A funny thing happened on the way to the way to the 21st century. Back in the late 1980s, the airwaves were rife with advertisements for the newest compact pickup, station wagon, minivan or sedan; five years later, and you couldn't flip a channel without seeing Ford's latest full-size, V-8 pickups. So what happened? Ironically, it was the EPA. It's no coincidence that during this same time period, the EPA cracked down hard on fuel economy and emissions for everything but trucks. Now, after 10 years of blitz advertising from manufacturers dodging emissions and fuel economy standards, we're still buying big, gas-guzzling monsters instead of station wagons, minivans and awesome little pickups like the Ranger.
Instructions
- 1
Park the truck on level ground, and use a lug wrench to break the lug nuts loose on both front wheels. Kick a set of chocks behind the rear wheels, lift the front end with a floor jack and support it on jack stands. Remove the lug nuts, and then the wheels.
2Use a ratchet and socket to remove the two brake caliper bolts -- technically, "slide pins" -- and pull the brake caliper from the assembly. Remove the outer brake pad, but leave the inner pad in place. Install a C-clamp on the caliper assembly, with one end on the back of the assembly and the other on the inner brake pad.
3Use a line wrench to turn the brake bleeder valve counterclockwise half a turn, and position the caliper with the bleeder valve over a catch jar. Slowly tighten the C-clamp to push the brake caliper piston into the housing, and stop when the brake pad bottoms out on the caliper.
4Use a length of heavy-duty wire to hang the caliper from the truck's chassis; don't let it dangle on the brake line. Wedge the blade of a flat-head screwdriver under the edge of the dome-shaped grease cap in the center of the wheel hub, and use a small hammer to lightly tap it under the edge of the cap.
5Work around the cap with the hammer and screwdriver, working it up and out of the wheel hub. Use a par of needle-nosed pliers to straighten out the cotter pin that holds the nut, and then pull the cotter pin out of the axle stub. Remove the castle nut and the washer beneath it. Wiggle the rotor to remove the outer wheel bearing from the recess.
6Use a deadblow hammer to tap the edges of the rotor from the back, toward you and off of the truck. With the rotor off, clean the spindle axle off with a paintbrush and acetone; inspect the spindle to see if either of the inner bearing races stuck to it when you pulled the rotor off. Use a screwdriver and hammer to tap the bearing ring off if it got stuck.
7Remove the bearing seal from the back of the rotor with your screwdriver, and then remove the inner bearing from the rotor. Again, the outer bearing race may wedge in the rotor. If both bearings are good, then you can reuse them. However, you're really best off replacing them; if your rotors are worn out, the wheel bearings are probably about due for replacement. And new bearings are cheap, clean, easier to install in the new rotors and come with a new rear grease seal.
8Soak the old bearings in grease if you plan on reusing them; finish cleaning them out with spray throttle body cleaner. Pack them with new grease. Place a golf-ball-sized dab of grease in the palm of your left hand, hold the bearing in your right hand with the wide part facing down, and press the edge of the bearing down hard into the grease. After you've forced grease into the bearing, rotate it and finish forcing grease into the rest of it. Repeat with the other bearing.
9Wipe the new rotor down with acetone or spray brake cleaner to remove the protective coating of oil. Press the inner bearing into the rotor, and then install the rear grease seal. Set it in place by tapping around its edge with a deadblow hammer until it's flush and even. Grease the spindle, then put a bit more on the inner edge of the grease seal. Slide the rotor onto the spindle, and install the outer bearing. Clean the washer and castle nut off with throttle body cleaner, and liberally grease the washer. Slide it over the spindle on top of the outer bearing, and thread the castle nut on.
10Use a torque wrench to tighten the nut to 20 foot-pounds; this will set the grease seal and bearings in the rotor. Turn the castle nut counterclockwise about 45 degrees to loosen it, and test-spin the rotor to make sure it turns freely. Install the new cotter pin through the castle nut and the hole in the spindle, and bend it backward around the castle nut as the old one was. Pack as much grease into the recess as will fit, install the grease cap and tap it in place with the deadblow hammer.
11Clean the caliper pin bolts with acetone, and then lubricate the smooth sections of the pins with disc brake grease. Coat the back of your new brake pads with anti-squeal grease, and then install the new pads into the caliper housing. Install the caliper and pin bolts, and tighten them to 24 foot-pounds. Repeat all of the steps on the other side. Never replace only one rotor, set of pads or set of wheel bearings, even if the other side seems fine.
12Install the wheels and snug the lug nuts.Lower the truck, then torque the lug nuts to 100 foot-pounds. Start the engine and pump the pedal until it feels firm. Check the brake fluid level. Take the truck out to a straight, empty stretch of road and accelerate it to 30 mph. Hit the brakes firmly and bring the truck to a complete stop without skidding. Repeat this cycle -- accelerating and stopping fairly quickly to keep some heat in the brakes -- at least 20 times to "burnish" the new pads and rotors. This step is critical for establishing a matching wear pattern and ensuring proper brake performance and longevity.
