Norm Peterson

C-clamp for pistons that simply need to get pushed back into their bore.

Needle nose with pressure will work on pistons that need to be screwed back down, though it can be a little tricky. Universal tools are really only "sort of" universal and may not fit exactly right.

It is NEVER a good idea to push the brake fluid that has lived in the calipers back up the lines even if you don't have ABS. But it's more critical to avoid doing this if ABS is present, since you absolutely want to keep the crud that tends to collect in the wheel cylinders from getting into the ABS. I'm sure that there's an article over on brakeandfrontend.com with more tech concerning this.


Norm

satguy

Thanks for the info and those pics. Got to do my brakes this comming spring.

6-Speed

These are all good suggestions, but if it were so critical to the ABS, I would think the Ford shop manual would have included a warning or advisory to loosen the bleed screw when resetting the caliper piston.

I've done several brake jobs on ABS equipped vehicles following repair manual procedures and never came across this information.

miloman

I open them as well. It's easier to compress the pistons, less of a chance for overflow. You really don't lose much fluid doin git this way. I also stick a piece of rubber hose (I think it was 1/4", but I don't remember) and let it drain into a catch pan, as this prevents any mess on the hands and car.

RogerDodger1

Brake fluid is hygroscopic, which means it readily absorbs water from the air, which we don't want because this lowers the boiling point of the brake fluid, which can cause a loss of brakes. Water inside the brake system can also cause critical and expensive brake components to corrode and need replacement For this reason, it might not be wise to leave the master cylinder cap off for any longer than absolutely necessary. Simply removing 1/2 of the brake fluid in the master cylinder reservoir, (a turkey baster works fine for this), and then reinstalling the master cylinder cap will more than allow for expansion from the new brake pads. When the brake job is complete, check the master cylinder brake fluid level and adjust as needed. For safety, Ford recommends replacing brake the brake fluid every 36,000 miles or every time the brake pads are changed.

Here is an article that will tell you more about brake fluid being hygroscopic -

http://www.roddingroundtable.com/tec...rakefluid.html

Below is an article that will also tell you more about this very important topic and Ford's recommendations regarding brake fluid replacement intervals. Unfortunately, brake fluid tends to be the most neglected fluid in a vehicle by the motorist and yet it is more important than any other fluid in the vehicle because it can lead to brake failure when neglected -

http://www.aa1car.com/library/bfluid.htm

157dB

You might want to mention for the newbies out
there that the rear calipers dont simply push in
with a C-Clamp.
You have to TWIST them back in.

VRFlip

This is why Im intimidated of doing my own brakes.... but now Im worried about a shop messing them up!

Norm Peterson

157 - I figured that that point had been covered enough, complete with the picture of the sort-of-universal tool.

But I guess if you see anything that looks like slots in the pistons, plan on twisting the things in. And if you try a C-clamp anyway and it doesn't seem to be getting you anywhere, guess what??? Never mind how I might have discovered this.


Norm

ffk_pennywise

No need to be intimidated. Once you learn how you can do a front brake job in 20 minutes easy. Its not really a big deal.

RogerDodger1

How do we turn rotors, lubricate caliper slides, change brake fluid and install new brake pads in only 20 minutes...or are you suggesting just doing a pad-slap in 20 minutes?