1999 F150 4x2, 4.2/5speed, 4 wheel disk, 4 wheel ABS.

Are the front rotors one piece with the hub or do the rotors separate from the hub?

I haven't started a brake job yet, but I am wondering.

If they are one piece hub/rotors, then the wheel bearings are what keep the hubs/rotors on the spindles right? If so, then are there both inner and outer bearing races?

 

They are separate. All that holds the rotors on is the brakes and the lug nuts. If you remove the wheel the rotors can be pulled forward on the side away from the brake pads. If they become rusted over time they may appear to be one pice and tough to separate.

 

Might want to double check that last post. This truck is a two wheel drive and mine had one piece rotor/hub. To remove a one piece you remove the dust cap, pull the cotter pin and remove the lock washer/spindle nut. remove the flat washer and outer bearing. replace the spindle nut and slide the rotor/hub out towards you with moderate force. The inner bearing and grease seal will catch on the spindle nut and the hub will now be off with both bearing sets removed. wipe down the bearing races inside the hub and check for wear. same with the bearings themselves. I was told that only 4x's had slide off rotors and agian my 99 2 wheel had the standard one piece set up.

 

You must have a 4x4 huh, greencrew?

4x4s have sealed hubs and rotors up front. Their rotors can be pulled off the wheel studs and are indeed a simple replacement item. 4x2s have integrated rotors up front and servicable bearings. Their hub and rotor are one piece and need to be replaced together.

• 4x4 rotor
• 4x2 hub & rotor

Yes, there are inner and outer bearings. The races are actually part of the hub though. They cannot be pulled out. There's also a seal on the back side of the hub. Ford recommends that the bearings also be greased every 30,000 miles.

• Hub grease cap removed
• Hub removed from the spindle

If you decide to replace the hubs and want to use OEM parts, NAPA carries Bendix hubs under their "United" label. These are the same parts you'd be buying at a Ford dealer, but they'd cost about $40.00 more per hub.

 

The bearing races can be replaced w/o doing the whole hub. They are pressed in and can be removed with a straight punch and a hammer from the back side of the race. new bearings come with a new race. you can get a tool to replace the races( cone shaped pices of metal with a flat top and a hole in the middle for a metal dowel. cone fits inside the race, put the race in position and hit the top of the dowel w/ hammer until the flat piece is flush w/ the top of the hub) If you are careful you can use the old races on top of the new ones and gently tap the new ones back down.

 

Thanks men.

I just got back in from checking both front sides. It looks like I have a minimum of 4mm pad remaining at the lowest. Some measurements are 5mm, but I'll use the 4mm as the measurement. These measurements are the best I could do -- I didn't remove the pads and measure; I just finagled the ruler in multiple places on all pads.

I should have a little life left. The set of Ford SuperDuty pads I have on the shelf are 9mm new. So, let's assume the Ford factory pads were 10mm new; I have used 6mm in 55k miles. That's approximately 9.1k miles / mm. 64k miles for 7mm use, 73k miles for 8mm use, etc. assuming linear use for the remaining material.

I'll check again in spring.

I now see the 1 piece hub/rotor.

The bearings haven't been regreased, so I guess at pad replacement time, I'll replace the bearings. Or, could I get by with cleaning regreasing?

The rotors look clean -- very little grooving -- for some reason this set of factory pads and rotors have been absolutely fantastic for me. No pulsation whatsover, Maybe I can get by with having them turned slightly? If so, that would be the last time, but heck, if I could get say 110k out of the factory rotors, that sounds good.

 

Yup, I stand corrected.

 

Did my front brakes on my 98 2 wheel drive F-150, just to grease the wheel bearings at 35k. I was surprised how little grease Ford put in at the factory. There was plenty of pad left. Had the rotors cut and put in Napa I believe Gold pads. For the same price I could have got Motorcraft pads from the Ford dealer and they would have included a hardware kit. Brakes last a long time, depending on the driver. If you tap your brakes when applying them you could save 50 percent, just because of the cooling involved.

 

Don't forget to clean and lube the caliper slides when you do thpad replacement. This is commonly overlooked and can really add to the life of the pads, minimize noise and of course keep the calipers from freezing up and not move off the rotor when you apply the brakes. You can use a light rub of the wheel bearing grease or get another type of high temp lube. you just need a very small bit and rub it the entire length of the slide.