How to Replace Rear Brake Pads on a 2004 Ford Freestar

Rear brake pads on the 2004 Ford Freestar squeeze against the brake rotors whenever you depress the brake pedal to bring the minivan to a halt. Over time, this action slowly wears down the brake pads until they reach the end of their service life. When that day arrives, you’ll need to replace the rear brake pads in order to prevent damage to the rest of the brake system. If you have basic automotive repair experience, you can purchase the parts and then replace the brake pads on the 2004 Ford Freestar yourself.

Things You'll Need

• Wheel chocks
• Lug wrench
• Floor jack
• 2 jack stands
• Drip pan
• Brake clean
• Socket set
• White lithium grease
• Torque wrench

Instructions

1. Put the wheels chocks in front of the front tires to prevent the Windstar from rolling. Loosen the rear lug nuts with the lug wrench, but do not remove them yet.

2. Roll the floor jack under the rear of the Freestar and lift the minivan off the ground with the jack. Place the jack stands under the rear frame and lower the Freestar onto them.

3. Remove the right-rear lug nuts and wheel by hand. Place the drip pan under the right-rear brake assembly and clean the brakes with brake cleaner spray to remove the brake dust buildup.

4. Unbolt the right-rear brake caliper with the socket set. Lift the caliper off the rotor and pull the brake pads out of the caliper by hand. Clean the brake dust out of the caliper with the brake cleaner.

5. Lubricate the caliper slide pins with the white lithium grease and then insert the new brake pads in the same position and orientation as the old ones. Slide the brake caliper over the rotor and bolt it back down using the socket set.

6. Repeat Steps 3 through 5 on the left-rear.

7. Put both rear wheels and all the rear lug nuts back on the Freestar by hand. Lower it off the jack stands with the floor jack and then tighten the lug nuts to 85 ft-lbs using the torque wrench. Move the wheel chocks away from the front wheels.

References

• "Ford Windstar & Freestar 1995 Through 2007: Haynes Manual"; Ken Freund; 2007