My truck is a 1998 F150 with the 4.2 V6. I currently have 65,000 miles on it. I finally got all of the parts together to do my brakes...new rotors, pads, hoses, calipers, and wheel bearings. I also want to put in new brake fluid. I have a few questions before I start, since it's been years since I've done any brake work.

Do I need to flush the brake system out somehow, or is simply bleeding it good enough?

Should I bleed the system before I replace these components, or after?

Any other tips or advice? I have the manual, so hopefully I won't run into any problems. Thanks for the help...

Dave

 

i would bleed them after yours done... you can either bleed the system or flush it. i would personally just bleed it starting at the farthest away and bleed it a couple times til new fluid came through. dont let the line go dry it causes problems with your abs valve. just keep adding new fluid to the res. depending on what rotors you bought i would take them to a place to get them turned. i know alot of the cheaper brands say they come already turned from the place but they dont do a good job....... on a side note i work at sears auto. we had a expedition that a guy just brought in today... did the pads and rotors himself. he ended up putting the pass. front inner pad in BACKWARDS.... he was grinding metal backing all over the rotor and that whole side is shot now.. so be careful! may look like a sissy when u check and re check and then recheck again but u will be a sissy with money instead of a brand new rotor with grooves in the back and 2 pads that are shot right off the bat!!!


EDIT: while your in there... clean everything up! the pins and what not. i have seen many fords that have crude and rust on them and that takes away from performance and pedal feel.

 

**Racerf150man beat me...oh, well here's what I was writing

When doing brakes I always start in the front...don't know why, I just do. I would start by clamping off the soft lines in the front and remove the banjo bolt at the caliper. Next remove the calipers and rotors, clean off the spindles and install the new rotors and calipers. Make sure and pack the wheel bearing well with good grease and put some extra in the spindle hub to make sure that they don't ever run dry. After installing the new seals, put a little grease on the running lip so it won't burn up from the dry spindle.

At this point I would get an old turkey baster and remove all the old fluid in the master cylinder. Refill the master with fresh fluid from a new bottle. Now remove the old soft lines and install the new ones. Install the banjo bolt to the caliper with the new copper washers. Open the bleeder screw on the caliper and let them start to gravity bleed. At this point keep an eye on the master to make sure it doesn't go dry.

I like to clean and adjust the rear at this time. Don't forget to inspect the axle seals and wheel cylinders or calipers depending on how your was equipped. Inspect your e-brake cable too. Now recheck the fluid level and pressure bleed the front brakes. I

I would also bleed the entire system until all the fluid runs clear starting with the RR, LR, RF and lastly LF. Don't let that master run dry. I know it's like beating a dead horse...but if you ever did it, you would understand.


Some people will flush the system until it runs clear after removing the old stuff but before installing the new calipers. It is not a bad idea, in fact I would recommend it. I just never have.

I hope this helps and Good Luck.......