Need a brake job..

[Gerritt]

Well I have a F150 and have started to notice pulsating in the brakes.... I can feel it is in the rear as there is no steering feedback when braking...

 

I took a look and it appears my pads are fine (Thermo quiets) but my rear discs need to be replaced they have quite the lip on them

 

I heard these discs can be pricey... anyone replace their rear discs on their F150?? what did they cost?

 

Should I also need to replace the pads? they seem to have alot of pad left on them...

 

I have never done a brake job myself before... is this something that should be straight forward? without alot of reading and internet searches to accomplish?

 

Last thing I would want to do lose braking due to an oversight or mistake on my part....

 

any advice you can give would be helpful

 

G

[irishfield]

Can't help bud.. got all 4 rotors/pads and emerg brake pads all replaced with 5 days left on my pre-paid maintenance so don't know what it was worth. I do know that Leah's Sport trac was gonna be almost $1400 with seized calipers on two wheels.. until we faught that to be warrantee work.

[Muskieman]

EH!

 

Rear rotors should cost you 35$$ a piece or so.... when you buy them you will be asked

if you have 12mm or 14mm studs.... rear pads should run about 30-40 $$ /set.

 

I your rear e-brakes are shot take them apart and put 'em in a box.... if your truck is standard fix them.

 

I sell this brake job everyday...

 

If you need rear calipers expect to pay 60-75 $ each exchange.

 

not a very big job you can do this yourself.

 

Good stopping.

[skeeter]

disc brakes are really easy to do, including replacing the rotors.

you could also have them turned by a repair shop but for the price i would replace them.

yes you have to replace the pads aswell or they will start chewing up the new rotors in the same pattern as the old ones

go to walmart or ctc and get the repair manual for your truck and just follow it.

its a lot easier then you think.

and the repair manual will help you out with any other problems you might have in the future.

there about $40- $50 but the first brake job you do will pay for itself.

 

 

Dann

[misfish]

Hey G, Brakes are one thing I leave for the shop. They know best when it comes to the new stuff. I know it can hit the pocket,but in my eyes,it,s worth it. It,s like no fault insurance.LOL

[OhioFisherman]

No experience on a F-150 but brake work is easy compared to some things. New rotors, new pads they wear in, grooves on a rotor will transfer to a pad. You save 65 to 75 dollars an hour labor, 25 percent or more mark up on the price of parts from a shop.

[Daplumma]

Disc brakes are a breeze,if you feel a pulsating thru the pedal it may be a rotor problem.If you turn/replace the rotors spring for the extra bux for the pads.Make sure your e-cable is not dragging.

Joe

[bigbuck]

Change both the pads and the rotors. Get the best parts you can afford esp. with the pads. I'd get someone who knows what they are doing to take care of this job because the emergency brake can be tricky.

Good luck.

[Greencoachdog]

Take it to a dealer or brake specialist... you'll be better off in the longrun.

[nancur373]

I got a GMC 1500 and replaced all discs and pads last year for 300 bucks...nothing to it. Ford should be relatively the same.

[oldschool]

Gerritt, the F150 (1999) is absolutely the easiest brake replacement that I have ever done in my 40 years of shade-tree work. You will not even need the book, but only about 10 minutes to do a bit of looking and finding the two bolts on each wheel that hold the calipers on. No fancy special use wrenched needed either; just standard wrenches that would be found in any standard equipped do-it-yourselfer's garage. When off, the rotors simply pull straight off. I would do new ones as well as others have said. They can be turned quite easily, but with the price as low as it is for new ones, it isn't worth the extra trip to town. I would suggest good quality replacement pads as they are only about $30 a set higher than the cheap ones down here in Iowa. My four wheels only took me about 1 1/2 hours, and that was removing wheels and all. Maybe 2 hours as it always seems cheaper and quicker a few months after the fact. Lastly, I would do all four wheels each time. I think it's easier to do it as a set, and it always seems to last only a while until the next set would be due anyway. I like to know that my brakes are well maintained, and that I have no concerns with them at all.

 

Good luck, not that this job needs any luck at all.

 

Roy

[HTHM]

Would you have an electrician rough in a bathroom drain system? I would suggest let those who know what they are doing do the job and stick to what you do best. How important is $ when you brakes fail with your family in the truck???

[Tinman]

there are a lot of places out there that do brakes now for cheap because they bring the parts in from china or korea, I worked in a place that sold a brand called kingdom, Never had a problem with them. even now out of there for 5 years, I still go with there stuff. I did my front brakes last year for 75 bucks, now thats on a sunfire

[BillM]

Would you have an electrician rough in a bathroom drain system? I would suggest let those who know what they are doing do the job and stick to what you do best. How important is $ when you brakes fail with your family in the truck???

 

Doing a brake job isn't rocket science.. I've done a few sets of pads/rotors on the F150's and it has got to be one of the easiest replacements there could be (My gf's 00 Grand Prix has to take the title for easiest brakes, lol)...

 

Like it was mentioned before, 2 bolts hold the caliper to the carrier, take those off, take the caliper off the rotor and remove the rotor. Installation is the opposite.. I really don't know how someone could mess it up.

