A few lessons learned while doing the front brake pads on my 99 Mustang GT 107K !:
1. This year's GT has PBR dual piston front calipers. I really had to compress the pistons to clear the new pads (Motorcraft pads). This may have caused one of the caliper pistons to hang up, causing the pads to drag and heat up
the rotor, caliper, and wheel ! I tried to pop out the stuck piston, to no avail. These are phenolic resin type psitons, which obviously resist rust.
2. The caliper bracket is held on by two 15mm bolts which were thread-locked at the factory. You will need to "buzz off" with an impact wrench or an 18" or longer breaker bar with a 1/2" drive. I also blasted the two bolts with PB blaster (or equivalent) for a few minutes.
3. The banjo fitting requires two "crush" brass or copper washers. I had a kit from NAPA which included these washers, but I am pretty sure other vendors may not include these with their calipers. The banjo fitting bolt is 16mm.
4. I used a "Mity Vac" to bleed the caliper I replaced. The only thing "universal" about the Mity Vac is the fact that none of the black Mity Vac brake bleeder fittings fit tightly on any of the cars I have EVER worked on. It's better just to purchase some clear plastic tubing at a hardware store.
5. My car is well-maintained . But, the brake fluid looked horrendous ! I had been using a turkey baster once in a while to withdraw brake fluid from the master cylinder. After the withdrawal, I'd replenish the brake fluid with
new brake fluid from a sealed bottle of brake fluid. Even so, the fluid looked "dirty" . I am guessing the fluid decomposes the rubber in the flexible segments of the brake lines (black rubber), giving the fluid a horrible cast. I will be flushing the brake fluid regularly from now on !
6. Finally, beware the flimsy "tin" "pad guides" that come with the the new caliper - the pads simply will not fit with these units, and they are too flimsy to futz with. Just clean up your old guides .
Hope this helps some other poor, over-confident devil like me !
BTW, the guys on this forum were a lot of help - thanks again
***UPDATE***
Finished the job , but was not pleased with "pedal feel". Searched the forums, and deduced that I should bleed the Master Cylinder (per the many intelligent folks who post here !). My lovely wife helped me bleed the MC ( great gal), and all is well, now. Next project -the dreaded rear pads !!!
1. This year's GT has PBR dual piston front calipers. I really had to compress the pistons to clear the new pads (Motorcraft pads). This may have caused one of the caliper pistons to hang up, causing the pads to drag and heat up
the rotor, caliper, and wheel ! I tried to pop out the stuck piston, to no avail. These are phenolic resin type psitons, which obviously resist rust.
2. The caliper bracket is held on by two 15mm bolts which were thread-locked at the factory. You will need to "buzz off" with an impact wrench or an 18" or longer breaker bar with a 1/2" drive. I also blasted the two bolts with PB blaster (or equivalent) for a few minutes.
3. The banjo fitting requires two "crush" brass or copper washers. I had a kit from NAPA which included these washers, but I am pretty sure other vendors may not include these with their calipers. The banjo fitting bolt is 16mm.
4. I used a "Mity Vac" to bleed the caliper I replaced. The only thing "universal" about the Mity Vac is the fact that none of the black Mity Vac brake bleeder fittings fit tightly on any of the cars I have EVER worked on. It's better just to purchase some clear plastic tubing at a hardware store.
5. My car is well-maintained . But, the brake fluid looked horrendous ! I had been using a turkey baster once in a while to withdraw brake fluid from the master cylinder. After the withdrawal, I'd replenish the brake fluid with
new brake fluid from a sealed bottle of brake fluid. Even so, the fluid looked "dirty" . I am guessing the fluid decomposes the rubber in the flexible segments of the brake lines (black rubber), giving the fluid a horrible cast. I will be flushing the brake fluid regularly from now on !
6. Finally, beware the flimsy "tin" "pad guides" that come with the the new caliper - the pads simply will not fit with these units, and they are too flimsy to futz with. Just clean up your old guides .
Hope this helps some other poor, over-confident devil like me !
BTW, the guys on this forum were a lot of help - thanks again
***UPDATE***
Finished the job , but was not pleased with "pedal feel". Searched the forums, and deduced that I should bleed the Master Cylinder (per the many intelligent folks who post here !). My lovely wife helped me bleed the MC ( great gal), and all is well, now. Next project -the dreaded rear pads !!!