Prequel...

Changed my wifes oil last weekend and took her 99 Explorer for a test drive afterward as I always do.

When I returned to my 02 F-150 SCrew the next day, my brakes were quite squishy in comparison. I have to push my pedal down quite far and hard to accomplish the same braking pattern as I did in her Explorer with 1/3 the pressure and distance. Hoping it is nothing more than the weight difference between the rigs.

My question is this...

Is there any good way to tell (without visually inspection) when brakes need to be replaced?

Thanx.

 

When were the brakes last flushed? Your truck is three years old so it should have been done at least once. As brake fluid ages it picks up moisture that over time will cause the pedal to feel soft. Flushing is important on ABS equipped vehicles, and should be done every other year.

To answer your second question, there really isn't any better way to tell the condition of the brakes other then a visual inspection.

 

When ever you rotate tires look at the brakes or have the tire jockey do it.

 

Well, I broke down and disassembled the brakes this weekend and boy am I glad I did! I had maybe 1 to 1.5 mm of pad left on the fronts. Jeez. Definitely going to check them every year from now on.

Thanx for all your help peeps.