replacing front brake pads

[whitt]

Is there any who has changed front brake pads on a 97 Explorer or has a little insight on the situation. Have done work on truck but never the brakes just a fear of the unknown.

[mabulok]

Suggest you invest in the Haynes manual...it has detailed tear-down and re-assembly instructions. The money you save doing it yourself will more than compensate you for the cost. I usually end up buying tools while I'm at it. For instance, a torque wrench is a necessity. And while you've already got the brakes off, it's a good time to check/replace/repack your bearings. I have a 2000 X and I believe it's much easier than pre-'95 models. In a nutshell: remove wheel, loosen the top caliper bolt, remove lower caliper bolt and then rotate assy upward. Remove pads, clean caliper, lube all places where pads touch calipers, insert new pads and reassemble. The torque wrench is to tighten the caliper bolts to spec, and avoid any broken bolts. The reason you need to check your bearings is because you'll most likely want to have the rotors checked/turned to eliminate any front wheel shimmy you might have during braking, and you'll be removing the bearings when you remove the rotor. Last time I did my brakes, I just bought a new set of rotors and now I'll have a spare set to go get turned next time around, and I won't have to have the truck up on blocks while they're being done. If you're going to do the bearings too, just remove the caliper instead of rotating it, and either hang it by a wire or set it on a support high enough to keep the brake line from being damaged. Make sure you block the rear wheel opposite the tire you're working on...could be a life-saving move!!! And when it's all back together, you'll need to bleed the brakes beginning with the furthest from the master cylinder. Make sure after you're done bleeding each wheel to add more brake fluid to keep the master cylinder from going dry. That's about all there is to it. Good luck...

[whitt]

thanks

[XLT03]

One thing to check before you remove wheel off the vehicle. Turn the wheel to check if both side move with the same amount of effort, it should rotate with little effort and it'll drag a bit. If one side is tight then the caliper needs to be overhauled or you can replace with remanufactured caliper-get the loaded ones. If one is bad then I do both sides, I figure if one is bad the other is sure to follow. BTW, be sure to get new wheel seals when packing bearings. Always turn your rotors or you'll be sorry when the brake pedal pulsates and you have to do the job over and turn them rotors. Mabulok advice on Haynes is a must. His other input says it all.