How to Change the Brakes on a 2001 Ford F-150 4X4
Maintaining the brakes on a Ford F-150 4x4 is very important. If you are four-wheeling through some rugged terrain, you will need all of the braking power you can get, not to mention for city and freeway driving. Changing the brake pads is a job that you can do yourself. When you are changing the brake pads, remember to check the rotors for any signs of wear and replace them if necessary.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Lug wrench
- Floor jack
- Jack stands
- Replacement brake pads
- Metric socket set
- C-clamp
- Flat head screwdriver
Instructions
-
-
1
Engage the emergency brake. Break the lug nuts on the wheel on which you will be working with a lug wrench. Use a floor jack to lift the truck up then set a jack stand under the frame. Lower the truck with the jack to rest it on the jack stand.
-
2
Remove the lug nuts completely then the tire.
-
-
3
Use a 13 mm socket and a ratchet to remove the two bolts on the backside of the caliper. The caliper is on top and to the front of the brake rotor, which has the lug bolts around its center.
-
4
Remove the caliper from the rotor. Set the caliper on top of the rotor or somewhere close by but do not let it hang from the brake line.
-
5
Pull out the brake pads from the caliper. Take note of how they come out so that you can put the new ones in the same way. Place one old brake pad onto the pistons and put the C-clamp around the caliper so that one end is on the brake pad and the other on the back of the caliper. Tighten the C-clamp to push the pistons back into the caliper. Keep tightening the C-clamp until the pistons are entirely inside of the caliper.
-
6
Remove the C-clamp and old brake pad from the caliper. Place the new brake pads into the caliper then reposition the caliper over the rotor. Screw the two bolts back into the caliper and tighten them. Remount the wheel and tighten the lug nuts.
-
7
Raise the truck with the jack and remove the jack stand. Lower the truck to the ground with the jack.
-
8
Depress the brake pedal a couple of times to seat the brake pads. Repeat the above steps for the brakes for each wheel on which you will be working.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Take the time to lube the moving parts of the caliper when it is off. This will keep it running smoothly for a long time.
If you are going to do both wheels on the front or back, you can jack up the vehicle and put jack stands under both the driver and passenger's sides. Doing both wheels at once will save some time.
References
- Photo Credit brake calipers image by Tom Oliveira from Fotolia.com
