How to Fix F150 Squeaky Parking Brakes

When applied, the job of the parking brake on a Ford F150 is to hold the truck still when sitting on an incline. If you don’t apply the parking brake regularly, contamination such as rust and brake dust can build up, causing the components to stick. This leads to unwanted noises, such as squeaks, squeals and groans. However, if you have a modicum of automotive repair skill, you can remedy this situation in about an hour.

Things You'll Need

• 2 wheel chocks
• Lug wrench
• Floor jack
• Jack stand
• Drop pan
• Brake cleaner
• Socket set
• Dead blow hammer (optional)
• Torque wrench

Instructions

1. Chock the right-front wheel. Turn the lug nuts on the left-rear wheel counterclockwise with the lug wrench until they’re loose enough to remove by hand, but don’t remove them yet.

2. Lift the left-rear of the F150 with the floor jack, place a jack stand under the left side of the rear axle near the leaf spring perch, and lower the truck onto the jack stand. Remove the left-rear lug nuts and wheel by hand.

3. Place the drop pan under the left-rear brake assembly, and rinse the brakes thoroughly with the brake cleaner. Unbolt the brake caliper from the caliper bracket with the socket set, and lift the caliper out of the bracket by hand.

4. Support the brake caliper on the left-rear leaf spring, making sure it doesn’t hang from the brake line. Pull the brake rotor off the hub by hand. If the rotor doesn’t pull off easily, strike it in the hat area, between the wheel studs with the dead blow hammer, and then pull it off.

5. Clean the parking brake shoes, return springs and the inside of the brake rotor hat thoroughly with brake cleaner to remove all the built-up brake dust, road dirt and other foreign material.

6. Reassemble the brakes in reverse of how you disassembled them. Reinstall the left-rear wheel and lug nuts by hand. Lower the F150 off the jack stand, and then tighten the lug nuts to 140 foot-pounds using the torque wrench.

References

• "Ford F100 - F350 1980 Thru 1996: Haynes Manual;" Ken Freund; 1996
• "Ford F150 1997 Thru 2003: Haynes Manual;" Ken Freund; 2003
• "Ford F150 2004 Thru 2006: Haynes Manual"; Ken Freund; 2006