Hello gentlemen,

How difficult is it to replace brake padss? I have a 2002 F-150 FX4 Lariat, How would I go about replacing them myself? What do I need to be aware of?
Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Jesse

 

First, it's not hard but you have to pay attention to how it goes together. Study where everything is and why, things like the brake pad with wear indicator, which side it's on and is it top or bottom. Use antisieze on the pads where they contact the caliper and piston(s) . Clean the caliper and caliper bracket up good with a die grinder and wire brush attachment. Use blue threadlock on the caliper bolts when reinstalling.

One point to never overlook is those steel pad tracks that fit in the caliper bracket. It is what the pad tabs sit in. You will have small tabs that must be bent with needle nose pliers. Then rest them in the bracket. Once you see them you'll know what I mean. They may eventually get pulled into the rotor and squeeling really bad.

Put antisieze on everything. At all points that mate together.

Be patient, and be clean with the new pads and rotors. Antisieze gets everywhere fast, so no globbing it on.

I wish I could show you second hand how it's done, I've done it on my truck many times because of bad pads, high mileage etc.

Also, get your rotors cut or replaced if cost doesn't matter. Buy good stuff, OEM or better. I've learned that the most expensive is also crap. The pads that are second from best, like Carquest blue, are your best bet. The gold ones were so hard after 10000 miles, they squeeled like pigs all the time.

Another tip is put your rotor on and put 2 lugs on hand tight to keep it in place, then the caliper bracket, then pads, then caliper. Any questions, feel free to PM me or whatever because I know there may be more you need to know.

 

To make things easy on you, ya might want to have a 4 or 5" C-clamp handy to compress the calipers. I did mine with a pair of channel locks, but ya gotta be careful not to mar up the surfaces. Do the driver side first, and remove the top bolt first, cuz when you take the top bolt out, and then start to take out the bottom bolt, you are instantly going to see exactly how it all goes together. Remember when you're done, and have it all put back together, when ya start your engine, just pump the brakes a few times before ya put it in gear. You'll see how easy it is. Once that is done, have a beer and pat yourself on the back with your dirty nasty hands.