Rear Brake Caliper Issue 2002 GT

You can get the cable out of the way pretty easily.

1st) Release the e-brake to make the cable somewhat loose. Then you have to pull the back of the cable off of the bracket with pliers (pretty hard to do).
2nd) Pull off the U clamp (carefully, you need to put it back on when you reassemble it). Again you have to pull this thing with needle nose pliers and you have to pull hard. Obviously pull it so that you are pulling opposite of the open end.
3rd) Pull the cable through the hole and out of the way. It is a metal cable so it is akward but will pull through.
4th) Put it back together the same way, you need the spring to be put back in. Good luck with that one. Some people have claimed they have been able to put it back in by squeezing with vice grips. I think it is impossible. I couldn't do it with basic hand tools. I had ford put the springs back in on both sides.

Im no expert but over the last few days ive been screwing around with my rear brakes too. Maybe im missing something but i dont think u need to undo that bolt to change just the pads. All you need to do is take off 2 bolts, one on top and the other on bottom. Mine is a 98 not sure if there are differences. I only took off the 2 bolts where the slid pins are. Then took off bleeder screw to be able to get the caliper on the ground to apply pressure to get the piston back in. Sorry if the 02 and 98 are different

It seemed easier to take the entire caliper off so that to be able to adjust the backing to fit the new thicker pads. If I could figure out how to get the e-brake spring back on then I will be good to go for next time I just change out the pads. I recently did my brakes so I should be good to go for a while.

The joys of rear brakes. Had to do some last winter. The brake cable is always in the way. And that spring is now in a box some damn where.

Rear brake pad changes do not require removing spring.

Just make sure Ebrake is not locked, pull the ebrake cable end that sits behind rear caliper with pliers, and feed around U braket that holds it in place. Then push it through the hole it sits in and ....voila its out of your way.

This takes like 10 seconds at most.

Then all you must do is remove the two bolts holding caliper/rotor in place and change pads.

Worst part of rear brakes IMO is turnin the piston clockwise to get it compressed to get new pads in. Even with the tool its a PIA.

Please don't go through all the spring removal and what not. Just pull the ebrake cable around the U bracket with pliers and feed it through the hole. Once you're done with brakes, feed it back into hole and grab with pliers to pull back into the U bracket. Very easy that way.

Everyone -

Though I'm a few years late to this thread, it just saved my behind today as I was fighting with the e-brake line all the way with my Mustang. I managed to get one to caliper to bolt back in even with the pesky line in the way, but the other just wasn't have'n it. I don't even get me started on the freak'n turning the piston thing.

In thanks for your ideas and help above, I wish to return to you . . . . how I get the e-brake springs in with simple hand tools in just a few minutes. (There was no way I was going to admit defeat and take it to a dealer.)

So, if anyone ever reads this . . .here goes!

Ingredients:

Large Channel Locks
Small gauge bailing wire

I'll let you read that again in case you don't believe your read it correctly the first time.

Large Channel Locks
Small gauge bailing wire

Okay, on with the show.

1) take a GOOD look at the springs and how they are setup before you pop them out. Stick you phone under there and take a picture. Especially if you are doing your brakes on both wheels at the same time. Notice, the spring coils are horizontal with the ground. Not vertical. I didn't the first time.
2) Okay, follow the advice of all the posts above and remove your e-brake cables before changing your pads. Your springs will come off in this process and fly away. Go find them.
Note, they flew so far away because they are really under a lot of pressure. So, keep that in mind when doing the next steps. Remember - we are putting metal springy things under pressure. Be careful, wear safety goggles and gloves. You've been warned.
3) Put your channel lock at its widest setting, put the two ends of the springs in the jaws and squeeze them just a little. My channel lock at its widest setting squished them about half an inch.
4) Wrap a few turns of bailing wire around the spring ends while they are still in the channel locks.
5) Open the channel locks, move it to the next smaller setting (or skip a setting and go two in) and squeeze, undo the bailing wire and put it back on in the new tighter position.
6) Repeat this process until the ends of the spring are about 1/2" apart, don't hurry.
7) Put two wraps of bailing wire the final squeeze and twist the ends together a few times. Loose'n the channel locks and the spring should settle in a tightly wound ball of metal with the ends about 3/4" apart. Be careful.
8) Put the e-brake cable back in, the end lug back in its u-slot, and its lock washer thingy in place. Now put the spring in place and slowly release the bailing wire (you can also cut the bailing wire with diagonal cutters. If done right - the spring should ease back into place at normal tension.

You may have some excess bailing wire trapped under the spring. Just trim it away. I used a very thing gauge of wire for this.

Channel locks also help turn the freak'n piston when the stupid tool won't work alone. Just use them to help get it turning past the hard part and do NOT cut into the calipers boot.

I hope this helps someone out there. I am NOT a professional mechanic, so take this for what its worth. If you are not comfortable doing the above, DON'T. If any of you think the above is the worse advice in the world - say so! All I will say, it worked for me. Hurray.

And make sure when you put the pads in the pistons are "clocked" if you will so that the pins on the pads go into the recesses of the pistons or they wear uneven and squeal under light braking application.

John MacDonald - Thanks again for the tip on how to replace the parking brake spring that goes in the rear caliper on the Mustang! I had to remove the spring because my caliper bolt was rounding off and I had to hammer a 12mm 6 pt socket on it to remove. I fought with it for a while with stainless steel zip ties, but they had too large a diameter. The small guage bailing wire worked perfectly!

Thanks again!