.
Just removing some from the master cylinder so as you pack the pistons out the fluid flows back towards the master cylinder. Keeping it from over flowing but helping to relieve pressure all at the same time.

Read any Chiltons or Hayes manual and it's the first step they suggest.
There is no harm in removing some and putting it back.

[mwaller5672]

Man I hear a lot of hard heads hitting together. I can hearem clear out in Indiana. : )

[facemelter71]

Man I hear a lot of hard heads hitting together. I can hearem clear out in Indiana. : )

Odd statement.
Any way.
It shouldnt take much more than a pair of channel lock pliers to compress a piston in a caliper,even if it is full of fluid.
The little seal around the caliper piston acts as a return spring,so there shouldnt be much pressure to push it back in.
If it doesnt want to go back in,then you either have a bad caliper or bad line..

[mwaller5672]

I guess my sense of humor can be wierd at times. I know what I meant.: ) What I find with car people everyone has a way of doing things and sometimes those hard heads bang together when 2 people don't agree. I felt that in this post. Thats all. Working with all engineers I see the same thing here at work. Most of the ways work as well as the next. Sorry about the goofy statement.

[02mingryGT]

You have to have the tool for the rears. With that it is very very easy like Black said. I have also heard of the "remove master cylinder cap" trick. I didn't use it since my system was bone dry when I put everything back together.

[Pitbull1052]

I'm with Face I've never ever had to remove fluid to do a brake job....... now i've heard of people trying to compress the ones that you have to use that special little goofy box looking tool and not knowing they needed that tool but not taking fluid out...

[facemelter71]

And also brake fluid should be changed at the max every two years.A lot of companies will top off brake fluid as a jesture to the customer.But I never did and got yelled at a lot of times for it.

Im not sayin my way is the way it has to be,im just sayin that you shouldnt have to remove or add fluid from a correctly filled reservoir.That was correctly filled from the begining.Say,brand new rotors and pads all the way around would be a good time to adjust fluid level.

And the OP stated that it was difficult to remove the caliper mounting bolts.I believe Ford may have used some loctite to help hold the bolts to the spindle.And it was also hard to push the piston back in.May be a siezing caliper,or fubar'ed line.

[Black Horse]

As a rule (my own) if I do a brake job I'll siphon all of the fluid from the reservoirs both before and after pushing back the calipers (a large syringe works great) then top it off with clean, new fluid. This gets some of the crap out of the system (dirt) and, as was mentioned earlier, replaces the level with fluid that hasn't absorbed water. It's not as good as a full flush, but for street driving is better than nothing at all. The moisture can also lead to calipers seizing from internal rusting or crap build up.

If you have ever done any open tracking or racing and lost your brakes going into a corner you'll think twice about your fluid. Water (moisture) in the fluid lowers the boiling point drastically. Use good fluid, keep it clean and fresh, and if you are racing or open tracking, flush your system and fill with the real good stuff before every event.

[highmileage4.6]

yeah man sounds like you got bad lines on the front a welders c clamp is what we use at work, easy way to find out if it the caliper or line is to open the bleeder if the piston moves back almost likely a bad line if it doesnt move then bad caliper we always wedge a prybar in between the rotor and the pad sometimes too to move the piston back always a plus because it does both pistons on the same side, and then put something in there another pry bar or something steel and do the other side then take the caliper off hope it helps

[highmileage4.6]

and btw screw that little box thing for the rears them things blow;) pretty sure you can rent a tool for the rears you have to screw the rear piston back in on most cars

[Black92LX]

and btw screw that little box thing for the rears them things blow;) pretty sure you can rent a tool for the rears you have to screw the rear piston back in on most cars

can be had at harbor freight for $20
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40732

[Black Horse]

I made one from an old stripped out socket. Ground the face of the socket down to leave two little stubs. Works like a charm!

[highmileage4.6]

yeap thats the one we use at work i hate working on my car in my driveway anymore works got me spoiled

[HawksWR37]

Well thanks everyone for your advice. maybe next time it will be a little easier. lol

[Goldenpony]

can be had at harbor freight for $20
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40732

You can get one of the kits for nothing (to use) from AutoZone or Advance. You just have to leave a deposit and they give it back when you bring it back in good condition.