F150 Brake Job

Go ahead and do pads and rotors. It's not hard at all. I bought the Detroit Axle set with pads and rotors from Amazon. They work fine. Go ahead and rent/borrow the caliper compressor tool from your local auto parts store.

I'd at least turn the rotors if don't change.

Easy. However, do not attempt the rears unless you have a long handled 10mm box end wrench that grabs on the flats of the bolt. 6 point probably the same thing.

The rear calipers are fastened with a 10mm bolt and it is probably stuck like chuck right now.

I always do pads and rotors or shoes and drums.

I always buy cheap pads and shoes...this stems from my Grandfather and Uncle who owned a car lot and repair shop when I was a kid and they paid me $10 to replace break pads and shoes (lot of money for a 9 year old in 1974 LOL). The thinking is that expensive pads place undue stress on rotors / drums and cause undue wear which leads to premature failure. This was back when you could turn drums and rotors...they are as cheap to buy new now as they are to turn even if you can find someone who still turns them...the risk they assume by turning drums and rotors has stopped most from doing it and if they are still doing it they probably don't need turning because the tolerances they use to determine if they can be turned are so tight that if they can turn them they probably aren't worn in the least. expensive shoes / pads will work a LONG time but when they need replacing the drums or rotors will need turning or, more likely today, replaced....back in the day we would turn them several times in their life span LOL....so we wanted to make certain they didn't cut in a spot that couldn't be turned out. Not as big an issue today as cheap as drums and rotors are but old habits, you know?

If your truck has drum emergency brakes (it most likely does) take a picture of how they are configured when you remove the rotor because most likely something will come with the rotor and it is a fricking mess of springs and clips and shite some physchopath created to cause mankind untold grief and frustration. The emergency brakes shouldn't need to be replaced but look at them anyway...if anyone has driven it with them applied very much they may need replacing also.

If there is any kind of wear sensor attached to the brake caliper take a photo of how it mounts...it'll be a wire stuck inside the caliper against the rotor or pad. be careful with it because it'll be brittle and even a little misalignment will cause a light on the dash and be a pain in the arse. I don't remember F-150s having this but some newer loaded models may. If you do have a brake light on when done this is probably the reason and is a pain because it usually requires repeating the entire process until you eliminate the light.

While you under the vehicle inspect the brake lines and wheel cylinders. It is about as cost effective to replace the calipers today as it is to rebuild wheel cylinders but you still want to make certain there isn't any undue leakage (there will be some but it should only be ring of dirty stuck to the fluid at the threads, if it is running further than that you will have air in the lines). Make certain to check all of the hard line fittings for excessive leaking and the soft lines for wear (cracks, bulges etc.). Also inspect the ABS distribution block and master cylinder lines and fittings. There will be some leaking but it shouldn't be more than a ring of dust around the fitting threads. Replace anything that doesn't look right if you can afford it and if it is really bad even if you can't LOL.

It is an easy job on a F-150 or any truck for that matter other than the weight of the wheels and tires. I do the brakes on my f-450 Motorhome myself and can do them in about an hour if I have cleaned up my shop in the last few years (I haven't LOL so it takes about 6 hours - 4 to find the tools, 1 to cuss everyone in the house out about fricking with my tools and an hour to do the work LOL). It'll take longer to do the back brakes because of the damned emergency brakes (drums UGH) but it is still a very easy job.

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Don't forget the grease.

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ALL OVER the face of the rotors to prevent corrosion....JUST KIDDING....even a little oil on the rotor will be noticeable for many miles.


But you do want to put some grease on the bolts and the face of the hub and the lip of the hub where the rotor rests. It will work with out it but the next time they have to be done you or someone else will questioning your ancestors lineage....they will have to be removed with a BFH Tool...(big fricking hammer)….not to bad on a lift but damned scary when the vehicle is on a jack LOL.

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Go ahead and do pads and rotors. It's not hard at all. I bought the Detroit Axle set with pads and rotors from Amazon. They work fine. Go ahead and rent/borrow the caliper compressor tool from your local auto parts store.

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Ive used the same set on a bunch of vehicles and they are good products. About $200 for 4 wheels for my wifes Cooper when everyone else was $1000 plus...fricking Beamers!

If you can't get a compressor tool (I have never used one) a c clamp will work with one of the old brake pads....you can also do it manually if you are man enough....I aint never been man enough....even a big pair of channelock type pliers will work but be sure to use something (wood block, old pad etc) to prevent damaging the caliper....

And while youre under the vehicle lube it with a grease gun if you have one.....they don't do this sufficiently at Jiffy Lube places. I wouldn't do it with the vehicle on jacks but when you get the tires off do what you can reach and when the tires are all on and on the ground slide under it and lube it.....I like grease...it is a graet idea LOL....

I changed the rotors/pads on my excursion a couple months ago. If it’s like mine, get a cheater bar of some sort. The bolts were “frozen” on mine. A cheater bar and liquid wrench did the trick. I didn’t have a compression tool so I used a couple chunks of 1x and a c clamp. It’s really easy.

Great time to buy a 1/2” cordless impact with the money you save doing it yourself...

ETA I have the same truck 4x4. It’s an easy job. Takes almost as long to jack up, put on stands and remove wheels to do the brakes/rotors. A big c clamp works for a compressor as well

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Go ahead and do pads and rotors

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I agree with this; buy the cheapest pads (as in non-metallic) you can find bc pads are cheaper than rotors

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Go ahead and do pads and rotors.

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Absolutely, I drove 5 fords over about 8 years and all of them warped the front rotors before the first brake job was due. I am hard on brakes, but never had that problem on any other vehicle I have ever owned.