[2 tone z71]

Doing a brake job isn't rocket science.. I've done a few sets of pads/rotors on the F150's and it has got to be one of the easiest replacements there could be (My gf's 00 Grand Prix has to take the title for easiest brakes, lol)...

 

Like it was mentioned before, 2 bolts hold the caliper to the carrier, take those off, take the caliper off the rotor and remove the rotor. Installation is the opposite.. I really don't know how someone could mess it up.

 

YEP what he said

Edited April 21, 2008 by 2 Tone Z71

[Tinman]

i agree, generally rotors an pads are very simple. i did my first set in about an hour and a half, that included jacking up either side of the car by hand!

[BillM]

If the OP is a little hesitant, then he might want to pick up a Hayes Manual at Crappy Tire that will walk him through the entire process, with pictures

[Lostchild]

"Would you have an electrician rough in a bathroom drain system? "

 

Probably not, but comparing apples to apples; would you have an electrician change a light bulb for you??? LOL I know what you are saying!

 

I will agree with some that are saying go to a certified garage. Although not very hard to do, there is alot of little steps involved, such as cleaning and greasing slider pins, compressing calipers, making sure the master cylinder cap is off, checking all the rubber boots for tears/cracks, making sure calipers pistons are moving freely, securing pad clips properly, inspecting brake lines...etc.

 

Once shown step by step and knowing what to look for this can be accomplished relatively easily and with 100% confidence that your brakes are in top working shape. "NOT" something to go out and just wing it on your own though!

 

Maybe just me, but with the lack of competent mechanics (not all of them) and over-all customer care out there, I trust myself more than any service shop.

Edited April 21, 2008 by Lostchild

[maybe]

I your rear e-brakes are shot take them apart and put 'em in a box.... if your truck is standard fix them.

 

I sell this brake job everyday...

 

You remove your customers' emergency brakes on a daily basis? Have I missed something?

 

From the Highway Traffic Act, specifically Part VI section 64 - Brakes.

 

Brakes, two systems required

64. (1) Every motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, when driven on a highway shall be equipped with at least two braking systems, each with a separate means of application and effective on at least two wheels, one of which shall be adequate to stop the vehicle as required by regulations made by the Ministry and the other of which shall be adequate to hold the vehicle stationary. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 64 (1).

 

Condition of brakes

(7) All such brakes and braking systems shall be maintained in good working order and shall conform to the regulations made under this section. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 64 (7).

 

Penalty

(9) Every person who contravenes subsection (1), (5) or (7) or a regulation made under subsection (6) is guilty of an offence and, if the offence was committed by means of a commercial motor vehicle within the meaning of subsection 16 (1) or any trailer within the meaning of subsection (5) that is drawn by a commercial motor vehicle within the meaning of subsection 16 (1), on conviction is liable to a fine of not less than $400 and not more than $20,000. 1996, c. 20, s. 14.

[Maverick]

I just bought front rotors for my chev. CT was charging me $120 per rotor, Napa even more. I looked around and found this site http://www.autopartsonlinecanada.com/ and found them for $42 a piece with free shipping on orders over $75. If you order them there call in the order because when I called to make sure I was getting the right part for my truck they said that the online orders go into a cue whereas the phone orders get processed immediately. You shouldn't need to take it to a specialist because they just charge you ridiculous $$ for doing something most people can do. If you know anybody that plays with vehicles for fun, offer them a case of beer and they'll most likely help you out.

[cork soaker]

at least one of your neighbours will know how to do a break job, ask for assistance. it is one of the simplest and most straightforward jobs you can do on your own vehicle. the ones claiming concern on here are just mystified because they believe its a safety issue, and thats fine, but anyone who is even a little bit handy can do a rotor/pad job, with limited effort! by all means purchase a manual if it makes things easier, but for the most part its a straightforward job!

[bbog]

Hey Gerrit, brakes are pretty straight forward but there are a few details to be aware of (as others have said). Have a look at this link then decide for yourself.

 

http://www.fordf150.net/howto/brakerepair.php

 

Seems a little drastic that some are suggesting this is life and death. Are you really going screw up all 4 corners?

[Gerritt]

Hi guys thanks for all your input on this.. I am a fairly handy guy and am not afraid to getting my hands dirty..

 

It is something I wanted to do myself just for the simple fact of doing it.. it is not a money issue, more of a I wanna do it issue, if that makes any sense.

 

I do have some neighbors I could call on... great advice thanks!

 

Time to start calling around for prices..

 

Thanks again guys!!

 

G

[Gerritt]

Maverick.. Thanks for the link

 

 

but it appears the rotors are not in stock..

 

 

My Truck is a 2002 F150 XLT 2WD Supercab

 

 

Thanks for your effort though!

 

G

Edited April 21, 2008 by Gerritt

[Tybo]

GERRITT!!!

Stay away from WHITE box parts.Their crap or stolen parts.

If I was you, I would only buy top quality parts.

Expressly if you plan to drive the truck for another 5 years.