Hey guys/gals:
I recently did a 4 wheel rotor replacement and pads replacement on my truck and wrote up a how-to.

I have not seen one of these here, so I thought I would post this. I hope it helps! If you have any questions, let me know......

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Complete front and rear rotor and brake pad replacement

-----> 2007 F150 FX4 <-----

Replaced with Brake Performance rotors and Ceramic pads

Tools Needed:

1. 10mm (rear), 13mm (front), and 18mm (front) sockets

2. 1/2" drive (for 18mm socket) and Breaker bar

3. 3 Pound rubber mallet

4. 18" pry bar

5. Steel and brass wire brushes

6. CRC Disc Brake quiet

7. CRC Synthetic Brake & Caliper grease

8. 8" C-Clamp

9. Patience

1. The best way to do a complete and safe job is put the entire truck on jack stands:


2. Tires removed and old equipment still on.


3. Find the two 18mm outer bolts (attached to the caliper/bracket) and break loose with 1/2" socket and breaker bar. Once the bolts are removed, use pry bar and flat head screw driver to gently pry off the caliper from the brake pad carrier. (This is much easier than trying to remove the entire assembly together).


4. Hang the caliper by a wire (do not let it hang by the brake line itself). Once removed, remove the two 13mm bolts (they have rubber boots on them) from the brake pad carrier. Once these are removed, slowly "walk" the carrier off the rotor. Be very carful not to let the two locater clips (springs) pop off while doing this.


5. Once caliper and pad carrier are off, rotor should come right off. Clean up hub in preparation for new rotor. (Wire brushes come in handy for this part)


6. Ford stock rotors and new rotors


7. Ford pads (left) and new ceramic pads (right)


8. Place a thin layer of CRC Synthetic Brake & Caliper grease on the hub before installing new rotor. This only need to be done to the front rotors.


9. Gently install new rotor and tighten it down with 3 lug nuts in preparation for the reinstall of caliper housing.


10. Clean caliper housing with brass brush to remove all brake dust (paint at this time, if you want to). Slowly and evenly (using old brake pad) compress the caliper pistons in. There is no need to remove the master cylinder cap because there is a built in vent.


11. Once compressed back, they should be even and flush with the housing.


12. At this time, clean the face of them and apply a thin coat of CRC Disc Brake Quiet. Once the new pads are installed in the brake pad carrier, gently slide it in to place, within the caliper.

 

13. Reinstall the caliper (with the brake pad carrier) on the new rotor tightening the 18mm bolts first (to the brackets), then tighten the 13mm brake pad carrier bolts.


14. This is the rear brake housing. There are two 10mm bolts the hold the rear caliper in place. Remove those bolts and hang the caliper or set on something so it is not hanging by the brake line. Remove rotor - this CAN BE a real "job". The E-Brake pads were holding the rotor on and I had to use a 3 pound rubber mallet and a couple of good swings to remove the old rotor. Once removed, clean up all the parts with the wire brushes.


15. You can see the E-Brake shoes here. See how they are not totally retracted? There is a star wheel at the bottom of the housing for the E-Brakes. Adjust it so the shoes are all the way in, in preparation for the installation of new rotor.


16. Replacement of the rear brake pads are pretty simple. Again, slowly compress the single piston back in so it is smooth with the housing, and install the new pads. One of them "snaps" in to the actual middle of the piston (rear brakes are one piston) and the other pad "snaps in to place on the housing.


17. Stock Ford Rotor and new rotor. Once you have installed the new pads in to the caliper unit, slide the new rotor in to place. If it does not slide on, check to make sure the E-brake is completely retracted by adjusting the star wheel on the bottom of the housing. Using the 10mm bolts, reinstall the calipers.


18. Finished brake job. Before you go ANYWHERE, start truck and pump brakes or you will have NO brakes to start with. Push and release E-Brake a few times so it will "self adjust" itself.


Complete job on single webpage: http://www.07fx4.com/urls/brakes

 

very informative..Thank You....are those EBC rotors?

 

Baaa thanks!!!

I was tossed up between doing my brake pads and painting my calipers or buying a two-way remote start/alarm system. Just bought the alarm system today, but doing the brake pads is definitely my next mod. Bookmarked.

 

Killer write up, S! We appreciate your contribution!! Welcome to TAC!

-RP-

 

Thanks for the great info! Will def help.

 

That is an awesome write up.

My deliema is I have a 2004 FX4 and are trying to replace my rear rotors. The seem to be so tight (and rusted in place) that I cannot get them to budge! Is there something that I am not doing correctly. I have the lug nuts and caliper removed, and have hit the rotor a bunch with the hammer to breat free any rust areas. I even use a bit of wd40 between the rotor and axle end, but that does not seem to work. I will say that in the past 4 years, I have been putting the rear wheels in mild saltwater during boating season to launch a boat so this may have casued the problem I am facing. Any suggestions on how to break free the rotor?

 

Ice King-if you have access to a torch try to heat up the rotor and then hit the rotor on the back and try to break it loose..keep trying you will finally get it!

 

Do you guys reinstall the V Springs when doing the fronts?

 

Yes, I did mine

 

****, I need to do mine!

 

What do they do?

 

Your notes and pictures were very helpful. My problem is I could not get the back rotors off. Can anyone explian the best way to get them off? Would you use a metal hand mallet? 3 pounds? If you are on jack stands, where would you be, under the truck hitting in an open area of the inside rotor? Is a mallet and a pointed or prying tool a way to go? It looks like there is a cover or plate and getting a good shot at the rotor seems hard. Plus, it looks like once you start in, the rotor is surely scrap at that point. Which is OK, accept if you can't get it off and then have to drive it to a repair shop. Plus, the point would be to not damage the axel, so wacking at the rotor really hard when it is stuck seems a bit scary.

It looks like if you had the truck on a lifter and could stand underneath it, you coul easily use a mallet to bang it off.

 

I recently ran into this problem. I searched and found a write-up for removing stuck front rotors that I thought would work good for the rears also... it involved using two bolts (smaller than the stock caliper bolts) and 2 or 4 nuts and washers. Go on Youtube and search "2004 ford f-150 stuck rotor" (it's actually a very cool video!). It probably, pretty sure, works great for the fronts, but I couldn't find Grade 8 bolts in 1/4 size at my local hardware store so I used what they had, and bent 2 bolts right away!

I ended up using a pickle fork tool (think it's a ball joint seperator) and a cold chisel. I wedged the pickle fork between the caliper bracket and the rotor from the rear, and then the cold chisel from the top, between the rotor and the pickle fork. I would tap each one a little bit not to dislodge either one, but to keep working them in. Eventually the rotor twisted a little, I wiggled the tools out, and grabbed both sides of rotor and walked it off....

I like the bolt idea (less hassle), but didn't work without stronger bolts... sometimes brute force is the way

 

I just use an air hammer with the hammer insert......works like a champ!