How to Replace Rear Disk Pads on a Ford Focus

Rear disk pads on your Ford Focus wear at a much different rate than those on the front. In fact, they wear out much more rapidly than those on the front. If you don't change them in a timely fashion, worn disk pads will ultimately cause damage to your rotor, and are considerably dangerous to drive with. Changing rear disk pads is not as difficult as it may first seem, and in fact, if you know how to change a tire then you're halfway there.

Instructions

1

Park the car on a level surface and place the wheel chocks in front of the front wheels.

2

Break loose the lugs nuts on the side that you will be working on first using the lug wrench, but do not take them off.

3

Jack up the car using the automobile jack and remove the wheel. Place a jack stand under the frame of the car near the jacking point and raise it as close to the frame as you can.

4

Detach the parking brake cable from the caliper by releasing the clip.

5

Pull the caliper away from the rotor by removing the bolts using the proper size socket and ratchet. The bolts are actually on the back side of the caliper.

6

Remove the old disk pads by sliding them out of their notches.

7

Push the caliper piston back into the caliper using the caliper piston tool. The fluid in the lines will go back into the master cylinder.

8

Place the new disk pads into the notches in the same manner that the old ones were in place.

9

Place the caliper assembly back onto the rotor and move so that the bolt holes line up. If the caliper is difficult to put back on, then you must push the piston in more. Never hammer it back into place.

10

Install the bottom caliper bolt loosely and then install the top bolt. Tighten both bolts down snugly using the proper size socket and the ratchet.

11

Re-attach the parking brake cable to the caliper by clipping it into place.

12

Remove the jack stand and re-attach the wheel to the car.

13

Lower the car back to the ground and tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern using the lug wrench to ensure that they are all tight.

14

Repeat the entire process for the other rear wheel.